Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: All eight districts of Madhes Province have been declared as a crisis-hit zone.
A cabinet meeting held on Wednesday took the decision on the recommendation of Minister for Home Affairs Ramesh Lekhak.
The decision was taken after prolonged drought conditions severely impacted groundwater recharge and led to excessive depletion of underground water sources in the province. This has resulted in an acute shortage of drinking water and reduced water flow in rivers and canals, which has also disrupted irrigation systems.
The Madhes Province Government on Tuesday decided to recommend that the federal government declare the entire province as a crisis-hit zone.
According to the home ministry, a notice will be published in the Nepal Gazette to declare the entire province as a crisis-hit zone for three months.
The provincial government said that drought has caused a disaster-like situation in drinking water availability, irrigation and agriculture across the province. The provincial government has resorted to deploying fire engines to distribute drinking water to many settlements due to a severe shortage of drinking water.
As per Section 14(2)(D) of the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act, 2017, a recommendation must be made to the Government of Nepal to declare any disaster-affected area a crisis zone if such a situation arises.
Paddy transplantation has been completed in only 46% of arable land in the province, the granary of the country, so far, according to the Madhesh cabinet. As the agriculture system in the province heavily depends on monsoon rains, the ongoing drought is expected to hit agricultural output this year.
