Hand pumps drying up due to extreme heat, Bara district facing water scarcity

By Shiv Shankar Mishra,Bara, May. 3: Most of the hand pumps in Bara district have dried up because of the prolonged dry spells and rising temperature. Locals report that due to the declining water levels, several districts in the Tarai region are now grappling with water scarcity issues.

Over the past one and half months, the Jamuni, Tiyar, Dudhaura, Balganga and Pasaha rivers have dried up causing extreme water scarcity in the district.

As the public ponds have started dying up, filling the water with the help of a motor continues day and night, said Mishri Lal Prasad Yadav, the former Chairman of Prasauni Rural Municipality-6 Banjaria.

Similarly, Ward Member Tej Narayan Prasad Yadav has informed water has stopped flowing from more than two dozen hand pumps at Ganjbhawanipur tole in Mahagadhimai Municipality-3 and 10. 

Hand pumps are running dry in Bhodha, Matiariya, and Madilwa toles of Kalaiya Sub-Metropolitan Ward No. 22. Experts believe that disturbance in the water recharge system caused by haphazard extraction of riverine materials in rivers of Chure region has led to drying up of hand pumps in Tarai.

Similarly, locals in Kalaiya tole, Bhawanipur, Brahmapuri, Audhapur, Uttar Jhitkaiya, Majhoulia, Shreepur, Bakulhar, Kavalpur, Manharwa, Sakhuai, Bijulpur, Sisawamaheshpur, Gangapur, Bhatouda, Koiriya Tola, Sisahniya, Patoura, and Pachayanpur toles of the same municipality are now expressing concerns about decreasing water supply from hand pumps. They are resorting to manual fetching and rationing of water for daily needs.

According to Bikash Thakur, Chief of the Underground Water Resources and Irrigation Development Division Office, if there is no rainfall other than the seasonal rains, the water springs will dry up and the water in hand pumps, rivers and lakes will decrease.