A hand pump in every yard, but no water anywhere in Betauna

Chandardevi Mukhiya, 45, of Betauna in Golbazar Municipality–12, Siraha, has a hand pump right in her courtyard. But for the past several years, no water has come out of it. Since her own pump stopped working, she and other locals have depended on a submersible pump installed at the house of her neighbour, Mohan Jha.

Around 200 households in Betauna-Haripur face the same situation. Most have hand pumps in their yards, but since they’ve stopped drawing water, the entire village now depends on a single borewell. Long lines form in the morning and evening as people wait to fill water; locals say it can take hours just to fill two buckets.