The Department of Water Supply and Sewage Management has started the process of collecting details of damage caused to drinking water and sanitation systems across the country due to floods and landslides triggered by recent incessant rains.

The department has stated that a circular has been issued to the Drinking Water and Sewage Management Offices under the department in all seven provinces of the country to report on the damage caused.

There are currently 15 Drinking Water and Sewage Management Offices under the department across the country and these offices have been issued a circular to collect details of damage caused to the drinking water and sanitation sector and send it to the department, shared Director General Kamal Raj Shrestha.

An immediate relief and long-term rehabilitation plan will be made based on the reports received. After collecting the details, it would help in identifying the affected areas, type of damage, estimated cost and determining the priority of rehabilitation.

The incessant rains on October 3 and 4 have seriously affected many drinking water sources and distribution systems in the hilly and steep terrain, and have caused problems such as pipelines being washed away, damage to intake structures, reservoir tanks buried with mud and stones, motor pumps submerged, and sanitation equipment damaged, according to the department.

The Ministry of Water Supply had stated that the incessant rains and landslides during the same period last year had caused damage worth more than Rs. 4 billion to the drinking water and sanitation sector of the country.