Conservation of sources stressed to address water scarcity problem

BY A STAFF REPORTER Kathmandu, Mar. 23: Water scarcity has emerged as a critical issue in Nepal which demands immedi-ate action. Amidst  growing  water  scarcity,  dif-ferent  organisations  in  Nepal  united  together to generate awareness to con-serve  water  sources  on  Friday  on  the  occasion of  World Water Day. 

The theme for this year’s World Wate Day was “Leveraging Water for Peace,” indicating the importance of  water for maintaining peace around the world. The   day   was   observed   by   letting   everyone  know  how  water  can  bring  countries and communities together.From food security to public health, economic  stability,  and  political  influ-ence,  the  scarcity  of   water  poses  com-plex  challenges,  said  former  Minister  Dr. Ganesh Shah. Sustainable  management  of   water  resources   has   become   the   princi-pal,  particularly  in  the  face  of   rising  demand  and  the  impacts  of   climate  change, he added.  In  Nepal,  just  25  per  cent  of   people  have  access  to  healthy  drinking  water  while  95  per  cent  have  access  only  to  basic  facilities. 

In  the  15th  five-year  plan  (2020/21-  2024/2025),  the  govern-ment  aimed  to  provide  basic  drinking  water to 99 per cent of  people and qual-ity  drinking  water  to  40  per  cent  but  failed to meet the target.The  National  Planning  Commission  also aims to achieve a national goal of  providing quality drinking water to 90 per cent of  the population by 2030.According to former Shah, the rural areas  were  experiencing  more  water  scarcity  compared  to  the  urban  areas. 

He attributes this scarcity to infrastruc-ture  development,  such  as  extensive  road  construction,  which  leads  to  the  drying up of  springs. More  people  in  the  rural  areas  are  struggling  to  access  water  for  their  daily needs and irrigation purposes. “Lack  of   irrigation  results  in  food  scarcity  in  the  rural  areas  prompting  people to migrate to the urban areas in search of  food availability,” he added.“The rise in urban migration is driv-ing up food imports in Nepal, primarily due  to  inadequate  water  supply.  This  trend  is  jeopardising  food  security  in  the country,” Dr. Shah added.The only viable option currently is to conserve rainwater, clean and preserve springs,  and  ponds,  and  ensure  the  cleanliness  of   rivers  and  other  water  sources, he said.

He also stressed the need for rainwa-ter harvesting. He  said  that  rainwater  harvesting  not   only   contributes   to   direct   con-sumption,  household  use,  and  use  in  agriculture,  industry,  and  other  sec-tors  but  also  helps  replenish  water  sources. He emphasised that rainwater collection  and  purification,  along  with  the  reuse  of   treated  water,  could  sig-nificantly  contribute  to  water  source  replenishment.Recently, the International Centre for Integrated  Mountain  Development  (ICI-MOD)  in  collaboration  with  the  Austra-lian  Water  Partnership  (AWP)  released  three  significant  reports.  These  studies,  spanning  eight  nations  in  the  Hindu Kush  Himalaya  region,  highlighted  cli-mate change as a pressing factor neces-sitating  collaboration  across  three  vital  river  basins  in  Asia  --  the  Indus,  the  Ganga, and the Brahmaputra.

According to another research on “Dry-ing of  Springs in the Himalayan Region of  Nepal: Perspectives of  Local Government Leaders  on  Causes,  Consequences,  and  Conservation  Efforts,”  in  the  Himalayan  region, the availability of  water from nat-ural springs is declining, posing a signifi-cant threat to millions of  people’s access to clean water and sanitation.Dr.   Ngamindra   Dahal,   a   climate   change  expert,  stated  that  the  majority  of   people  in  the  Himalayas  depend  on  spring  water,  and  they  are  facing  chal-lenges.  He  said,  “It  is  better  to  identify  local  springs  and  assess  how  they  are  managed   by   local   communities   and   authorities and make them aware of  the uses of  those available water sources.

”In his message on World Water Day, Dr. Pema Gyamtsho, Director General for ICIMOD said, an estimated 100 mil-lion  people  in  the  Hindu  Kush  Hima-layan region depend on springs to meet their  drinking  water,  sanitation,  live-stock rearing and irrigation needs. “If   springs  continue  to  dry  at  the  same  rate,  this  could  lead  to  widespread  water  stress, displacement, and conflicts. We have worked with partners to prototype technolo-gies and approaches to revive drying springs and  build  autonomous  water  security. 

We  are now working to scale these approaches with  support  from  donors,  local  govern-ments, and communities,” Gyamtsho said.As   with   river   basin   management,   managing  springs  sustainably  requires  management of  the ‘springsheds’ – going beyond   managing   only   the   sources   (springs) to focus on the ‘recharge area’, through   which   water   infiltrates   and   reaches  the  aquifers,  where  groundwa-ter is stored and emerges at the surface as a spring, he added.