By Saurabh Chaubey

Darbhanga (Bihar): Seventy-year-old Mohammad Abul Hasan has worked in the manual handpump boring trade for over 40 years in Bharwara village, in Bihar’s Darbhanga. But in summers, which ideally should be his busiest season, he avoids taking up new installations. ADVERTISEMENT

The reason is falling groundwater table in the region. “If the pump doesn’t yield water, we don’t get paid,” Hasan explained.

He attributed the change to the absence of annual flooding, which was once common in the area. “Earlier, floods used to recharge the groundwater. Even in peak summers like June, we had enough water. That’s no longer the case.”

Since 2019, flooding has been noticeably absent in Darbhanga district. Once a water-rich region, it is now facing an acute water crisis. Tradition

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