Achham, May 4 -- year-old Maina BK from ward 5 of Mangalasen Municipality, fetching water has been a lifelong routine. But the spring she once depended on no longer flows reliably.

"Earlier, we did not have to wait. There was enough water," she said. "Now it takes four to five hours just to fill a container."

In the same ward, 80-year-old Udayaram Jaisi said water sources have steadily declined over time. "Rainfall has become irregular, and most springs have dried up," he said.

Nepal Demographic and Health Survey 2022 shows the time needed to collect drinking water in rural areas of the district has risen sharply, from about 45 minutes to as much as three hours.

Shortage is now part of daily life in many settlements. In ward 6 of the ...