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Residents of Dipayal Silgadi Municipality-8, Godanagaon, have been struggling with a persistent drinking water shortage for years. Despite having 250 households in the Rural Municipality, no initiative has been taken by any level of government to address the issue. Local resident Bir Bahadur Saud complained about the risk of wild animal attacks, as the residents are forced to walk for hours in the dark to collect drinking water. He said, ‘Women and children are forced to walk for hours in the early morning to go to wells and rivers to get drinking water and they feel unsafe when they go to fetch water. Additionally, despite having a three-level government, our basic rights are not being addressed.’

Chandrabhan Saud, a local resident, stated that while walking for hours to fetch water, people face the dual challenges of having to wait for their turn and the risk of contracting water-borne diseases from drinking water sourced from wells, rivers, and springs. Similarly, Chani Saud, another resident, expressed that spending a lot of time fetching water delays meal preparation for her children, which in turn causes them to be late for school. He said, “Due to the lack of water, we have problems washing clothes, growing vegetables, and maintaining sanitation and also there has also been a problem in using the toilet.

Mayor Bajisingh Khadka said that although Dipayal Silagadi Municipality-8 is facing a drinking water problem, the issue cannot be resolved with the municipal budget alone. Therefore, efforts are being made to secure additional funding from the provincial and federal governments. Although there is a clear provision in Article 35 of the Constitution of Nepal 2072 that every citizen has the right to access to clean drinking water and sanitation under the right to health, the residents of Godana Rural Municipality have been facing the problem of drinking water for years.

Subhash Nepali