Glaciers, Rivers, and Springs : A Water Sector Diagnostic of Nepal
Nepal is rich in water resources with a dense network of glaciers, lakes, rivers, and springs that originate in the Himalayas. However, only an estimated 15 billion cubic meters (BCM) of the 225 BCM water available annually is utilized for economic...
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| Language: | English |
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World Bank, Washington, DC
2022
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099605103232250863/P17157506ca2380d5096a90d786e1c2d560 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/37236 |
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okr-10986-372362022-03-31T05:10:46Z Glaciers, Rivers, and Springs : A Water Sector Diagnostic of Nepal Joseph, George Shrestha, Anne WATER RESOURCES WATER INFRASTRUCTURE HYDROPOWER WATER SUPPLY AND SANITATION IRRIGATION FOOD SECURITY AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY EFFECTIVE PRIVATE SECTOR INVESTMENT IN WATER CPF OBJECTIVES STRUCTURAL WATER POLICY CHANGE Nepal is rich in water resources with a dense network of glaciers, lakes, rivers, and springs that originate in the Himalayas. However, only an estimated 15 billion cubic meters (BCM) of the 225 BCM water available annually is utilized for economic and social purposes. Several elements have contributed to this low rate of utilization, including Nepal’s rugged geography, inadequate institutional capacity, a history of prolonged political instability, and highly skewed seasonality - more than 80 percent of the precipitation in a year falls within a span of four months. For sustained economic growth and poverty reduction, and to enhance shared prosperity, Nepal must increase its investments in water-related infrastructure and institutions and improve the effectiveness of these investments. Although there is much to be done to harness this vital resource, it is important to broaden the development focus and integrate hydropower in a larger water resource management strategy. This strategy will ensure that water is available for basic and economic needs - even through the dry season - as a core component of Nepal’s overall development plan. Given Nepal’s development context and challenges, this document aims to analyze the most pressing sector challenges and identify strategic sector priorities that are aligned with the country’s partnership framework. It offers a snapshot of water in Nepal’s development story and situates the water sector in the broader context of the national economy, highlighting the importance of managing water resources for sustained economic growth and poverty reduction. It then presents five pressing sector-related challenges and concludes with a set of priority areas. 2022-03-30T14:47:01Z 2022-03-30T14:47:01Z 2022 Report http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099605103232250863/P17157506ca2380d5096a90d786e1c2d560 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/37236 English CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo World Bank World Bank, Washington, DC Report South Asia Nepal |
| repository_type |
Digital Repository |
| institution_category |
Foreign Institution |
| institution |
Digital Repositories |
| building |
World Bank Open Knowledge Repository |
| collection |
World Bank |
| language |
English |
| topic |
WATER RESOURCES WATER INFRASTRUCTURE HYDROPOWER WATER SUPPLY AND SANITATION IRRIGATION FOOD SECURITY AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY EFFECTIVE PRIVATE SECTOR INVESTMENT IN WATER CPF OBJECTIVES STRUCTURAL WATER POLICY CHANGE |
| spellingShingle |
WATER RESOURCES WATER INFRASTRUCTURE HYDROPOWER WATER SUPPLY AND SANITATION IRRIGATION FOOD SECURITY AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY EFFECTIVE PRIVATE SECTOR INVESTMENT IN WATER CPF OBJECTIVES STRUCTURAL WATER POLICY CHANGE Joseph, George Shrestha, Anne Glaciers, Rivers, and Springs : A Water Sector Diagnostic of Nepal |
| geographic_facet |
South Asia Nepal |
| description |
Nepal is rich in water resources with
a dense network of glaciers, lakes, rivers, and springs that
originate in the Himalayas. However, only an estimated 15
billion cubic meters (BCM) of the 225 BCM water available
annually is utilized for economic and social purposes.
Several elements have contributed to this low rate of
utilization, including Nepal’s rugged geography, inadequate
institutional capacity, a history of prolonged political
instability, and highly skewed seasonality - more than 80
percent of the precipitation in a year falls within a span
of four months. For sustained economic growth and poverty
reduction, and to enhance shared prosperity, Nepal must
increase its investments in water-related infrastructure and
institutions and improve the effectiveness of these
investments. Although there is much to be done to harness
this vital resource, it is important to broaden the
development focus and integrate hydropower in a larger water
resource management strategy. This strategy will ensure that
water is available for basic and economic needs - even
through the dry season - as a core component of Nepal’s
overall development plan. Given Nepal’s development context
and challenges, this document aims to analyze the most
pressing sector challenges and identify strategic sector
priorities that are aligned with the country’s partnership
framework. It offers a snapshot of water in Nepal’s
development story and situates the water sector in the
broader context of the national economy, highlighting the
importance of managing water resources for sustained
economic growth and poverty reduction. It then presents five
pressing sector-related challenges and concludes with a set
of priority areas. |
| format |
Report |
| author |
Joseph, George Shrestha, Anne |
| author_facet |
Joseph, George Shrestha, Anne |
| author_sort |
Joseph, George |
| title |
Glaciers, Rivers, and Springs : A Water Sector Diagnostic of Nepal |
| title_short |
Glaciers, Rivers, and Springs : A Water Sector Diagnostic of Nepal |
| title_full |
Glaciers, Rivers, and Springs : A Water Sector Diagnostic of Nepal |
| title_fullStr |
Glaciers, Rivers, and Springs : A Water Sector Diagnostic of Nepal |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Glaciers, Rivers, and Springs : A Water Sector Diagnostic of Nepal |
| title_sort |
glaciers, rivers, and springs : a water sector diagnostic of nepal |
| publisher |
World Bank, Washington, DC |
| publishDate |
2022 |
| url |
http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099605103232250863/P17157506ca2380d5096a90d786e1c2d560 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/37236 |
| _version_ |
1764486780260712448 |