Govt decides to mobilize field-level teams in eight districts of Madhesh

KATHMANDU: Minister for Water Supply has decided to dispatch teams to drought-hit areas of the Tarai-Madhesh to immediately facilitate drinking water supply.

It also decided to conduct public awareness campaigns on safe and efficient use of water in collaboration with donor agencies and district administration offices, according to Pramila Devi Bajracharya, secretary of the Ministry of Water Supply.

In addition, the ministry is forming field-level teams in all districts of the Province. The team will include one senior divisional engineer and one engineer.

“The teams will be tasked with on-site assessments, identifying priority areas, and proposing swift solutions to the water crisis,” Bajracharya said. “They will coordinate with the District Administration Offices, District Coordination Committees, and local governments, as well as the central-level irrigation committee and the departmental committee to address water woes.”

Speaking at a Senior Management Team (SMT) meeting at the ministry on Thursday, Minister for Water Supply Pradeep Yadav directed the concerned authorities to deploy necessary human resources to address the drinking water crisis in the Tarai-Madhesh region. He also instructed chiefs of relevant and subordinate agencies to mobilize available human resources to resolve the acute water crisis in the Tarai-Madhesh region.

“Let’s deploy all our human resources to solve the drinking water crisis in the eight districts of the Tarai-Madhesh region. If our teams are mobilized, the issue can be resolved effectively,” he said in the meeting.

Stating that climate change has further deepened the drinking water crisis in the Tarai-Madhesh region, Yadav also instructed officials to initiate formal communication with donor agencies, international organizations and neighboring countries for necessary support.

The meeting also decided to request friendly countries and donor agencies, through the Ministry of Finance, for support such as providing water tankers, setting up borewells and distributing packaged water in the eight districts.

The government declared eight districts of the Madhesh Province as a crisis-hit zone on Wednesday.