Delay in construction of Rs 220 million drinking water project: Chainpur residents are forced to drink contaminated water

It has been three years since Mahadev Joshi, a resident of Jaya Prithvi Municipality, Bhopur, started paying bills to the chainpur Drinking Water and Sanitation Consumers Committee for drinking water. However, drinking water has not been connected to his house till now.

“I didn’t have any money. For the first time, my daughter paid Rs 10,000 from her salary. However, there is still no running water. I don’t know when the tap water will be available for drinking, ‘complained Joshi.

Similarly, tita Magar dhami of Jaya Prithvi Municipality-9 Dewal has paid Rs 10,000 in the year of implementation of the project. However, the tap has not reached his house. Not only him but many locals of this tol have been paying their water bills for years.

On April 7, 2019, Ashish JV gwallek Construction Services entered into an agreement with the Urban Drinking Water and Sanitation Project Regional Office, nepalgunj to start work in Jaya Prithvi Municipality-11, bhopur. The construction company has stated that an agreement has been reached to complete the project within 18 months and now drinking water pipes are being distributed to every household by constructing tanks.

A tank with a capacity of 450,000 liters for Chainpur, 50,000 for Bhopur Basti and 100,000 liters for Dewal Rithapatha has been constructed. It is said that water will be available to about 1165 households after the construction of the tank.

A budget of Rs. 229.2 million has been allocated for the construction of the project. Of which, the Asian Development Bank and the Government of Nepal have 70 percent, urban development funds and consumers have 30 percent. In addition, Jaya Prithvi Municipality has also provided budget assistance of Rs. 4.5 million and ward numbers 10 and 4 of the municipality Rs. 1.4 million.

Meanwhile, Lokendra Bista, chairman of Chainpur Small Urban Drinking Water and Sanitation Consumer Committee, admitted that the planning was delayed. However, he said that the distribution of drinking water will start soon.

Chairman Bista said that the distribution of drinking water was delayed due to the Corona epidemic and Lakdaun. He said that preparations are being made for distribution of drinking water after completing all the work.

Residents of Chainpur are forced to drink polluted water of Setindi and Bahuli rivers due to delay in construction of the project. Locals say that the residents of the district headquarters have been forced to drink the polluted water of Setinadi and Bahuli rivers after the drinking water pipes brought through Kucha were blocked several times.

“There is no running water in the tap connected to the house. We are compelled to bring Seti water and drink it,” complained a resident of Chainpur. The drinking water pipe currently being distributed in Chainpur has been blocked due to cutting of the road connecting Chainpur-Kucha.