BANKE, June 26: Access to safe drinking water is widely regarded as a basic necessity, yet Nepalgunj Sub-metropolitan City has introduced a Rs 2,000 fee for the recommendation from the ward required to install a new drinking water connection. The move has drawn criticism, with many low-income families saying the cost has left them unable to access clean water.
In Nepalgunj, residents seeking a new water connection from the Nepal Water Supply Corporation must first obtain a recommendation letter from their ward office. The sub-metropolitan city charges Rs 2,000 for issuing this recommendation. In addition, applicants must pay Rs 8,000 to the Nepal Water Supply Corporation for installation in each new household.
As a result, residents are required to pay a total of Rs 10,000 to two separate government agencies to install a single drinking water tap. Locals say the high upfront cost has prevented a large number of economically disadvantaged families from accessing safe drinking water supplied through the government system.
Residents argue that the heavy financial burden imposed on what is considered an essential public service has left many poor households unable to install piped water connections. According to locals, Rs 10,000 is a significant amount for families already struggling to meet daily living expenses.
Because of the high cost, many households continue to rely on hand pumps, wells, and other alternative water sources. Ramesh Yadav of Nepalgunj-20 said the fees charged for water connections have affected poor communities.
According to him, although the objective is to expand access to drinking water by connecting homes to the public supply, the high initial cost discourages many residents from applying. “There should not be discrimination in access to an essential service like drinking water based on a person’s economic condition,” he said.
Supply of Melamchi drinking water begins in Bhaktapur from toda...
Similarly, Sarita Sharma of Nepalgunj-6 said the municipality should reconsider its fee structure. “Even families planning to install a water connection are backing out because of the additional costs,” she said. “Providing concessions to poor and working-class families would help expand access to the service.”
Although the local government says expanding access to drinking water is one of its priorities, the number of consumers connected to the system indicates that a large section of the population remains outside the institutional water supply network. Civil society representatives say that because access to safe drinking water is directly linked to public health, the high initial charges have become a barrier to expanding access.
Nepalgunj Sub-metropolitan City spokesperson Pramod Rijal acknowledged that concerns have been raised by the public regarding the fee. He said the issue is also being discussed within the municipality.
“Many residents have complained that the fee is too high,” Rijal said. “I have also drawn the attention of the concerned authorities to this matter. If necessary, discussions can be held on reviewing the fee.”
According to Rijal, part of the charge may have been introduced to cover the costs of repairing roads and public infrastructure affected during the installation of water pipelines. However, he said the issue requires further study and review.
Meanwhile, data from the Nepalgunj branch of the Nepal Water Supply Corporation suggests that the city faces more of a water management challenge than a water shortage. According to the utility, around 7 million liters of water are consumed daily, while the system has the capacity to store approximately 10 million liters.
However, not all of the water produced reaches consumers. The corporation says around 3 million liters of water go unused each day because of leakages in the distribution system, limited household connections, and other technical problems. At present, only around 6,000 consumers receive regular service from the utility. The figures, residents argue, also indicate that high connection costs have kept many households from joining the system.
Although pipelines have been extended to areas including Siddharth Chowk, the Campus area, Phultekra, Surkhet Road, and Manpur, many households in those areas still do not have direct access to drinking water supplied by the corporation.
Nepalgunj Sub-metropolitan City currently operates four major water storage tanks. The tank at Karkando has a storage capacity of 420,000 liters, while the tanks at Alanagar, Bageshwari, and Puraina can each store 450,000 liters of water. These facilities supply water daily to different parts of the city.
According to Nepal’s 2021 national census, Nepalgunj has a population of 164,444 living in 34,565 households. However, the number of consumers connected to the institutional water supply system remains significantly lower than the total number of households.
Hari Kumar Shrestha, chief of the Nepalgunj branch of the Nepal Water Supply Corporation, said efforts are underway to make the maximum use of the available water resources. He said improving the distribution network, controlling leakage, and expanding service coverage remain the utility’s priorities.
“There is no problem with water production,” Shrestha said. “The challenge is to deliver the available water to consumers effectively. We are focusing on improving infrastructure and expanding connections to new households.”
According to him, service disruptions in some areas are caused by aging pipelines, irregular connections, and other technical issues. He said improvements are being implemented in phases to address these problems.
Despite having sufficient capacity to produce drinking water, thousands of residents in Nepalgunj still remain outside the regular supply of safe water. While a large volume of treated water goes unused each day, the high cost of obtaining a new connection has slowed the growth of consumers.
For this reason, demands have been growing at the local level for the municipality to review its fee structure to ensure easier and more affordable access to this basic public service.
