National Water Plan (2002–2027) His Majesty's Government of Nepal Water and Energy Commission Water and Energy Commission Secretariat Singh Durbar, Kathmandu, Nepal 2005 National Water Plan - Nepal Preface Water is one of the principal physical resources that can play a major role in enhancing the pace of overall development of a country. Sustainable development of water resources can significantly contribute to poverty alleviation and economic growth. Recognizing the need for comprehensive management and development of water resources for realizing optimal benefit, His Majesty’s Government of Nepal (HMGN) started formulating Water Resources Strategy (WRS) in 1996, and approved it in January 2002. The goal defined by the strategy is to improve the living standard of Nepalese people in a sustainable manner. In order to implement the activities identified by the WRS, the Water and Energy Commission Secretariat (WECS) started formulating National Water Plan (NWP) in 2002, which was approved by HMGN in September 2005. The NWP recognizes the broad objectives of the WRS and lays down short-, medium- and long-term action plans for the water resources sector, including investments and human resource development. The NWP attempts to address environmental concerns, which is reflected by the incorporation of the Environmental Management Plan in the document. This Environmental Management Plan will contribute to maximizing positive impact and minimizing or mitigating adverse impact in line with the environment sustainability concerns. A team of consultants, experts, academics, professionals and stakeholders related to the water resources sector contributed to preparing the NWP document. During the process, HMGN formed a core committee comprising representatives of various ministries, government departments, experts and academics to provide guidance to the task forces engaged in various sub-sectors. The NWP is expected to fulfil the aspirations of the Nepalese people in respect of the development of the water resources sector in the country. The Plan will be reviewed periodically to address the emerging development needs and the experience gained during the process of its implementation. Active support of bilateral and multilateral donors, government line agencies, non- governmental organizations, international non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders is expected for the successful implementation of the Plan. i National Water Plan - Nepal ii National Water Plan - Nepal Acknowledgement This National Water Plan (NWP) was prepared with the continuous guidance and valuable contributions of individual experts, government officials, peer reviewers and other eminent persons. The knowledge and experience shared by them made this challenging task possible. The framework of the NWP was developed with the suggestions of the stakeholders’ representatives. Furthermore, workshops held at regional and national levels at various stages of its preparation helped refine and finalize the document. Around one thousand people participated in various stages of the preparation of the Plan. Each individual made valuable contributions to this effort and the nature of their involvement is documented in the Water and Energy Commission Secretariat (WECS). It is not possible to list all the names in this brief acknowledgement. WECS acknowledges all those individuals and institutions for their involvement and valuable contributions. The Core Committee comprising representatives of various ministries, government departments and individual experts deserve our sincere thanks for guiding the task forces at various stages during the preparation of the Plan document. The contributions of Dr Yuba Raj Khatiwada (then Hon. Member, National Planning Commission) as coordinator of the Plan Finalizing Committee deserve special mention. Also, the following persons deserve recognition for their significant contributions: • Dr Champak Pokharel, Hon. Member, National Planning Commission • Mr Iswer Raj Onta, Water Resources Advisor • Dr Jagadish Chandra Gautam, Consultant, Institution sub-sector • Mr Murali Prasad Sharma, Consultant, Legal sub-sector • Mr Bharat Raj Joshee, Consultant, Economic sector • Ms Pavitra Subba Shrestha, Consultant, Environment sub-sector • Mr Surya Man Sakya, Consultant, Environment sub-sector • Dr Ram Bahadur Khadka, Consultant, Environment sector • Mr Nanda Kishore Agrawal, Consultant, Irrigation sub-sector • Mr Rattan Kumar Siddhi, Consultant, Water Supply sub-sector • Dr Pashupati Prasad Singh, Consultant, Hydropower sub-sector • Mr Sharad Prasad Dhital, Consultant, Social sector • Dr Durga Lal Shrestha, Consultant, Macro economic sector • Mr Sundar Bahadur Shrestha, Consultant, Fisheries • Mr Manohar Lal Malla, Consultant, Agriculture • Dr Divas Bahadur Basnyat, Consultant, River Basin Planning The Canadian Government, through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), and the World Bank, through the Nepal Irrigation Sector Project (NISP), which were the main external supporting agencies, both technically and financially, and without which this task would not have been possible, owe our special thanks. Mr Scott G Ferguson, Mr Jim Cowley and Dr Mike Raghavan of CIDA deserve sincere thanks for providing technical inputs to the Plan. Mr Sanjive Singh and Mr Gokul Sharma of WIDP (CIDA) and Dr Shyam Sundar Ranjitkar of the World Bank, Nepal Office, are acknowledged for their unflinching help. The NWP was approved by the Council of Ministers, HMGN, on September 7, 2005. Dr Tulsi Giri, Hon'ble Vice-chairman of the Council of Ministers and Minister for Water Resources, and Mr Binod Kumar Shah, Hon'ble Assistant Minister for Water Resources, deserve special iii National Water Plan - Nepal thanks for approving the Plan. Mr Thakur Prasad Sharma (then Hon'ble Minister of State for Water Resources) deserves special thanks for getting the Plan approved from the Water and Energy Commission (WEC). Special thanks to the members of the Financial and Legislation Committee of the Council of Ministers and Members of WEC for the critical review and valuable suggestions on the document. Mr Mahendra Nath Aryal, Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources, deserves deep appreciation for his contributions to the process of getting the NWP approved by WEC and the Council of Ministers, HMGN. Mr Uma Kant Jha, then Executive Director and Coordinator of the NWP, Mr Jitendra Ghimire, Executive Director, WECS, and Mr Rajendra Kishore Kshatry, Executive Director, WECS, also deserve special thanks for their efforts and valuable contributions to the Plan document. WECS recognizes the valuable and significant contributions made to the preparation of the NWP by the following: Dr Kishore Babu Aryal, Mr Dev Raj Regmi, Mr Nirjarananda Vaidya, Mr Keshab Bahadur Chand, Dr Swoyambhu Man Amatya, Dr Kul Ratna Bhurtel, Mr Tirtha Raj Sharma, Mr Mohan Bahadur Karki, Mr Janak Raj Joshi, Mr Deependra Bikram Thapa, Mr Sriram Shrestha, Mr Lekh Man Singh, Mr Arjun Prasad Shrestha, Mr Sharada Prasad Sharma, Mr Bhubanesh Kumar Pradhan, Mr Ram Nath Kayastha, Mr Shiva Kumar Sharma, Dr Umesh Nath Parajuli, Dr Dibya Ratna Kansakar, Mr Babu Ram Adhikari, Mr Hari Prasad Ishar, Mr Muralidhar Pokharel, Mr Dhan Lal Shrestha, Mr Gautam Rajkarnikar, Mr Govinda Raj Joshi, Mr Rabindra Man Singh, Mr Ashok Singh, Ms Bimala Pradhan, Ms Janaki Karmacharya, Mr Dip Bahadur Basnet, Mr Yog Raj Pokharel, Mr Ram Prasad Bidari, Mr Rajendra Rupakheti, Mr Bishnu KC, Mr Sarad Prasad Joshi, Mr Janak Lal Maharjan, Mr Sher Bahadur Nyarten, Mr Hari Om Shrestha and other WECS support staff. Special thanks to the Nepal Administrative Staff College (NASC) and its Director, Dr Madan Manandhar, for their efforts in facilitating regional, national and expert panel workshops and compiling the stakeholders' concerns for incorporation in the Plan document. WECS recognizes the efforts of Mr Naveen Mangal Joshi the Project Manager, Mr Sanjaya Dhungel, Mr Sanju Upadhayay, Mr Pushkar Srivastav, Mr Deepak Kumar Kharal, Mr Keshav Dhoj Adhikari, member secretaries of the NWP Preparation Task Force, Mr Madhav Dev Acharya, Mr Ram Prasad Ghimire and Mr Kiran Prasad Giri, Core Committee support staff, for making this challenging task possible. Thanks are also due to Mr Anil Shrestha for his editorial inputs to the document. Last but not the least, Nepalese people of all walks of life, especially politicians and opinion leaders, contributed through their active participation in the stakeholder consultation workshops. This document is for the people and by the people. Shital Babu Regmee Act. Executive Secretary Water and Energy Commission Secretariat iv National Water Plan - Nepal List of Acronyms and Abbreviations ADB/N - Agricultural Development Bank Nepal AGDP - Agricultural Gross Domestic Product APP - Agricultural Prospective Plan ASASIP - Accelerated Stand-Alone Sanitation Improvement Program B/C - Benefit Cost Ratio BCM - Billion Cubic Meters CBO - Community Based Organization CBS - Central Bureau of Statistics CIF - Cost, Insurance and Freight CMIASP - Community Managed Irrigated Agricultural Sector Project DDC - District Development Committee DHM - Department of Hydrology and Meteorology DNPWC - Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation DoED - Department of Electricity Development DoF - Department of Forest DoI - Department of Irrigation DRWSSDF - District Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Development Fund DSCWM - Department of Soil Conservation and Watershed Management DoS - Department of Survey DSS - Decision Support