Safe drinking water demanded

Saturday, 30 January 2010
Dharan: The landless squatters residing at the Dharan Municipality has started their protests against the municipality and Nepal Water Supply Corporation demanding the supply of safe drinking water to them. Nepal Settlement and Protection Society, an association affiliated with the landless squatters, complained that despite many appeals made by the Drinking Water Appeal Committee to the concerned authority regarding the setting up of water pipes, no steps has been taken till date.
"Despite many attempts made to the Nepal Water Supply Corporation and municipality, it has not given approval for the set up of taps," Kumar Karki, coordinator of appeal committee said. Karki said that landless squatters were looked down upon in the society and therefore were fighting against such perception. He added that a sit-in programme would be held for seven days where Dharan Municipality and the Nepal Water Supply Corporation would be padlocked for an indefinite period.


The appeal committee said that more than 32,000 landless squatters will participate at the protests programme. The landless squatters said that their protests will be carried until their demands were fulfilled. The committee informed that even though the protest would he held around the city area, the transportation services will not be halted. Out of 12,749 taps at the district, 304 are the public taps, of which only 38 taps are being used by the landless squatters. Meanwhile, Dharan Municipality informed that drinking water will not be provided to the landless squatters.

(Source: The Rising Nepal, January 27, 2010)