The project kicked off with the collective financial support of locals, the authorities concerned and a grant from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). [break]
Two mighty rivers flow near the VDC which is rich in eco-tourism potential but the locals have been suffering from scarcity of drinkable water and from various water-borne diseases all this time, informed local resident Mina Neupane.
"High level of arsenic content in tap water, well water and pumped water has left people bedridden after its use,” said Neupane.
With donor support, toilets were built to promote eco-tourism in the VDC but the continuous supply of arsenic water had rendered these efforts in vain, informed another local, Hari Bhandari.
"Forget about the impact of the water after brushing your teeth and washing your face; if left in a vessel for some time it corrodes the metal to grey," said Bhandari.
According to Indra Bahadur KC, chief of the Megahuli Sanasahari Drinking Water and Sanitation Consumers Organization, the initiative for bringing clean water to the VDC picked up after the ADB agreed to help it there was financial contribution from the local side.
"ADB agreed to help us financially, but according to the preliminary deal half the needed money had to be a public contribution," said KC.
"In the course of collecting money locally, we managed to gather only Rs 500,000 whereas the total budget for the project was estimated at Rs 170 million. After taking a 35 percent loan from the Town Development Fund and collecting Rs 9,000 from each household, we were able to gather the needed total amount," added KC.
However, it was only after submitting official papers showing how much had been collected that the ADB extended its support and the drinking water construction project took off.
"Nearly half the drinking water reservoir is near completion. Within a year and half, locals will have clean drinking water in their houses," said Mina Neupane, who is also vice-chairman of the consumer´s organization.
Underground water from 170 feet deep will be pump up through deep-boring and collected in the reservoir for distribution to each house, informed Neupane.
"After completion of the project, clean water will be distributed to around 1,780 household in the first phase," she said.
"It will take time to supply clean water to all 2,700 households" she added.
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