Summary:
Madheshi activists gathered in Kathmandu to demand long-term solutions to the ongoing water crisis in Nepal's Tarai-Madhesh region. Organized by the Madhesh Krishi-Jal Aandolan (Madhesh agro-water movement), around 100 young protesters called attention to the drying lands and farmers’ struggles due to water scarcity.

They criticized short-term fixes like unplanned deep boring, warning it could worsen the situation by affecting soil fertility and depleting water reserves. The activists urged the government to provide immediate relief to drought-affected farmers, ensure sustainable drinking water supply, halt riverbed extraction in key provinces, and enforce the Chure Conservation Act to protect fragile ecosystems.

They also highlighted the cross-border issue of groundwater depletion due to heavy extraction in bordering Indian states and called for urgent construction and resumption of major irrigation projects along rivers like Koshi, Gandak, and Kamala. The movement emphasized that the crisis impacts not just water and land but the identity and rights of the Tarai-Madhesh people.

Archive: https://archive.md/waSoR