Kuwari Nepali, a 70-year-old woman from Khajure in ward 2 of Mallarani Rural Municipality, Pyuthan, wakes up early in the morning and heads for the nearest spring, which is one and a half hours away, carrying her water pot.

Nepali has children as well as grandchildren, but they all live in cities, and in the village, only she and her husband, who is also above the age of 70, live.

“There are no other natural sources of water except the one that is one and a half hours away. I start my day walking to the spring and only return in the evening every day,” said Nepali.

“My husband helps me as well to carry the water home, but whenever one of us gets sick, we are deprived of drinking water. Everybody, including the people's representatives, knows about the drinking water problem, but nobody has done anything about it,” Nepali added.

Sita Nepali, also from Mallarani, said there are 15 families living in the settlement, and everybody faces the same problem of drinking water.

“Water is more expensive than gold here. The problem in the settlements in ward 2 of the rural municipality is similar. The locals of Sara and Hamala Danda in ward 2 also walk for an hour to fetch water from a natural spring,” said Sita.

“In the spring, there always is a long line of people. Due to the shortage, people often engage in verbal altercations, and even brawls,” Sita added.

According to officials at the Mallarani Rural Municipality, there are more than 150 households in three settlements that are located at high altitudes in ward 1, and 100 households in three settlements in ward 2, and everybody has to walk for an hour or two to fetch water because the water sources are in lower altitudes.

The locals of wards 1 and 2 say they have complained to the higher authorities regarding the water problem, but nobody has done anything about it.

Krishna Bahadur Khadka, chairman of Mallarani Rural Municipality, said that efforts are being made to solve the water problem in wards 1 and 2.

“The shortage of water in the old settlements and villages in higher altitudes has been a perpetual issue. Some fifteen years ago, the natural spring started drying up slowly, forcing the residents of wards 1 and 2 to walk downhill for an hour or two to fetch water and then trek three to four hours to trek back uphill,” said Khadka.

“We and even the former chairman of the rural municipality have been requesting the provincial government to solve the problem, but nobody has come forward to help. After repeated requests from the local unit, the provincial government has finally decided to do something to solve the problem in wards 1 and 2,” Khadka added.

According to the Pyuthan Water Supply Division Office, the government allocated Rs1 million for the search and detailed study of water sources nearby to start a lift water project.

“Even though the government allocated the budget in the current fiscal year, there has been no progress in the process. The allocated money is still in the bank account of the Water Supply Division Office, and no technician has come here to help,” said Sita Nepali. “All we have heard are lies from the officials of the local unit and the leaders who come asking for votes,” Sita added.

Rishikesh Mandal, information officer at the Pyuthan Water Supply Division Office, said that they are aware of the problem in wards 1 and 2, but due to a lack of funds from the government, they could not do anything.

“The settlements in higher altitudes are ancient that follow old customs and traditions, and even though there is a shortage of water, some families refuse to migrate citing long emotional attachment to their birthplace. Despite our repeated requests, the higher authorities have done nothing to solve the problem,” said Krishna Bahadur Khadka, chairman of Mallarani Rural Municipality.

According to Mandal, they could not start the search and study of springs in the area to start the lift water project because the government allocated the budget only recently, even though it was announced a year ago.

“Due to a lack of coordination with the provincial government and the federal government, the office could not start the work of the search and the detailed study of the springs. We have arranged a team of technicians, and they will soon start the work,” said Mandal.

“I have heard promises and commitments from leaders and offices so many times that I no longer trust them. I have been struggling for water in my settlement since I got married 50 years ago, and I think the problem will remain the same,” said Kuwari Nepali.