Damauli inmates go thirsty

Inmates in Damauli jail have been facing hard times due to the shortage of drinking water for a long time. “Water does not gush out of taps for more than half an hour a day as the water supply from the Damauli Bazaar Drinking Water Project is not regular,” said jailer Damodar Sharma.

“We are forced to supply water by purchasing it from tanker operators,” he said, adding, “The inmates are using water from Madi River for cleaning and washing purposes.” “The jail has been accommodating more prisoners than its capacity. To add to it, there is no suffi cient water supply even for drinking purpose,” said an inmate, Keshab Bahadur Thapa. “Technicians from the municipality repair the taps frequently. But the taps stop functioning within a few days,” Sharma said.

Though the jail has the capacity to accommodate 25 prisoners, there are 40 prisoners and 29 detainees in the jail. Forty of them are staying in a large room, 21 in a small room and eight in the store room. As there is no space for women prisoners, they had been sent to Pokhara, a jail source said.

Established 40 years ago, the Damauli jail has also worn out. “We could not repair it due to the lack of funds,” Sharma said.

Source: The Himalayan Times