Although the government had announced to set up as many as 500 deep borings- some new installations and some old ones with repair- in Madhes districts in the wake of prolonged drought some weeks back, more than half of such deep borings installed previously in Siraha are found dysfunctional for lack of necessary infrastructures.

There were neither transformers nor pipelines as essential support to operate the deep borings. Importantly, locals lacked adequate interest to revive the essential irrigation facility. More than 200 such deep borings installed previously in the district were left conked out. 

Chief of Agriculture Knowledge Centre, Narendra Kumar Mahaseth, informed that 32 out of 154 deep borings were left conked out in Golbazaar Municipality, while such number of dysfunctional facility was 17 in Dhangadhimai Municipality, seven each in Bhagwanpur and Nawarajpur Rural Municipalities, 16 in Karjanha Municipality, three in Bishnupur Rural Municipality and one in Sakhuwankarkati Rural Municipality.

It was informed during the inspection that some of such facilities were set up 30 years back, he added.

The number of inoperative deep borings included 10 in Bariyapatti Rural Municipality, 24 in Mirchaiya Municipality, 14 in Arnama Rural Municipality, 15 in Siraha Municipality, one in Kalyanpur, all 21 in Laxmipur Patari, 10 in Sukhipur and 32 in Naraha Rural Municipalities. Out 16, 13 such water pumping facilities are dysfunctional in Lahan municipality.

 

The local farmers and stakeholders have now stressed the resumption of the deep borings with proper maintenance.