Janakpur Mayor in Chure region in search of water source

By Bijayakumar Sah,Dhalkebar, July 8: Manoj Sah, the Mayor of Janakpurdham Sub-Metropolitan City, conducted an inspection of the Chure and Bhawar areas with the aim of providing long-term drinking water facilities to the people in Janakpur.

On Tuesday, he visited Jalad Khola in the Chure area. Prior to that, Mayor Sah, accompanied by a team of river system experts, had visited the Chure and Bhawar areas in Dhanusha, Mahottari, and Siraha districts three times.

The purpose of the visits was to explore ways to increase the groundwater level in the Chure. So far, they have visited Karighopte in Mahottari, Babatal in Siraha, Aaurhi in Dhanusha, and the reservoir area of the Jalad River.

Mayor Sah said that he was exploring Chure in search of water for the residents of Janakpurdham, where the water crisis is intensifying. The underground water level has been declining, and wells in Janakpurdham and surrounding areas have started drying up in recent years. 

Mayor Sah warned that if this situation continues, there will be a drinking water shortage in Janakpurdham within the next eight to nine years. Therefore, they are urgently seeking alternative sources of drinking water.

Mayor Sah stated that the observation process is ongoing and there is a possibility of supplying water to Janakpurdham from the Jalad in Dhanusha and other rivers, as these rivers have abundant water resources. He emphasised the need for further study and mentioned that a technical and expert team would be sent again.

Janakpurdham is approximately 28 km south of the reservoir area. By constructing physical structures, water can be easily transported from here, he explained, giving the example of the Melamchi water supply project in Kathmandu. Mayor Sah emphasised the importance of collaboration with Mithila Municipality to move forward with the plan.

The Chure expedition, conducted by Mayor Sah in search of water, was accompanied by other team members, including Chure expert Bijaykumar Singh Danuwar, water disaster control expert Ratneswar Lal Kayastha, Chief of Chure Terai-Madhes Conservation Committee Janakpur Shiva Kumar Pokharel, Chief of Paravi Manch Nepal Nagdev Yadav, Chief of Kamala Irrigation Project Birendra Yadav, and other Chure and river experts. 

The team was led by Anil Kumar Karna, the Chairperson of Chure and River System Protection Journalists Society.

Chure expert Danuwar suggested retaining rainwater in the Chure to raise the water level in the lower coastal areas. 

He emphasised that the Chure region serves as a water reservoir for the Terai, and that by constructing embankments in the river channels that flow through Chure, rainwater can be conserved, thereby increasing the groundwater level not only in Janakpurdham but also in most of the lower coastal areas.

The decreasing underground water level is attributed to the inadequate absorption of rainwater caused by unplanned urbanisation and deforestation. In the Terai region, water is now accessed through pipes buried twice as deep as before. 

Danuwar warned that if the government at all three levels fails to take necessary steps in a timely manner, there will be an extreme water shortage in the Terai in the future.