Kathmandu, July 23 -- The Cabinet meeting on Wednesday declared Madhesh Province a disaster crisis zone, citing acute water shortages caused by prolonged drought.

According to Minister for Water Supply and Sanitation Pradeep Yadav, the decision was made based on a proposal by the Ministry of Home Affairs. All eight districts of the province are affected.

"The prolonged lack of rainfall has severely impacted irrigation systems due to a drop in groundwater levels. Water sources have dried up, creating an extreme shortage of drinking and irrigation water for the public," said Yadav.

The government made the declaration under Sub-section 1 of Section 32 of the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act, 2017.

The law allows the government ...