-Krishna Acharya
The Bharatpur metropolis has faced troubles in the supply of drinking water. Owing to the dislodgement of water supply pipes in the course of road and drainage construction, the distribution of drinking water to the metropolis denizens is being obstructed.
There is no coordination between the government agencies here in regard to the construction and expansion of roads. It has resulted in complications in the construction of roads and drainage structure.
Bharatpur drinking water board chief Prajapati Dahal shared dislodgement and breakdown of pipes mostly occurred during construction and maintenance have invited problems in the supply of drinking water. “The lockdown enforced to contain the coronavirus has aggravated the problem”, he said, adding, “There are limited human resource to fix maintenance problems in water supply system”. It is impossible for employees from far distance to come to the office due to lockdown; we are relying on limited staffs, he further shared.
“The crisis has also prevented regular maintenance and monitoring of the water supply”. The board has prioritized the areas where pipes are broken and water supply system is disrupted, he said, adding daily at least four-five complaints related to water supply are being lodged. Obviously it seems impossible to carry out necessary maintenance in such difficult time, he added. There are 16 plumbers under the Bharatpur and Krishnapur stations of the drinking water board.
Among them only seven are being mobilized in the field. The water supply pipes have been broken in course of ongoing construction of most of the roads under the Bharatpur metropolis and urban development mechanisms. Recurring problems have surfaced as the pipes placed in 1975 AD are in sorry state of affairs. The board is distributing drinking water to 30,600 residents in Bharatpur sub-metropolis. “There was a plan to expand the service but the coronavirus has affected the plan”. The board has its 850-km drinking water network. It has been supplying drinking water from ward 1 to 16 as well as ward 22 of the metropolis. RSS
