Dharan: Squatters have padlocked the room of Chief Executive Officer of Dharan Municipality on February 1 demanding for private pipeline connections in the squatter settlement. They also gheraoed Nepal Water Supply Corporation (NWSC) for the whole day while chanting slogans. Their protest rally started from the squatter settlements with placards and slogans changed into a mass gathering after reaching Dharan Municipality.

They have warned to padlock Nepal Water Supply Corporation office from February 9 if their demands went unheard. "We will wait for 7 to 10 days. Until that time, if the municipality does not provide approval for pipeline connections and the NWSC does not begin the works of making connections, we will connect pipelines ourselves," said Kumar Karki, coordinator of Drinking Water Appeal Committee, adding, "Squatters will gherao the municipality and NWSC daily until their demands were fulfilled."
Thousands of squatters are facing drinking water problem as the municipality does not recommend to make pipeline connections in the squatter settlements as they do not have landownership certificate and the NWSC does not make private connections without recommendation from the municipality. There are 5620 households in 57 squatter settlements inside Dharan municipality. Out of 12,749 connections in the district, 303 are the public taps and the squatters are using only 68 of them.

Source: Nagarik, February 2, 2010