Chaurjahari municipality located in West Rukum is taken as one of the 10 model cities across the nation. But the very model city has been hit hard by a growing shortage of drinking water. With this situation in place, locals have no way to pay auto rickshaw and private vehicles to fetch water from the Thulo Bheri River and transport to their homes, local Leelawati Rana said.
Tap water supply is not regular in the market area. Consumers here are getting drinking water once in two days who lodged complaint noting they have to wait for three days to get their turn to fetch water.
Water scarcity is not a new issue for the Chaurjahari locals. Local Bir Bahadur Giri has accused the local government of turning a deaf ear to the matter. The problem is shared by around 12,000 households of wards 1, 2 and 3 of the municipality area. They are compelled to consume impure water of the river.
The municipality said though it had planned to implement the 'One house, One tap' program in a bid to address the issue of water crisis in the town, the technology did not favor the project of lifting water from the river and distribute to the people.
Municipality mayor Bishal Sharma said a tender of Rs 210 million was called to find a solution to the issue in the long term. Lack of sufficient irrigation facility has adversely affected the agriculture system here. Plots of arable land are barren.
