Surkhet, April 8 -- Two years after the devastating 2023 earthquake, with its epicentre in Barekot of Jajarkot district, thousands of survivors are trapped in a dual nightmare. While the government's promise of permanent housing stays unfulfilled, a severe water crisis has emerged as the most pressing threat to the quake-affected people in Jajarkot and neighbouring districts.

Data from the Karnali Provincial Ministry of Water Resources and Energy reveal that the earthquake damaged a total of 480 water supply projects across Jajarkot, Salyan and Rukum West, causing losses estimated at Rs3 billion.

In Airari and Labisa settlements in ward 5 of Nalgad Municipality of Jajarkot, springs that once fed nearly 80 households vanished overnight w...