The degradation of spring water resources in Nepal: some policy gaps

Abstract

In this study, first, we conducted a case study to understand the spring status in a semi-urban area, then synthesized the knowledge known so far, of nationwide springs status to highlight the current state and future policy and action implications of spring conservation in Nepal. We found that in 72% of the springs of semi-urban areas, the discharge rate has been decreasing over the past decade. In addition, the springs of such areas were exposed to higher contamination of biological pollutants compared with the rural areas. Synthesis of spring research in Nepal shows that springs of Nepal are degrading at an alarming rate where 16% had already dried up and about 60% have declining discharge, mainly due to declining rainfall, haphazard infrastructure development, and excessive spring resource exploitation. In response to the degrading springs and water crisis, several initiatives have been made, yet, they are scattered, focused on limited springs, and not adequate to curb the current rate of spring degradation. We argue that the existing policies that are intended to operate in a top-down approach at the basin and watershed level are not effective in addressing local water issues at the springshed level.