By Surendra Phuyal
Experts and water stakeholders participated in a dialogue convened by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) in collaboration with the Farmer Managed Irrigation Systems Promotion Trust, the National Federation of Irrigation Water Users’ Association and Governance Lab. The dialogue aimed to convey key messages to lawmakers to ensure the new Water Resources Bill is holistic, inclusive and timely.
Participants urged members of the Infrastructure Development Committee of the House of Representatives, the lower house of parliament, to address various critical issues in the bill. These include ensuring the rights and roles of local communities, establishing a mechanism for inter- and intra-governmental cooperation and ensuring collaboration for sustainable use of water resources. They further emphasized the need to promote gender equality and social inclusion in relation to water management and address the management of transboundary rivers.
Stakeholders stressed that the new water legislation should pay particular attention to climate change-related challenges, including extreme weather events and incidents of glacial lake outburst floods across the Himalayan region. The new law should also envisage ensuring remedies through Adaptation and Loss and Damage funds.
‘Umbrella Act’
The draft legislation, brought in to amend the country’s Water Resources Act 1992 after 32 years, is currently being discussed by the Infrastructure Development Committee, which has 27 Member of Parliaments belonging to several political parties.
“I personally think that the Water Resources Act 1992 was more inclusive compared to this draft of the bill,” said Dwarika Nath Dhungel, a former Water Resources secretary. “Since it is an umbrella act, it must include all issues relating to water.”
Bharat Pokharel, Chairperson, GREAT International noted that “As it is, this draft bill underestimates the constitutional provisions of water and natural resources management.”
“When it comes to water management for social, cultural, economic and environmental benefits, we should not forget water quality, aquatic biodiversity and scientific evidence and roles of communities in resources assessment,” said Ram Devi Tachamo, Assistant Professor, Kathmandu University, highlighting the need for explicit provisions on environmental flow and biodiversity conservation.
Shambhu Dulal of the National Federation of Irrigation Water Users’ Association urged lawmakers to recognize the role of farmers in managing water since time immemorial. “The government has only been able to reach 34 percent of the irrigated lands in Nepal,” he said. “We should be mindful of the fact that [as many as] 18,000 irrigation systems are still being managed by our communities.”
The Consultation Workshops on Water Resources Bill 2024 were held on 22 and 26 August 2024 in Kathmandu, Nepal. The separate events brought together nearly 100 participants.
