A majority of Dalit families at Kalakol and Pakhare in Bobang VDC, Baglung, are practicing open defecation because of water scarcity.

There are 318 Dalit families at Pakhare and Kalakol. Almost all of them have toilets at their homes, but the water scarcity has forced them to do their business outdoors.

Kalakol local, Lal Bahadur BK, said they did not have enough water to drink and cook, much less to use in toilets. “The only reason the people are defecating out in the open is because there is not enough water,” he said.  

Kali Sunar, of Bobang, said they have to walk at least an hour just to fetch a pot of water. “We cannot just use the water in toilet. It’s too precious,” the 55-year-old said.

The villagers have long been demanding the concerned authorities to build a drinking water project for their settlements.

Dhana Bahadur Adai, an employee at Bobang VDC Office, said they have already informed the higher authorities about the water problem.

“We cannot tell the villagers to use toilets when there is not enough water to drink,” he said.

Drying water sources spur migration

TANAHUN: Several families from Gajarkot and Majhkot villages of Tanahun have migrated because of water scarcity in the area. Chet Narayan Shrestha, chairman of Gajarkot Barahathan Drinking Water Project, said many families left their homes after most water sources close to the villages started drying up. He added that other families were also planning to migrate elsewhere because of the water crisis. An electric pump has been installed to address the water shortage in the villages, but with the water  being supplied once every two days, the villagers still have to walk a long distance everyday to fetch water from a spring.