Bhutanese refugees facing water woes

DAMAK, July 30: Local people from northern belt of Damak-3, Jhapa district are facing the crisis of pure drinking water.

In order to ensure smooth supply of drinking water to the villagers here, the Government of Nepal in collaboration with different donor agencies had operated a drinking water project from nearby Mawa stream.

Unfortunately, the local folks have been deprived of access to drinking water after the stream brushed away the water supply pipes with excessive erosion of river.

The Dumse Drinking Water Project was brought into operation on a condition that its 40 percent water will be supplied to Bhutanese refugees, shared Chairperson of Dumse Drinking Water Users Sanitation Committee Himdal Bhandari.

Under the project, over 500 taps have been so far installed. The problem is recurring every year with the flood-fed stream washing away the pipes installed to the source of water.

As a result, the locals of northern belt of Damak and Bhutanese refugees have been compelled to face water woes in a recurrent manner, Bhandari said. RSS