Policy for ground water resources

KATHMANDU: In contrast to the Government’s target to provide safe drinking water for each citizen, one vital natural resource, ground water in the form of springs, dug wells and tube wells is being neglected without any policy. All groundwater investigation and development works are concentrated in the Capital and some parts of terai, avoiding the hilly regions. There are about 1,000 deep and 50,000 shallow water wells in the terai, for domestic, industrial and irrigational purpose.

According to a study, the current annual use of groundwater in terai is about 860 million cubic metre (MCM). By the end of 2027, this figure is expected to increase by 6500 MCM per annum.

The existing Water Resources Act (WRA) 1992 is general in character and inadequate to address the problems associated with regulating groundwater utilisation and management because of the complexity inherent in the groundwater system, said Suresh Raj Uprety. He informed that the Ministry of Water Resources is said to be in the process of amending the WRA 1992 and that the groundwater regulation will be prepared later.

Himalayan.