Ganga Chauhan of Satyawati, Tinau Rural Municipality-4, feels like the month of Falgun has not ended yet. As soon as Chait begins, the village's drinking water sources dry up. Then, she has to wake up at 3 am and go to the wells in the river to find drinking water.

‘If we don’t go early, we will worry about not getting water from the well,’ she said, ‘People won’t even have enough to eat.’ The problem is even worse because they have to feed the cattle.’ Cows and goats kept in the shed can be taken away, but buffaloes cannot be taken away.’

Not only Satyawati village under area number 2, but other villages also have water problems. It has been seven years since the federal, provincial and local governments gave the slogan of ‘One House, One Stream’ drinking water campaign. The ‘One House, One Stream’ campaign, which became the election slogan in the 2074 elections, has not been able to achieve any significance.

In the upcoming elections on Falgun 21, candidates are once again coming to seek votes saying that they will bring drinking water to the village. More than 300 families in Satyawati-4 have been facing drinking water problems for years. In almost all elections, Former ward chair Dan Bahadur Gaha said that the drinking water problem, which has become an election slogan of the candidates, has not been solved yet. ‘There are no plans from the ward and municipality,’ he said, ‘The plans of the union and the province have been implemented in small steps, but they are also becoming dilapidated. Even those that have been started now have not been completed.’

There is still a water problem in villages such as Daha, Chaap, Thapandanda, Bauridanda, Satyawati, and Lagad under Tinau Rural Municipality-4. Candidates who come to seek votes in the federal, provincial, and local level elections have been demanding the implementation of a drinking water plan. ‘Before the election, all the candidates say they will bring drinking water,’ said Umesh Kanauje Magar of Tinau Rural Municipality-4, ‘but they do not come back after winning the election. The problem of drinking water in the village is always the same. The implemented plans are also stalled, but no one is interested.’

Even the plans implemented here are incomplete. He said that the concerned bodies have not shown interest in fulfilling it. The water in the tap is already decreasing. Locals say that although they get relief from Asad to Asoj during the rainy season, they face drinking water problems in other months. Local Yamanti Darlami Magar said that they have to suffer more from water in Chait and Baisakh. According to her, they have to walk all night in search of water during the hot season. 'No matter how many times the leaders of any party win the elections, our problem is not solved,' she said, 'Our sorrow is with us. No leader has understood it.'

The villagers are not tired of carrying water on their heads. She complained that they cannot even sleep properly because they have to get up at night to carry water. She said that due to the lack of water, they are not able to clean the village and do income-generating activities.

The drinking water problem here has been going on for years. After the 2046 movement, the 2048 election was held. The previous constituency was 2. The late Gambhir Jung Karki of the Congress was elected from here. In 2051 and 2056, 2070 and 2074, Som Prasad Pandey of the UML won the elections in this constituency.

In 2064 BS, Leela Somai was elected from the Maoists. Provincial and local level elections have been held twice. Tularam Gharti has been elected twice from the then Maoists to the provincial assembly. Gharti is currently the Speaker of Lumbini Province. Similarly, in the first local level election (2074), Om Bahadur Gharti of the UML won, and in the second election (2079), Prem Shrestha from the UML won. 'Everyone has spoken and brought drinking water to this village,' said local Tek Bahadur Sunari, 'but so far no one has fulfilled their promises. We have always had a problem with water.'

When candidates from all the parties participating in the elections come to the village to seek votes, they ask for votes saying that they will implement the drinking water scheme. Some win, some lose. He complains that those who win do not return and those who lose do not care either.

He said that the compulsion to carry water from Randakuwa, Budhasingh Gaira, Dadungkuwa, Dharadi Gaira for years is still there. During construction work, the villagers are forced to carry water together. According to Sunari, in the summer of Chaitra and Baisakh, some people have to return empty-handed after not getting water from rivers and wells.

Sunari, who is also the former secretary of the scheme, said that the Diangkhola (Satyawati) Lifting Drinking Water Scheme was started in 2078 BS to solve the drinking water problem. So far, only one tank has been built and is lying idle. He said that the problem is due to lack of budget. The scheme has not been able to continue due to lack of budget. He said that no one has shown interest in continuing this scheme. That is why the voters here are planning to vote for the person who guarantees to bring drinking water to the village this time.

According to Tul Bahadur Ale, Ward Chairman of Tinau Rural Municipality-4, the construction of projects such as Satyawati Lift, Nafkhola, Dhapan Danda has started through the Water Supply and Sanitation Office, Palpa. Ward Chairman Ale said that the tanks built in places such as Gijanchaur, Luguwaghat, Thapan Danda have also become dilapidated.

Recently, a committee has been formed under the chairmanship of Lal Bahadur Darlami to operate the Satyawati Drinking Water Scheme. ‘The work of starting the scheme, keeping the budget low and making it stagnant has been done,’ he said, ‘The ward has also supported some repairs.’ But the problem has always been exacerbated by the lack of interest from consumers.'
He said that the rural municipality and ward do not have a plan for new schemes, but they spend budget on maintenance work every year.

He said that the schemes started by the province have been incomplete for many years because the municipalities and wards cannot allocate budget. There are many examples of dual and triple drinking water schemes being implemented in other villages in Palpa district based on accessibility. In the Satyawati area, many old schemes are still running.