Save Kathmandu from being a ghost city: A ghost city, Kathmandu could very well become, if sources of water dries up in this already over-populated valley. The rising scarcity of water even during the wintry months, tankers supplying water to those who can afford it and long queues of containers waiting for the municipality tankers to supply a home enough to cook a meal are only the tips of an iceberg that is waiting to hit this city. What with the uncontrolled and unmonitored tapping of underground water in many houses, it will only be a matter of time before serious and irreversible environmental degradation sets in. The demand for drinking water in Kathmandu is around 150-160 million litres per day whereas the supply is about 80 million litres per day that includes a leakage of 40 per cent. And the demand is not going to lessen with life style changing rapidly among the middle class that comprise the majority in this valley. Modern amenities and an increasing awareness of personal hygiene means a need for more water in addition to one?s daily requirement. The increased population in Kathmandu also means more demand for water annually. The only hope that remains is timely channelisation of water that exists in our rivers. It is ironical that a country that is the storehouse of power should suffer such an acute water shortage. The policy makers here should make it a priority to bring water from Melamchi river so that the thirst for water of the residents of the valley is quenched. At the moment, the Melamchi drinking water project is the only feasible solution in sight. And unless the government works to makes this a reality, the problem of drinking water could go from bad to worse. With the dry months looming ahead, residents are already worried on where their next pot of water is going to come from. It would be best if it came from a permanent source, instead from a tanker on wheels. News from http://www.nepalnews.com.np/contents/englishweekly/independent/9-07/comment.htm