Severe drinking water crisis has badly hit locals of Tikapur Municipality in Kailali district due to prolonged drought.

The water table has moved further below to such levels that hand pumps and electric water pumps are no longer useful. Underground water levels are declining and many rivers and streams have been drying up.

The Department of Water Supply, too, has not been able to supply water to the locals, reports Republica. “We use generator to operate bore wells to draw out underground water. However, it is taking longer to fill our tank, hampering out ability to supply water regularly,” said the department’s in-charge Shyam Thapa.

The water shortage has severely affected the region’s agriculture. Farmer Padam Bahadur Shahi said his vegetable crops wilted in the fields in lack of water, bringing him a loss of about Rs 50,000.

Apart from Tikapur, water scarcity has hit Narayanpur, Dhansinhapur, Durgauli, Pathariya VDCs and even some settlements along the banks of Karnali River, according to locals. Likewise, places adjoining the East-West Highway, including Lamki Chuha Municipality, Dododhara, Kota Tilsipur, Sadepani, Darakh, Pahalwanpur, Masuriya, Chaumala, along with other VDCs, are also reeling under acute water crisis.