The work of lift drinking water scheme is slow, the locals suffer

Due to the failure of the project to be completed on time, the suffering of the women of Malneta for drinking water has not been removed. For a bucket of water, they are forced to go to the spring about half an hour below the settlement to fetch water.

The construction company has completed only about 90 percent of the construction of the large lift water supply scheme, which started in June 2076. Although the deadline for completion is two years, the residents of the settlement are disappointed that the work has not been completed despite the delay of two years.

Sharda-14 and 15 Malneta, 750 families of the scheme was started with the aim of delivering water to their homes. The World Bank had given 110 million as a subsidy for the operation of the scheme, and 750 locals raised 33 lakh 75 thousand at the rate of 4 thousand 500 rupees per household. 43-year-old Chandrika Budhathoki said that due to the delay in the work of the

scheme, they have been suffering for drinking water since the past. She said that in 2044, after the drinking water scheme run by the Asian Development Bank became dilapidated and the water stopped coming to the stream, there has been a shortage of drinking water every twelve months for almost two decades in Malneta settlement.

'After the spring around the settlement dries up, you have to walk for an hour to get a gallon of water', she said, 'You cannot fill the spring without going early in the morning. There is a compulsion to wake up, rub your eyes, light a torch and go to the spring. Since more than one gagri of water cannot be brought at a time, it has to be washed in the well frequently. You have to wait a long time for water.

Nirmala Gharti said that since the last twelve months there has been a problem of drinking water in Malneta and the surrounding springs are also drying up, so they have to go down to the Sharda river to wash clothes and bathe.

'As the amount of water in the spring decreases with increasing heat, one person can fetch only one gallon of water at a time. There has been a problem of using that water for cooking or for other purposes," she said. It is not possible to keep the guests in the house for a long time due to the water problem.'

Local Gyandev Gharti said that despite repeated complaints, the construction company is making various excuses. The construction company had extended the pipeline in the settlement last year. Boring work has been completed to draw water from Sarada river. Even though the deadline of the plan has been extended, they have not been able to allocate enough manpower,' he said, 'This lake of the construction company does not seem to be suitable for the locals to drink water at home.' He said that a rule was implemented that one person should bring only one gallon of water at a time. He said that due to the problem of drinking water, many people in the settlement have migrated. Yadav Prasad Upadhyay, who is the chairman of the steering committee of the

scheme, said that although it appears that water can be supplied to the slums within three months if they work at speed, the construction company has not been able to speed up the work. He said that they are seeking help from the committee but they are hesitating due to various reasons.

The construction company had some delay when there was a problem in making the intake to draw water from the Sarada river. Now the intake has been made. If we increase the manpower and work regularly, it seems that the plan will be completed within three months, but looking at the pace of work, the possibility of completion is less likely, he said.

Engineer Ramesh Sharma of Sagarmatha Drilling Construction Services said that the project has been completed within this financial year, but the work has been delayed due to problems in the design of the intake. He said that all the necessary materials are being collected to complete the work of the plan as soon as possible.