Kathmandu: Amid a severe drinking water shortage and ongoing drought in the Tarai-Madhes region, Minister for Drinking Water Pradeep Yadav has ordered immediate mobilization of human resources to address the crisis.
This comes as the federal government officially declared Madhes a disaster-stricken area for three months, following recommendations from the provincial government and Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak.
With groundwater sources drying up due to a lack of rainfall, drinking water supplies and irrigation systems have been critically affected.
At a Senior Management Team meeting held Thursday at the Ministry of Water Supply, Minister Yadav directed officials to deploy manpower swiftly, particularly in the hardest-hit districts of Bara and Parsa and to coordinate with donor agencies, international organizations, and neighboring countries for additional support.
The Ministry has also resolved to ensure flexible use of allocated budgets for emergency measures and to initiate international cooperation, according to Secretary Engineer Pramila Devi Shakya Bajracharya.
The crisis has also delayed rice planting across the region. As of now, only 46.83% of paddy fields have been sown in Madhes, compared to 80.6% this time last year. Tanker-supplied drinking water has become necessary in many areas.
Despite being mid-monsoon, the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM) warns that significant relief is unlikely in the coming week, predicting only light to moderate rainfall in some parts of Koshi and Madhes provinces.
Addressing Parliament on Wednesday, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli vowed to deploy all available resources to mitigate the situation, which officials link to the growing impact of climate change.