Mahendranagar : Locals of Phuleli, Shuklaphanta Municipality-5, Mahendranagar are forced to drink underground water contaminated with arsenic and iron even though public taps are installed near their houses. They draw the water for their use from hand-pumps.
Twenty-four years have already passed since the Phuleli Drinking Water Project was constructed. Maintenance works were also carried out twice after the construction of the project. But still locals have not been able to get water in the taps.
Though the project was inaugurated for two times, not a single drop of water drips from the taps, local Laxmi Dutta Joshi said. “We thought that we will get drinking water easily after the construction of the drinking water project,” she said, adding, “The project was inaugurated when there was no water supply in the taps. The concerned authority had told us that we will get water after few days. There is no supply of water in the taps yet.”
Joshi said that they were compelled to drink arsenic contaminated water from hand pumps as we have not been provided with clean drinking water. The drinking water project, which was established in 1995, was constructed at a cost of Rs 8.3 million.
Though a drinking water dam was constructed in Githe at a cost of Rs 4 million after the floods swept away the dam of Dharapani, the water has not reached the settlement yet.
“We have heard that the government allocates budget for the maintenance of drinking water project every year. But, we don’t know where the budget goes,” local Pawan Hamal said. “We have to spend a lot of money to install a hand pump at Phuleli as the place is close to Chure range,” he added.
The financially-weak families have to depend on others for the drinking water as they could not install the hand-pumps on their own.
“We were so excited when the concerned authority started laying the pipes for drinking water project,” local Bijuli Devi Dhami said, adding, “We were so happy that we will be able to get the drinking water from the taps. Now, we have lost our hope that we won’t get water from the taps as years have passed since the installation of taps.”
Locals also said that the deadline of Phuleli Drinking Water Construction Committee has already passed without completion.
Bir Bahadur Singh Mahara, ward chairman of the area, said that he has also been inquiring about the budget that comes every year for the maintenance.
“I know that the budget that comes for the maintenance has been misused. I am ready to take the process ahead to take action against the guilty,” he said.
The work to construct underground drinking water project was taken ahead as an alternative means as there will be a high chance of landslides and the budget that comes for the maintenance to be misused, chairman Mahara said.
“We have given priority for the underground drinking water project. Drinking water projects are being constructed in various places of the ward,” he said.
