Mityal´s villagers obstructed water supply by destroying a water tank at the supply source. They also threw away pipes that supplied water from the source to Galdha.[break]
Half-a-dozen villages in Galdha VDC are facing drinking water shortage for the past five days.
Mityal villagers have accused the locals of Galdha of spreading rumors that the water source located at Mityal is responsible for the diarrhea spread.
“Villagers of Mityal damaged the water tank saying they were insulted by the claim,” said a 10th grader at Gaurishanker Secondary School in Mityal VDC. “They have said they will never supply water to our village.”
The water supply infrastructure from Mityal to Galdha was set up in 1991.
Among the villages in Galdha worst hit by the water supply obstruction are Raikot, Gabudanda, and Kharakkot.
Villagers of Jhyaltungdanda, Mityal, damaged the water supply set-up last Wednesday after a parliamentary team returned from Galdha following a field visit. In its report, the parliamentary team said the diarrhea spread was caused by contaminated drinking water.
Villagers in Mityal resorted to damaging the supply set-up saying people were brought from Tansen and Kathmandu to insult Mityal in the newspapers, said Khem Maya Sunari, a local.
Ramesh Thapa of Raikot, Galdha, said initially the supply was stopped and villagers traveled to the water source to fetch water. But later, the water tank was destroyed, following which the scarcity became serious.
“They disrupted water supply that we had been enjoying for 20 years,” he said.
According to Thapa, the only option for villagers now is to carry water from a well which is located at an hour´s walk.
Bhupin Sunari, a trader at Mityal bazaar, said talks between residents of Galdha and Jhyaltungdanda were fruitless. “Resolution is difficult,” he said, adding, “They came here saying unavailability of water in a village facing diarrhea spread is causing serious problems.”
Bhuwan Thapa, a teacher at Gauri Shanker Secondary School, confirmed that the supply set-up was destroyed by villagers. “I inspected the water source. Supply has been disrupted,” he said, adding, “They are angry with villagers of Galdha for telling journalists that the disease spread was because of dirty water source. They are angry about negative newspaper coverage about the village.”
The water supply set-up was destroyed by locals led by Nanda Bahadur Somai, Min Bahadur Gaha, Purkha Singh Gaha, Khadka Singh Saru, Chap Bahadur Khamcha and Hem Bahadur Gaha, according to locals.
Four people, including two school kids and a pregnant woman, died of diarrhea in Galdha VDC that started five weeks ago.
Police sent to Jhyaltungdanda
Deputy Superintendent of Police Govinda Thapaliya said a police team has been sent to Jhyaltungdanda to dig out facts about the incident. “If the water supply tank has been damaged action will be taken against the offenders,” he said.
Rajendra Pant, acting chief of Drinking Water Office, also said a team has been sent, though the water supply project is not overseen by the office and was built by organizations that handed it over to local consumers.
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