Madhes Province launches deep boring installation plan after PM Oli announces measures to address irrigation crisis

Janakpurdham: The Madhesh Province government has launched a deep boring installation plan to address the severe irrigation and drinking water crisis caused by prolonged drought and poor rainfall.

Led by the Ministry of Energy, Irrigation and Drinking Water, the initiative aims to install one deep boring in each ward of the province. Minister Shesh Narayan Yadav said the government has begun implementing the plan in phases, prioritizing drinking water over irrigation due to the growing scarcity in both urban and rural areas.

Despite limited resources, Minister Yadav stated that the provincial government is moving forward with the installation based on urgency and local demands. The ministry has received multiple requests from communities facing acute water shortages.

On Friday, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli visited the affected areas and announced immediate and long-term measures to protect Madhes Province from severe drought conditions.  He said 500 deep borings would be installed immediately to address the growing water scarcity in the Province.

In response to the ongoing crisis, the provincial government has declared Madhesh a drought-hit zone, while the federal government has designated it a crisis zone for three months. To ease the situation, the province is also distributing drinking water free of cost through tankers and fire engines in severely affected areas.

The first phase of deep boring installation has begun in the Parashuram Lake area of Mithila Bihari Municipality-2, Dhanusha. The work is being carried out by the ministry’s Underground Irrigation Offices in Jaleshwor, Lahan, Karmeya (Sarlahi), and Birgunj, each covering two of the province’s eight districts.

Additionally, the Kamala Irrigation Management Office, Portaha—under the federal government—has been installing deep borings since the last fiscal year. Office chief Birendra Yadav said the borings in Dhanusha and Siraha have helped ease irrigation and drinking water problems to some extent.