Nearly 60 percent of the under-construction drinking water projects in Bajhang have been put on hold after the water sources dried up in the middle of construction.

Shiva Devkota, the chief of Drinking Water and Sanitation Division (DWSD), said prolonged drought has dried many water sources, leading to the stoppage of several drinking water projects.

Around 25, 000 families in the district still do not have access to drinking water in their homes and villages. To address the problem of drinking water, the DWSD, Red Cross and other organisations were developing drinking water projects in different parts of Bajhang, until all works had to be halted because of the drought.