Humla, May 21
Residents of Tilgaun in Namkha Rural Municipality-6, Humla, have been left with no choice but to drink muddy river water after floods damaged their drinking water infrastructure.
A glacial lake outburst on May 14 triggered a flood that destroyed the village’s water supply system. Local resident Kanjok Phurba Lama said that the flood swept away the village’s pipelines and taps, forcing people to rely on the murky water from the nearby Gunchhusa River.
“Sometimes the water is clean, sometimes it’s muddy — but we have no option,” Lama said, expressing concern about the risk of waterborne diseases.
The flash floods and landslides also caused damage to homes, a bridge, and a micro-hydropower project in the area. Eighteen families from Tilgaun have taken shelter in temporary tents after their homes were deemed unsafe.
Dinesh Bhatt, CEO of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, stated during a Tuesday program that pipes have already been delivered to repair the village’s water supply.
