Govt to install 500 deep boring water projects

By Nagendra Kumar Karn/Mahesh K. Das,Matihani/Mahottari, July 26: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has announced immediate and long-term measures to protect Madhes Province from severe drought conditions. 

Speaking at the inauguration of a newly constructed maternity centre in Matihani Municipality in Mahottari on Friday, PM Oli said the region is facing a crisis due to lack of irrigation, drinking water, and rainfall.

To address the immediate crisis, the government plans to install 500 deep boring systems, each capable of irrigating up to 60 bighas of land, he said. 

PM Oli observed the situation firsthand by flying over affected areas and noted that paddy planting has not begun and ponds have dried up.

Declaring Madhes a crisis-hit region alone is insufficient, PM Oli said, urging collaboration from government bodies, NGOs, and local stakeholders. For long-term solutions, he proposed building reservoirs and ponds in Chure hills to improve groundwater recharge.

He emphasised the achievements under his leadership, including the construction of over 15,000 km of blacktopped roads and 950 bridges since 2015.

Oli also highlighted the Postal Road Project, which he initiated, as a major step toward development in the Tarai. PM Oli called for equal education for all children, regardless of gender, and said education today would lead to prosperity in the future.

PM Oli also inaugurated a 50-metre bridge over the Bighi River, linking Matihani to Janakpur and nearby Indian areas. The bridge, built by Kalika Construction for around Rs. 75.8 million, replaces a smaller, narrow one that had caused transport issues.

He also visited Nepal's first Sanskrit secondary school in Matihani and opened another bridge over the Rato River near Rauja Mazar in Balwa Municipality.

The newly opened maternity centre, built at a cost of about Rs. 20 million with support from the National Planning Commission and the municipality, includes operation and delivery rooms, NICU, pharmacy, and waiting areas. However, due to budget constraints, it could not be expanded to a 15-bed hospital.

Other speakers included Loktantrik Samajwadi Party Chair Mahantha Thakur, who demanded constitutional amendments and the withdrawal of false cases against Madhes and Tharuhat leaders, and federal ministers Sarat Singh Bhandari and Devendra Dahal, who called for decisive action to address the drought crisis.

Fields in Madhes parched, ponds dried up: PM Oli 

Following the Cabinet’s decision to declare Madhes a disaster-affected region on July 23, Prime Minister Oli visited Mahottari and Bara districts early Friday morning to assess the situation, including conducting an aerial survey of the affected areas.

“Simply declaring Madhes a crisis-hit zone is not enough,” PM Oli said. “To address the water and irrigation issues, we will implement long-term plans such as constructing ponds and wetlands in the Chure region to help recharge groundwater and prevent land from drying. For immediate relief, we will install 500 deep bore wells across the region.”

The Prime Minister also called upon all government bodies and non-governmental organisations to join hands in responding to the crisis.

Recounting his visit to Matihani in Mahottari for the inauguration of a bridge and a maternity centre, PM Oli said, “While passing through the agriculture lands in Mahottari and Sarlahi, I saw vast patches of uncultivated land. There is no paddy planting. The fields are dry, and the ponds have completely dried up.”

He further noted that while the impact of the drought is relatively less severe in Saptari due to its proximity to the Koshi River, seven districts in Madhes Province are facing serious drought problems.