Sita Thapa of Punyakhola in Pyuthan Municipality-7 has had to deal with a water crisis for a week now. The water tap in her house has dried up. She and her villagers have no alternative but to drink murky water from the local stream.

Heavy monsoon rains since October 4 triggered landslides that have damaged the local drinking water project and water springs in the area. “I am doubtful about finding out the water spring we used earlier,” Thapa said.

The soils and stones that were dumped haphazardly while constructing Mallarani-Chuja-Salhalna road a few years ago were swept away by the recent rains and incurred damage at a water lifting project, a major project to supply water in Khalanga, the district headquarters.

Basant Lal Shakya, the chairman of the water lifting project, said the landslides have damaged three tanks of the project and water supply will resume only after removing the debris and repairing the damaged tanks and pipelines.

Landslides also damaged three other projects that supply water to Khalanga, according to Shakya. Water supply from the Bhulke, Kotapdhera and Torpekhark projects has completely stopped. “It seems that it will take more than a month to repair those damaged drinking water projects,” Shakya said.

According to him, water from a local stream has been supplied to the district headquarters through the water lifting project. “The consumers in the headquarters have been urged to use the water for purposes other than drinking,” Shakya added.

There are seven projects to supply drinking water to the district headquarters. Only two of them are in operation now. The floods and landslides damaged five other drinking water projects.

The drinking water situation is also the same in other villages. Almost all the drinking water projects in Mallarani Rural Municipality have been damaged, said Kumar Shrestha, ward chairman of Mallarani-4. The floods and landslides buried the springs of some projects while the pipelines have been washed away in other projects.

Phaltarukh settlement in Pyuthan Municipality-7 is also under the drinking water crisis after a landslide buried the intake of a local drinking water project.

“The villagers are forced to use murky water from a local rivulet after boiling,” said Amar Bahadur Gharti of Phaltarukh. There are 30 households in the settlement.

Netra Bahadur KC, ward chairman of Pyuthan Municipality-7, said that landslides have damaged the springs of a dozen drinking water projects in the ward alone. The water sources in the Darekhola and Phaltarukh streams have been damaged by the landslide, KC said, adding the reserve tanks of some projects were swept away. In Dhadamgra, more than 100 metres of pipes have been washed away by the landslide. “We have requested the municipal office for new pipes to repair,” KC said.

According to Devendra Burma, deputy mayor of Pyuthan Municipality, landslides damaged more than 100 water sources in 10 wards of the municipality.

“We have urged the concerned authorities for the immediate repair of the damaged water projects,” Burma said. “I have requested the chief district officer to take the initiative for the pipes from the Water Supply Division Office.”

According to the District Administration Office in Pyuthan, the recent floods and landslides damaged more than 400 water projects across the district. “Efforts are underway to repair the damaged water projects and resume water supply in coordination with the water supply division office and the local units,” said Chief District Officer Sunita Nepal. “We have instructed the division office to make available the required water pipes.”