Novel approaches for water management
The current water demand in
Kathmandu valley has been estimated to be 320 MLD (recent estimation 350 MLD,
unpublished). The existing capacity of KUKL, the current water supply in the
wet season (Jun/July to Jan/Feb) is only about 105.17 MLD which during dry
season (Feb/March to May/June) further reduces down to 75.72 MLD, making the
average water supply 95.36 MLD (KUKL, 2009/10 Third Anniversary). While current
water services in the urban areas continue to underperform, the peri-urban VDCs
have spearheaded towards community initiations innovating ways to facing
intractable problems of water management. The water management in these
peri-urban areas have revamped through community determination. One particularly
interesting case relates to Godawari VDC where water supply services handled by
Godawari Drinking Water and Sanitation Users Committee initiated in 1994 A.D. With
the registration of two natural spring sources, this distributing water to over
390 households. This organization has been functioning as an independent local
organization, mobilizing financial resources through contributions made by the
water users for the infrastructure development and water tariff collected from
among the users based on the volume of water consumed to ensure equitable share
of water services. Similarly, Matatirtha VDC, well known for its water
endowment has established eight different communities managed water supply
schemes financially stabilized through community investments and governmental
funds allocated for local development. Apart from these, the VDC has been
collecting revenue from the neighboring Tinthana and Naikap VDCs in exchange of
the water service provided, significant part of which has been invested in
supporting these community managed schemes. This hilly VDC has been supplying
water from three spring sources lying in the low lands through lifting- storage
and distributing for certain hours on a daily basis. While the majorities of
the existing community managed schemes in the VDC have been operating through
household based private water networks, Dharapani Drinking Water Scheme in this
VDC has continued to serve the community through public stand post focusing the
households unable to afford the private water connections. Considering the
growing water demand, this has added deep tube well to expand its water
services through ground water extraction.
Changunarayan, Jhaukhel and
Duwakot VDCs in Bhaktapur district have been working synergistically to overcome
the challenges of water sector. Initiated in 1982,
Changunarayan-Jhaukhel-Duwakot water supply started functioning in 1993 through
public tap connections and extended its service to household metered tap
connection since 1994 onwards. The water services started with 75 household
level taps has now expanded to cover approximately 1000 households and
approximately 300 to 400 additional tap connections are in the process of
getting approved. Construction of an additional sump well in the well field of
Manohara River has been completed with the aim of expanding the water services.
Dadhikot VDC in the same district
has five drinking water schemes currently in operation, of which the largest
scheme is Dadhikot-Uttisghari Community Water Supply and Sanitation Scheme
serving 1400 households. The construction of piped drinking water scheme in the
VDC started only after 1984. Though these schemes received external assistance
of some form in the initial construction and development, there have been also
substantial community investments in their construction. Dadhikot, being easily
accessible and located close to Kathmandu and Bhaktapur, continues to be the
preferred destination for new settlers. Increase in the population and rapid
pace of urbanization led to search for alternative source of water and there
has been significant increase in the number of schemes developed in the VDC
after 1995. In order to keep pace with the growing demand of water,
construction of a deep tube well was carried out in 2008 at a cost of NRs.
17,600,000. The construction of an additional 200 m3 water reservoir has been
completed and currently local communities have been outsourcing to undertake
watershed conservation program for the sustainable management of drinking as
well irrigational water requirements.
Lubhu is a traditional Newar
settlement. While the traditional water structures playing pivotal role in
water arrangement are on the verge of extinction, the VDC in its own does not
hold any reliable water source to revitalize these systems. The intractable
challenge forward was to obtain water from neighboring VDC and equitably
distribute in view of rapid population growth and simultaneously growing water
demands. The people in the VDC managed to divert water supply from Chapakharka spring
located in Bisankhu Narayan VDC. The Chapakharka spring source has been in use
since 1981and supplies water to five VDCs- Lamatar, Sirutar, Bisankhu Narayan,
Tikathali and Lubhu. Water from this spring is supplied through public stand
and monitored by Users' Sub- Committee. To meet the deficit water needs, the
VDC has developed another water supply system with water tapped from Dovan
River. At present, total of 52 public taps have been installed, each serving
approximately 100 households. The quality of this water is poor and the user
committee has been exploring the possible financial assistance for developing a
filtration tank and water treatment facility at Dhovan River so that quality of
water supply from this source could be improved.
From the foregoing discussion, it
is clear that while the state crafted initiatives have floundered, several community
led innovations, both technical and institutional have emerged. In the light
these findings, appears the essence of exploring efficient and flexible
innovations for community participation in urban water management.
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