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Kathmandu Tuesday April 24, 2001 Baishakh 11, 2058.
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Birgunj reels under heat and water crisis
Post Report
BIRGUNJ, April 23 - People of Birgunj are reeling under
intense heat of 39 degree celsius on the one hand and acute shortage of water and
electricity on the other.
Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has enforced 6-hour long
load-shedding and Nepal Drinking Water Corporation three hour load-shedding during the
peak hours.
The Drinking Water Corporation used to supply water for 12
hours in the morning, day and evening after a few hours’ intervals to the relief of
the people. But after the NEA announced load-shedding, people are facing double hardships
from the same day including power cut in water.
As the water supply has been cut off during the day time,
even thirsty travellers are deprived of drinking water during this hot season.
Housewives have also been adversely affected because it is
the day time when they wash children’s clothes but they will be unable to do so as
there is no water.
The corporation used to supply 8 million litres of water, but
now it is unable to supply more than 5 million litres daily due to lack of electricity and
malfunctioning of generators.
The corporation has four water collection centres, but there
are generators only at three places and they too are not in order.
Although the manager of the corporation claims that all the
generators are in proper order, employees of the same corporation say that they did not
need to resort to load-shedding if they were all functioning.
In the past, people were habituated to use water drawn from
hand-pumps installed on the compound in each home. However, once the corporation started
supplying piped water, they shifted to the practice of using water without having to pull
with the help of hand pump and removed all the hand pumps. Consequently, almost 75 percent
of the hand pumps have disappeared from this area.
The piped water, which has been their main source, has failed
very badly during this hot season. Locals say this season has proved like "hell"
for them.
"There is neither water nor electricity. This has become
just like experiencing hell" said Sunil Chand Varma, Chairman of Consumers’
Forum, Parsa. He said that this was all due to government’s weakness and the tendency
to undermine the consumers who were also not so conscious. He also suggested that the
supply hours in the morning and evening could be reduced and instead, water could be
supplied for some time even during the day time.
Since the fans also do not operate due to load-shedding of
electricity, children are suffering from harsh heat.
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