Water scarcity afflicts Luma, Huni villages in Bajura

By Sherbahadur Sarki

Bajura, Aug. 3: There is a water supply problem in the Dalit settlements of Luma and Huni in Jagannath Rural Municipality-2 in the north-eastern part of the district. More than 360 Dalit families have been living in Luma, Huni, Upper Huni, Lower Aswada and other villages of Jagannath Rural Municipality-2.

Only two or four drinking water taps have been constructed from that water supply scheme, according to Bungchi Kami Luhar of Jagannath Rural Municipality-2.  She stated that because there are so many households in the settlement, there is not enough water for everyone.

"The province has brought one house and one water supply campaign," she said, "but fifty houses in Huni only have two or four water taps." He claimed that, despite the pain, no one felt sorry for him.

The blacksmiths asked where the water supply plans came from; they said they would bring them, but there is a severe water shortage in the village.  She claims that hundreds of Dalit families continue to drink from the river.

Asauji Ode of Jagannath Rural Municipality-3, said, "We have requested for drinking water in this settlement in various locations, including rural municipalities," he said, "but no one has listened to our request." The drinking water in the settlement is sickening. During the winter rains, the Dalit families in this area drank the murky river water. She went on to say that they are now forced to drink river water because there is no other option.

Dhanveer Sarki, Ward Chairman of Jagannath Rural Municipality-2, stated that he has made numerous requests to the local, province, and federal governments to solve the drinking water problems of the Dalit families in the area, but has received no response. Luma has 94 Dalit and non-Dalit families, 117 in Huni, 50 in Basena, and 116 in  Lower Aswada, according to him. "I've been taking initiatives because all of these families have had water problems for generations."