Where the water actually goes
A map of the valley's six reservoirs, the two that are low, and the one that is closed for repair with no date.
By Isha Karki
Data deskThe valley runs on six reservoirs. Two are below their seasonal line, one has been closed for repair since spring with no reopening date posted, and the remaining three together are holding about what they held last year — which was not enough that year either.
The closed reservoir matters more than its size suggests. It feeds the two wards that everyone else's shortage pushes into when the lines get long: when the pressure drops there, the tanker queue at Tripureshwor doubles within a day, which is what the last two weeks show.
The department publishes levels weekly as a table with no context. We rebuilt it as a map, asked three engineers to read it, and they agreed on one point: nothing in the numbers is a surprise. The shortage was visible in March. The rationing began last Tuesday.
The maps and the weekly table are both below. If your ward is missing, that is because the department has not posted it. We will keep the graphic open until the numbers stop moving.
“The shortage was visible in March. The rationing began last Tuesday.”