By: Surya Prasad Pandey

Kathmandu: A secret has been revealed that the staffs of Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited (KUKL) supply water at midnights by informing the relatives and kins of the officers. The local residents took control of a KUKL staff, Pradip Pariyar on June 3 who made unscheduled water supply in Kaldhara at midnight of June 2 without any information to the local consumers.

Pariyar confessed that Bimal Timilsina, a staff of KUKL Panipokhari branch directed him to supply water at the midnight after informing Timilsina’s relatives and friends only. He also revealed that this type of secret water supply is done in other places also.

The consumers of Kaldhara who had no water supply in their area went to the KUKL Panipokhari branch along with Pariyar on June 3. Pariyar revealed to the locals, “The officer called his relatives and kins at night. Then I, along with the driver Dhurba Shrestha and Bimal Timilsina came here and opened water at 12:00 A.M.” He added that they had opened water to supply water in Galkopakha, Satghumti, Dhobichaur on June 2 without notifying the local residents.

The locals told that their area should get water supply only after 6:00 A.M on June 3 according to the water supply schedule. The secret of unscheduled water supply was revealed only after the local consumers enquired with the Pariyar for no water supply from the tap on June 3 morning. A local Sunder Maharjan said, “The places like Dhalko and Galkopakha get water supply on every alternate day but the water supply is only once in five days in Kaldhara.” Another local Chenga Sherpa said, “We have visited KUKL many times requesting for equitable distribution of water, but their monopoly never ended.”
Senior technician at the KUKL Panipokhari branch Dil Kumar Tandukar told that they had to open water at the midnight as the reservoir was filled. “We do not have phone numbers of all the consumers to inform them about the unscheduled water supply. Therefore, we could inform only some of the consumers,” said Tandukar.

Source: Annapurna Post, June 4, 2009