Madhesh Matters – Issue #2 | August 2, 2025
This week in Madhesh was all about drought, rain, and the daily struggle for water, with relief efforts and protests showing both hope and frustration.
Welcome back to Madhesh Matters – your weekly reality check on what’s shaping life in Madhesh.
Thank you for the support on our first issue. This newsletter is still finding its rhythm, and from here on it will be bilingual by design – stories will appear in Nepali or English depending on how they were reported. Only the biggest, most urgent issues will be translated across both.
This week, the headlines haven’t changed much: drought, empty taps, surging power demand, and the politics of water. In villages, people queue for tankers sent by the authorities; in cities they are protesting for water; while others gather for collective prayers for rain.
Photos and videos on social media show what every Madheshi already knows – that the struggle for something as basic as water has become part of daily life.
Yes, the government – in Kathmandu and Janakpur alike – has made moves. But most steps so far feel temporary, bandages on a deep wound.
Let’s unpack it all.
Big Stories of the Week
तराई/मधेश क्षेत्रको खडेरीले धान उत्पादनमा २० प्रतिशत कमी आउने अनुमान
अन्नको भण्डार भनिने तराई/मधेश क्षेत्रमै बर्खायाममा निम्तिएको खडेरीका कारण रोपाइँ प्रभावित हुँदा देशव्यापी धान उत्पादनमै २० प्रतिशतले कमी आउने अनुमान गरिएको छ । धान औसत फल्दा पनि माग धान्न नसक्ने र आयातमा ठूलो रकम बाहिरिने गरेको पृष्ठभूमिमा यस वर्ष आयात झनै बढ्ने निश्चित छ । गत वर्ष धान (बीउसहित) आयातमा २० अर्ब ३५ करोड रुपैयाँ विदेशिएको थियो । यस वर्ष ८२ अर्ब विदेशिने सम्भावना छ । प्रक्षेपण गरिएबमोजिम खडेरीले २० प्रतिशत उत्पादन घट्यो भने यो वर्ष ११ लाख ९१ हजार ९५ टन कम धान फल्छ । यो भनेका मुलुकका लागि अपुग धान झन्डै २४ लाख टन हुन्छ ।१० हजार ट्याब्लेट लागुऔषधसहित एक जना भारतीय नागरिक पक्राउ
ठूलो परिणाममा लागुऔषध ट्याबलेटसहित एक जना भारतीय पक्राउ परेका छन् । १० हजार ३ सय २६ पिस ट्याबलेटसहित चम्पारण बिहार अर्गवा–६ का ५० वर्षीय उपेन्द्र साह भन्ने मन्जन साह पक्राउ परेका हुन् । उनलाई मंगलबार राति बारा सिम्रौनगढ–६ नहरबाट पक्राउ गरिएको मधेश प्रदेश प्रहरी कार्यालयले जनाएको छ । पक्राउ परेका साह लागुऔषध कारोबारी रहेको प्रहरीको प्रारम्भिक अनुसन्धानले खुलेको छ।पर्सामा परालमा लुकाएर राखिएको ४० किलो गाँजा बरामद
पर्सा प्रहरीले परालमा लुकाएर राखिएको अवस्थामा लागुऔषध गाँजा बरामद गरेको छ। प्रहरीले पर्साको पकाहामैनपुर गाउँपालिका– २, सुर्जाहाबाट ४० किलोग्राम लागुऔषध गाँजा बरामद गरेको हो। परालभित्र तीनवटा बोरामा बेवारिसे अवस्थामा लुकाएर राखिएको ४० किलोग्राम गाँजा बरामद भएको हो। त्यस्तै,पर्सा जिल्लाको पटेर्वा सुगौली गाउँपालिका–४ स्थित करबोलाबाट प्रहरीले ८ किलो ४४० ग्राम गाँजासहित पर्सागढी नगरपालिका–९, एकटंगाका ३४ वर्षीय जगमोहन यादवलाई पक्राउ गरेको छ।Heavy Rains Offer Mixed Blessing
Some Madhesh districts battered by weeks of drought finally saw heavy showers this week, offering much needed relief to the region. According to the Meteorological Forecasting Division (MFD), Dhanusha (Tulsi Centre: 63.8 mm) and Bara (Amlekhgunj: 46.4 mm) were among the areas that received rain in the last 24-hours, reviving paddy, sugarcane, maize, and vegetables. But the relief is uneven—many fields still wait for transplanting to finish.Madheshi Youth Protest in Capital Demanding Long-term Solutions
Under the banner of the Madhesh Agro-Water Movement, young activists from Madhesh and Kathmandu staged a symbolic protest at Maitighar, Kathmandu. They argued deep boring might bring temporary relief but warned it’s not a solution—and could worsen the crisis. They demanded long-term plans like Chure conservation and sustainable water infrastructure for the Tarai-Madhesh.सप्तरीमा बालिकामाथि सामूहिक बलात्कार, १ लाख बुझेर मिल्न ‘जनप्रतिनिधिसम्मको दबाब’
सप्तरीको राजविराज नगरपालिका-११ झल्हीमा एक १५ वर्षकी दलित बालिकामाथि सामूहिक बलात्कार भएको छ । बुधबार साँझ चार जनाको समूहमा आएका युवाहरुले घरअगाडि उभिरहेकी ती बालिकालाई उठाएर लगेका थिए । बिहीबारदेखि मिल्न दबाब दिँदै आएका उनीहरूले शुक्रबार बिहान वडाध्यक्ष उतिदनारायण यादवसमेतको उपस्थितिमा स्वास्थ्य चौकीमा पञ्चायती बसाएर थप दबाब दिएको पीडित बालिकाका दाजुले बताए । ‘पञ्चायतीमा उपस्थित सबैले एक लाख रुपैयाँ लिएर मिलिहाल्न भन्छन्,’ उनले बताए, ‘त्यो कुरा नमानेर त्यहाँबाट निस्किहालेँ, अहिले घरमै आएर तनाव दिइरहेका छन्, जाहेरी दिन पनि निस्किन दिएको छैन ।’
Views & Voices
Madhesh is facing one of its worst droughts in memory. Wells are drying up, people are queuing for tanker water, and farmers are scrambling for irrigation during peak planting season.
Experts are sounding the alarm on the government’s quick fixes. The push to drill 500 deep bore wells might bring short-term relief, but without studies on where water comes from or how aquifers recharge, it risks long-term damage.
Dr. Basant Adhikari, who heads the Engineering Study Institute at the Disaster Risk Study Center, emphasised the need for comprehensive hydrogeological studies. He noted that while some research exists, it does not provide a clear picture of water tables or recharge mechanisms in the Terai-Madhesh region. According to him, without understanding where water sources originate and how they recharge, drilling remains speculative and ineffective over time. They have warned that nearly 70% bore wells may not yield water.
Soil expert Sandesh Subedi, acting chief of the Soil and Fertiliser Testing Laboratory in Rajbiraj, echoed this in an op-ed for Onlinekhabar. Deep bore wells, he wrote, “are not a solution — the ongoing water crisis is rather a symptom of a bigger crisis still to come.”
And in Yatra Daily, Nepali Congress youth leader Kanchan Jha of Birgunj added another warning: “What feels like a water crisis today will turn into a food crisis tomorrow if we keep looking for shortcuts.”
६–६ किलोमिटरमा ब्लुबुक जाँच: मधेशको बाटो कि युद्धको सीमा?
मैले पछिल्ला २ महिनामा दुई पटक गाईघाट सम्म मध्यपहाडी लोकमार्ग हुँदै यात्रा गरे । मेरो घरदेखी जम्मा १५१ कि.मी. को यात्रामा १२१ कि.मी., गाईघाटदेखि ढल्केवर सम्मको यात्रा गर्दा एक ठाऊँमा पनि ट्राफीक प्रहरीले मेरो ब्लु बुक र लाईसेन्स जाँच गरेनन् तर, ढल्केवर देखि मेरो घरसम्मको बाँकी ३० कि.मी यात्रामा ५ देखी ६ ठाऊँमा दैनिक रुपमा ब्लु बुक र लाईसेन्स जाँच गराउनु पर्छ ।
मेरो जनकपुरको बसाईदेखि धनुषाधामसम्म लगभग दैनिक यात्रा गर्छु । यो जम्मा १८ कि.मी. यात्रामा मुजेलिया, बेँगा र धमौरा गरी तीन ठाऊँमा र प्रायः ब्लु बुक र लाईसेन्स जाँच गराउनु पर्छ । यातायात व्यवस्था कार्यालयले के टेक्नोलोजी बिकास गरेर व्लुबुक र लाईसेन्स प्रीन्ट गरेको छ कि हरेक ६ कि.मी. मा यसमा लेखेको विवरण परिवर्तन भईहाल्छ त्यसमा अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय स्तरको एउटा जर्नल पब्लिस हुन सक्ने सम्भावना छ ।
Dev Narayan Mandal’s Facebook post lays bare the frustration of Madheshis stopped at every turn, treated less like citizens and more like suspects on their own roads.
The Good, the Bad, the Ugly
✅ The Good
The Ministry of Energy, Irrigation and Drinking Water in Madhesh has finally moved to help drought‑hit families. Acting secretary Ram Kumar Khanga met with development partners and sector reps this week, issuing an 8‑point relief plan.
⚠️ The Bad
In Mahottari, 23 deep borings sit idle—stuck in limbo due to maintenance delays, transformer installations, and unfinished pipeline extensions.
❌ The Ugly
The water crisis is turning deadly. Farmers in Madhesh are losing their lives due to electrocution while drilling boreholes in the face of drought.From the start of fiscal year 2081/082 to the 10th of Shrawan this year, 29 farmers have died by electrocution.
Madhesh Maanush
अनौपचारिक क्षेत्र सेवा केन्द्र (इन्सेक) का संस्थापक महासचिव प्रकाश काफ्लेको ३३ औँ स्मृति दिवसका अवसरमा ३१ औँ प्रकाश मानव अधिकार पुरस्कार–२०८१ सिम्रौनगढ नगरपालिका–२, बाराका चुरे तथा वन–जङ्गल संरक्षण अभियन्ता सुनिलकुमार यादव लाई प्रदान गरिएको छ ।
Sachin Kumar Singh, Executive Director of Mithila Wildlife Trust — an NGO working to restore nature and uplift communities in Nepal — has been honored with the Dr. Kalam Youth Leadership Award 2025 at the Kalam Youth Leadership Conference in Jaipur’s Rajasthan International Center.
That’s it for this week’s Madhesh Matters. Hope you found this wrap‑up useful and worth your time.
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See you next Saturday with more stories from the ground.