Development, Current Status and Challenges of Multiple Use Water Systems in Nepal: A Review

Drinking water supply systems in Nepal, originally designed to meet domestic water needs, are currently being used to fulfill the multiple water needs beyond domestic use which created inefficiency, risking water shortage and even causing premature system failure and breakdown. International Development Enterprises (IDE) first implemented the scheme, which is referred, to as Multiple-Use Water Systems (MUWS) that addresses the productive as well as domestic water needs. The MUWS systems are implemented in middle hill districts of the western, mid-western and far-western development regions of Nepal. The onset point for MUWS is classified as domestic-plus in which users have access to water for productive uses but maintain the priority for domestic uses around homesteads; irrigation-plus in which, users can accommodate water for both productive and domestic uses but maintain the priority for irrigation uses; and community-driven in which communities and their existing water practices and priorities as a starting point for improvement, and offers technology choices designed for multiple uses. MUWS shows multiple benefits by ensuring water availability, enhanced economy and community involvement. However, the system faced challenges of water shortage during the lean period and unaffordable system connection fees and tariffs for the poor and marginalised. Properly planned, managed and regulated MUWS can be seen as one of the several potential adaptation options utilising scarce water for high-value and off-season crop production, more effectively and efficiently in the context of changing climate.