Water

Country Water Action: Nepal
Water and Poverty in Nepal

Water is one of the principal natural resources supporting the economy of Nepal, the others being the forestry and tourism sectors. Almost 30% of Nepal's agricultural production is based on irrigation facilities, and 84% of Nepal's electricity is currently produced by hydroelectric generation. A large increase in hydropower generation capacity would enable Nepal to meet its domestic energy demands as well as increase its revenues by exporting energy to India and neighboring countries.

For all its value, water resource management remains a challenge for Nepal. Currently,

• 33% of the population does not have access to potable water supply
• Only 42% of the net cultivated land has access to some form of irrigation
• Only 41% of the irrigated land receives "year-round irrigation"
• Less than 2% of the country's estimated economically viable potential hydroelectric capacity (43,000 MW) has been developed
• Around 53% of the population has no toilet or sanitary facilities

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Thirty-eight percent (38%) of Nepal's population lives below the poverty line. For its 2002-2007 plan, the government of Nepal hopes to reduce this figure from 38% to 30% mainly by prioritizing improvements in agriculture, water and other social sectors.

A Poverty Alleviation Fund (PAF) has been established to conduct poverty targeted programs focused on, among other things, addressing drinking water problems, small irrigation, and mitigation of water induced disasters.

The government has also approved a Water Resources Strategy that identifies strategic outputs for the next 5-year, 15-year and 25-year periods. These relate to

• Disaster management and Environment
• Water supply and sanitation
• Irrigation
• Hydropower and other economic activities
• Water related information systems
• Policy and legal reforms
• cooperation and institutional mechanisms

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Amodanand Mishra
Director General
Department of Water Induced Disaster Prevention
E-mail: dmspjica@wlink.com.np