Fire engines, tankers deployed to distribute drinking water in Birgunj

KATHMANDU: The District Disaster Management Committee, Parsa, has decided to distribute drinking water in Birgunj Metropolitan City and other local units of the district by using fire engines and water tankers provided by the Madhesh Province Government and other agencies.

The committee has decided to distribute drinking water with the help of the Nepal Army.

Chief District Officer of Parsa, Ganesh Aryal, said that the Shree Jang Battalion of the Nepal Army will deliver water to areas facing acute shortages in coordination with the Nepal Water Supply Corporation (NWSC) and local ward offices.

The committee has requested the Birgunj branch of the NWSC to arrange sufficient water for distribution.

The meeting also decided to request the concerned federal and provincial bodies to take the initiative to find a long-term solution to the drinking water crisis.

In the meeting, Nepal Telecom announced that it will set up a toll-free number for the public affected by the water shortage.

Pravin Kumar Sah, head of the Birgunj branch of NWSC, said they have been producing 8 million liters of drinking water daily. “However, the distribution system is in disarray due to budget constraints,” he added. “The trend of consumers drawing water indiscriminately using motor pumps has worsened the problem.”

On Wednesday, the provincial government sent eight fire engines to Birgunj for drinking water distribution.

(With inputs from RSS)