“The water supplied by the state-run utility does not even suffice for cooking purposes, let alone washing or cleaning,” said Tirtha Raj Bhandari of Dipayal.[break]
He said the locals fetch water from Seti river. “Most of the locals are being forced to go to Seti to bathe and wash clothes,” he said. Regional headquarters Dipayal, Rajpur, Pipla and Doti headquarters Silgudi fare no better.
“Most of the water sources in the nine districts of Far West have dried up due to drought,” said engineer at the Regional Monitoring and Supervision Office Grishma Thapa. “The sources have dried up to 80%. Salena Gaad, Linde river and Samuha gaad --that provides drinking water to Dipayal -- have dried up,” Thapa added. He revealed that the source that provided five liters per second previously only gives one liter.
He attributed the water shortage to climate change and claimed that newer sources have not originated due to delay in the rainfall. “The Seti river would be full by this time in the past but the water level there now is similar to that in the months of winter,” he said.
The lack of water has also affected plantation of maize, rice and millet, according to Madan Bhandari of Doti. “We have not been able to sow seeds in most of the places while the rice saplings have dried,” he added.
Meanwhile, Achham district headquarters is also facing power shortage, along with drinking water problems, as Kailash River Hydroelectricity Project has also stopped functioning due to water crisis with Mangalsen currently receiving power for just five-six hours daily. “We have not been able to publish daily newspapers due to irregularity in power supply,” Achham journalist Narendra Rawal said.
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