Nepal Army distributing water to Birgunj locals (Pictures)

Setopati

Kathmandu, July 27

Photos: Prakash Chandra Timilsena/Nepal Photo Library

Madhes province has been hit hard by this year’s drought, which has impacted everything from drinking water to irrigation.

Due to the lack of rainfall, paddy transplantation has not been possible, and many villages are facing a severe drinking water crisis.

In the villages, hand pumps, wells, and ponds have dried up.

All 32 wards of Birgunj Metropolitan City in Parsa are facing drinking water problems, with wards 19 (Bindabasini) and 24 (Ram Gaduwa) the hardest hit.

To address the water crisis, the Madhes provincial government, the Nepal Army, local representatives, and water supply organizations are collaborating to distribute water.

The Shreejung Battalion, under the 28th Brigade of the Nepal Army’s Mid-Eastern Division Headquarters, has been distributing water daily in three phases—at 7 a.m., 2 p.m., and 6 p.m.

Major Lokendra Karki, the battalion commander, said that the battalion is supplying 90,000 liters of water daily using six tankers.