Locals of Kot Basti rely on transportation to fetch water for daily need

By Tilachan Pandey, Tamghas, Nov.  28:The residents of Kot Basti of Kaligandaki Rural Municipality - 1 and 2 have been facing the problem of drinking water for years. They are forced to fetch water by transporting it in vehicles during winter.

The residents of Deurali, Arbeni Kot, and Sirkot of Kaligand Rural Municipality-1 have been grappling with issues of drinking water for a long time.

Settlement is higher than water springs therefore water can be fetched with the help of lifting in the area. However, even work of lifting is not completed even after more than five years.

Locals are being compelled to face the problem of water every day as construction work conducted by the Water Supply and Sanitation Division Office, Tamghas, Gulmi, is not being able to gain momentum.

Local Tilak Rana expressed his pain saying that they are just painting the picture and not doing real work by repairing water tanks in one year and in another year they buy water motors.

He questioned concerned authorities about how long they needed to go with the current settlement saying that water brought by vehicle was worth like oil. However, little work or incomplete work is done in the regard of finding a permanent solution.

Locals of that area complain that the leaders make election slogans and forget the problems after winning the election.

He said that they are only being used as a vote bank in elections.

Another local, Tulsi Pandey shared his plight, explaining that while they rely on the Chidiyar water source during the rainy season, it dries up in winter, exacerbating their difficulties.

He stated that the drinking water problem has been troubling them even at night since the onset of winter, forcing them to pay Rs. 1,050 each time they transport water by vehicle.

Similarly, Man Kumari Rana of Sirkot complained that the drinking water crisis is forcing locals to migrate. 

She reported that more than a dozen families have already left the area, and others may follow if the problem persists.

Laxmipati Neupane of Kot echoed the concerns, highlighting that transporting water by vehicle is not only expensive but also unaffordable for many residents.

The Drinking Water and Sanitation Division Office in Tamghas, Gulmi, has explained that, as the drinking water source is located below the settlement, it can only be supplied through a lifting system.

According to Saroj Neupane, the office head, the construction of tanks and laying of water pipelines were undertaken with last year’s budget to lift water from the Thotneri River.

He stated that the current year’s budget is being utilized to complete electrification and water supply works.

Neupane stated that although the issues in the area are well understood, the work remains incomplete due to a lack of funding.

For now, residents of Deurali, Arbeni Kot, and Sirkot continue to rely on vehicles to transport drinking water, an expensive and unsustainable solution.