The Kathmandu Valley is likely to face a shortage of drinking water after a few days as most bottled water factories have cut supplies and some have even shut down operations due to lack of diesel. Piped water is a rarity in the valley, and residents depend on bottled water suppliers to fulfil their requirement.

Likewise, traders said that they were having a hard time getting their products to market as their delivery vehicles had run out of gasoline.

The Nepal Bottled Water Association said that nearly 50 percent of the water bottling plants in the valley had stopped production. The country has been suffering from a shortage of petroleum products after India imposed an unofficial blockade starting a week ago.

“Most of the factories have stopped production as they are reeling under a shortage of diesel. The finished products are also piled up at the factory warehouses as there is no fuel for delivery vehicles,” said Subash Bhandari, president of the association.

“The government’s recent decision to stop providing gasoline to private automobiles has added to the industry’s woes,” he added. “The situation will become critical in a few days if the government does not provide options. The government should ensure a regular supply of electricity or give special priority to fuel shipments,” said Bhandari.

The association claimed that 80 percent of the valley’s drinking water requirement was being fulfilled by bottled water. According to the association, there are 160 bottled water plants supplying 2 million litres of drinking water in the valley in 20-litre jars and 1-litre bottles.

Each factory needs 20-25 litres of diesel daily to operate. The association submitted a memorandum to Nepal Oil Corporation on Thursday demanding that the government provide a special fuel quota for them.

Shiva Raj Thapa of Aqua Raj said that the production of bottled water had plunged by 50 percent over a week. “The water crisis could worsen in the valley as the production has dropped sharply. My factory is presently producing 300-350 jars daily compared to 600 jars previously,” he said, adding that the output would be slashed by 75 percent from Friday.

Similarly, wholesalers and retailers said that they had not been able to supply bottled water to their customers as per demand. Deepak Dhakal, proprietor of Manisha Khadya Store at Pepsicola, said, “I am distributing 20-25 jars per day compared to 100-150 jars before.”