Kailali, Dec. 2 -- As the level of underground water drops across the Tarai region during summer, Dhangadhi Sub-Metropolitan City in Kailali district has begun building a network of recharge ponds to replenish groundwater. The sub-metropolis has released about Rs15 million so far under its new water management initiative.

Residents in Kailali, a Tarai district in the Sudurpaschim province, have long relied on shallow tube wells (called hand-pumps locally) for domestic water, but many of these dry up between April and June each year. The problem has worsened now, mirroring the drought and groundwater depletion that struck the plains of Madhesh province last monsoon. Experts trace this to over-extraction, depleted recharge zones and shrink...