Kathmandu, Oct 1: Drinking water services have been restored for 180 households in Baireni, Galchhi Rural Municipality-6, Dhading.
Water supply reached individual households again following the completion of the Maheshkhola-Bhattatar-Jintetar deep-boring water supply repair project, carried out under the ‘Rasuwa Flood Response Program’ of the Nepal Red Cross Society, Dhading District Chapter.
The Nepal Red Cross Society provided financial assistance of Rs 446,680 for the repair of the water supply scheme. This funding enabled the completion of necessary repair and restoration work. A total of 180 households in Baireni, Galchhi Rural Municipality-6, have directly benefited from the project.
At a program organized following the completion of repairs, Galchhi Rural Municipality Chairperson Kedarnath Khatiwada formally inaugurated the water supply scheme. He commended the humanitarian work undertaken by the Red Cross to ensure easy access to drinking water for citizens who had been facing a shortage of clean water in the aftermath of the floods.
Durlabh Kumar Tamang, Chairperson of the Nepal Red Cross Society Dhading District Chapter, stated that restoring the scheme to meet a basic need like drinking water during a disaster is a vital part of the Red Cross’s humanitarian service.
“We are confident that the lives of the locals, who were grappling with a severe water crisis following the devastating floods, will now return to normal,” said District Program Coordinator Saroj Thapa.
The Red Cross, which has prioritized the restoration of basic needs and critical infrastructure for affected communities alongside relief and rescue efforts during the post-flood response, expects that the resumption of the water supply scheme will make daily life easier for the locals.
The Red Cross stated that restoring a basic service like the water supply not only provided immediate relief to the flood-affected community but also supported the post-disaster recovery process and the return to normalcy.
Flood Response Ongoing: General Secretary Khanal
The Nepal Red Cross has reported that various humanitarian assistance activities under the flood response are continuing.
Red Cross General Secretary Rishi Raman Khanal said that response operations have been ongoing since the very first days of the Bhote Koshi floods. He noted that while initial efforts focused on search and rescue, humanitarian assistance is currently continuing in areas such as the distribution of shelter materials, non-food items, and food supplies; water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH); health and psychosocial support (including mental health and first-level psychosocial aid); Red Cross emergency health clinics; family reunification and contact restoration; and multipurpose cash assistance (cash and vouchers).
According to him, the distribution of shelter and non-food items—specifically tarpaulins, mattresses, and blankets—is currently underway, and food assistance has been provided to more than two thousand affected families. He stated that over the past month, water, sanitation, and hygiene services have been provided to 2,200 flood-affected households; 18 water tanks have been set up; and water has been distributed via tankers in areas where it was needed.
The Nepal Red Cross plans to implement needs-based programs in sectors such as housing, health, livelihoods, and water and sanitation, in a manner that supports the Government of Nepal’s priority areas for the rehabilitation and recovery of affected families.
