By Rick M 
People in Dharan are struggling with acute water scarcity in a drought that has lasted for three months for Dharan city. The state water supply has closely regulated its current supply by providing water to its consumers every 48 hours. There are large crowds in front of public faucets and water carriers because people are struggling to get water for their daily lives.
This has been made worse by the poor performance of this year’s monsoon rains expected to help replenish its sources of water supply. The Sardu River that has been named the source of water supply for Dharan in its present structure is at its lowest record for the last thirty years. Popular governmental authorities are calling on people to reduce their use of water and have already embarked on looking for other sources to help in this problem.
The scarcity of water in Dharan has nearly influenced so many incidences in day-to-day existence. It reveals a stressful situation in schools and businesses as most of them fail to function as expected: some of them had to be closed because of the water shortage. Hospitals are now rationing water to use for life and limb necessities, while restaurants and hotels are struggling to abide by cleanliness codes. The farming industry has been one of the most affected mainly because many farmers have blamed failed crops and struggling livestock.
The authorities in the regions have been accused of being ill-prepared for the drought. Some people ordaining the government saying that they should have embarked on infrastructure development and water saving measures many years ago. The municipality has responded by declaring contingencies such as drilling new deep boreholes and working to have leakages in pipelines fixed as soon as possible.
Water scarcity has also triggered controversy on the effects of climate change on this area. As climatologists have pointed out, such periods of unusually wet or dry conditions may increase in the future, so the problem needs not only short-term solutions but sound long-term ways of managing water resources sustainably. Many people have used individual initiatives; some of them installed rainwater harvesting tanks in their homes and consumed water sparingly in their families and companies.
As the crisis unfolds, new threats arising from the impacts of water stress become zones of emerging concerns where health risks are involved. The government health organizations are currently following the outbreaks closely and they have given recommendations on purification of water and washing in an effort to curb spread of water borne illnesses. Non government organizations and local agencies have come around to supply water purification tablets and raise awareness on proper usage of water.
The problem is also social as some people stated that there appear to be fights where water is a problem in some areas in this city. Law enforcement has stepped up security to avoid the likely confrontation and ensure that those who have access to the water source get it in equal measure. During such crisis governance, community leaders encourage the people to come together as one in the course of tackling the challenges that are unavoidable at such a period.
What kind of pressure or stress is being placed on the people of Dharan as they experience this unparallelled water scarcity? The issue highlights that cities’ water supplies are at risk of climate change, and the proper ways of utilizing water must be encouraged. The current crisis may, therefore, strengthen the basis for water policy reforms as well as future developments of water infrastructure in this city.