1. Irrigation: Irrigation is the largest water use sub-sector affecting the life of many people
involved in agriculture. The agricultural sector is largely dependent on the monsoon rains due to lack
of adequate modern irrigation facilities. As of June 2014, about 1.3 million ha (76% of the potential)
of Nepal’s agricultural land has been irrigated but only about 36% of which (i.e. 0.8 million ha) has
the year round irrigation services, out of which 0.5 million ha through surface irrigation schemes and
0.3 million ha through groundwater schemes.
2. Drinking Water: With an increase in population, the total water demand per year has also
increased. As of June 2013, about 86% of the population had access to basic services of drinking
water supply and about 11% of country’s population had access to safe drinking water supply
services. Likewise, about 62% of the population had access to basic sanitary services as of June 2013.
3. Hydropower: The estimated theoretical hydropower potential of Nepal is 83,000 MW, out of
which 114 projects with a combined capacity of 45,610 MW have been identified as economically
feasible ones. The total capacity of the Integrated Nepal Power System (INPS) which Nepal
Electricity Authority operates stands at 758 MW.
Issues and Challenges related to Water Resources
1. Water Supply and Sanitation Issues: In drinking water supply and sanitation sector, there
are several issues like,
- Lack of adequate planning, design and construction of water supply and sanitation projects;
- Lack of appropriate approach towards rural water supply system;
- Improper management of water supply systems of Kathmandu Valley and other urban
centers; and
- Lack of water quality standards for drinking water.
2. Irrigation Issues: The issues can be summarized as
- Poor performance of irrigation systems
• Farmers’ dependency syndromes and sustainability
• Problems of river management
• Weak institutional capability
• Weak relationship between agriculture and irrigation
0 Comments