प्रयोगात्मक कार्य

Thirsty Suryapur waits three days for one pot of water Pipeline laid two decades ago leaks 40 percent; municipality blames delayed federal grant

SURYAPUR (Banke), Jan 15 — More than 1,200 households in Suryapur Municipality-5 have been surviving on a single pot of water every third day for the past two months, after the only tube well serving the ward dried up in mid-November.

The ward's lone deep tube well, installed in 2004, now yields water for barely two hours a day. Women and children begin queuing at the well from 4 am, and many return empty-handed. "I stand in line for three hours and still come back with half a bucket. How do I cook, wash clothes and send my children to school?" said Sita Kumari Yadav, 38, a resident of ward 5.

According to the ward office, the well supplies about 45 litres per household per day, against the national minimum of 135 litres. The municipality's water supply branch admits that nearly 40 percent of the water is lost through leaking pipes laid in 2004. "The old pipeline has outlived its life. We have the design ready for a new one, but the Rs 25 million grant from the federal government has not been released," said Ram Prasad Chaudhary, chief of the municipality's water supply branch.

Residents say the shortage has hit schools and health posts too. The government school in the ward has cut its drinking water supply to students, and the health post has been buying water tankers at Rs 1,500 each. "Patients are asked to bring their own water," said health post in-charge Kamala Bista.

Local teacher Ramesh Tharu said attendance in his class has dropped by nearly a fifth since the water crisis began. "Girls stay home on the days they have to fetch water," he said.

Ward Chairperson Dipak Shahi said the municipality has written to the Ministry of Water Supply three times since August seeking the grant. "We have also proposed a Rs 3 million emergency repair from our own budget, but the council has not approved it yet," he said. The municipality's spokesperson, however, said the grant file is "in the final stage" and work will begin within this fiscal year.

Water experts say Suryapur's problem is common across the district, where ageing pipelines and shrinking groundwater have left dozens of wards dependent on tankers. "Without recharging ponds and harvesting rainwater, new pipelines alone will not solve it," said hydrologist Dr. Bishnu Adhikari of Nepalgunj.

The municipal council is scheduled to meet on January 25 to decide on the emergency repair. Until then, the women of ward 5 will keep their buckets ready at dawn.

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Journalism skills used: inverted-pyramid structure; 5W1H in the lead; dateline and attribution in every claim; direct quotes from affected people and officials; verified figures and comparison with the national norm; balance by including the municipality's reply; background and expert context; a forward-looking close.