A lack of budget has stalled drinking water projects in Lumbini Province, affecting 368 projects across 12 districts. Many have remained incomplete for years, with some dating back two decades.

Transferred from the federal government to the provincial government after 2017, the projects have received little priority from either level, leaving them in limbo. Consumers say the projects risk remaining unfinished as they are not a priority even for the provincial government.

The Anildhara lift drinking water project in Bhairabsthan, ward 4, Ribdikot Rural Municipality, Palpa, was initiated in the fiscal year 2007-08. The project, aimed at supplying clean drinking water to nearly 1,000 households, remains incomplete after 19 years, with around 26 percent of work still pending.

Work was carried out in four phases in different parts of Bhairabsthan. However, branch line expansion and construction of service tanks remain incomplete. Electrification and distribution line work are also pending, said Tul Bahadur Adhikari, chair of the consumer committee.

Equipment such as transformers and poles was brought in two years ago, but the electrical lines have not been extended to the pumping tank. Despite progress, the project has not come into full operation due to a lack of budget, Adhikari said. According to him, Rs 13 million is needed to complete the project.

Engineer Sanjiv Adhikari at the Water Supply and Sanitation Division Office in Palpa said no budget has been allocated in the current fiscal year. “Limited allocations in recent years have slowed progress,” he said.

He added that no work has been carried out under federal conditional grants in the district this fiscal year due to the lack of funds.

The incomplete project has directly affected locals, who are forced to fetch water from streams during the dry season. Parbati BK, a resident of Masure in Bhairabsthan, said the shortage has made it difficult to access sufficient water.

The Baughagumha drinking water project in Chherlung, ward 13 of Tansen Municipality, is also nearly stalled. Initiated in the fiscal year 2014-15, only 50 percent of the work has been completed, said Devi Prasad Bhattarai, chair of the consumer committee.

“We had been receiving budget allocations gradually, but the absence of even a single rupee this fiscal year has left us disheartened,” he said.

Once completed, the project is expected to benefit around 900 people. However, tank construction and distribution line work remain incomplete due to insufficient funds.

In Palpa alone, 26 such projects remain unfinished due to budget shortages.

With water sources in upper regions drying up, the drinking water problem has become increasingly severe even in hill areas. Ward chair Som Bahadur Karki said projects that once relied on gravity now need to be converted to lift systems. Structures built on cost estimates prepared 15 to 20 years ago have also begun to deteriorate.

Karki said attention was drawn last year to the finance minister, the provincial Speaker and local representatives, but no budget was allocated.

Around Rs 10.92 billion is required to complete all these projects, said Gunanidhi Pokharel, chief of the Water Supply and Sanitation Division of Lumbini Province. Not a single rupee has been allocated in the current fiscal year, although funds were expected under federal conditional grants.

“With minimal allocations each year, it is difficult to say when these projects will be completed,” he said.

According to Pokharel, 26 projects remain incomplete in Palpa, 42 in Banke, 27 in Pyuthan, 45 in Rupandehi, 23 in Gulmi, 28 in Arghakhanchi and 28 in Nawalparasi West. Similarly, 26 projects are incomplete in Bardiya, 14 in Rukum East, 16 in Rolpa, 34 in Kapilvastu and 59 in Dang.

The projects, initiated before 2017, have been operating under federal conditional grants within the provincial framework. The lack of budget has also stalled the province’s “one house, one tap” campaign, Pokharel said.

Only seven percent of people in Lumbini have access to treated or safe drinking water, while 74 percent have access to basic drinking water.

The division and the provincial government have repeatedly urged the federal government to allocate funds, but without results, he said.

Construction materials for some projects that have progressed slowly over 10 to 15 years due to small annual budgets remain unused. The absence of funds this fiscal year has also put pressure on consumer committees working to complete them.