Reflections on Challenges of Stewarding Freshwater
Department of Forests and Soil Conservation (DOFSC) Nepal, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) organized the National Consultation on Freshwater Challenge (FWC), in Kathmandu, at Hotel Himalaya, Kupundole, on December 16, 2024. In the meeting, participants discussed the challenges of operationalizing the FWC, a global initiative launched at the UN Water Conference in March 2023. The FWC aims to restore 300,000 km of degraded rivers and 350 million hectares of wetlands by 2030 in 44 countries, including Nepal. My reflection as one of the panelists at the meeting.
Department of Forests and Soil Conservation (DOFSC) Nepal, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) organized the National Consultation on Freshwater Challenge (FWC), in Kathmandu, at Hotel Himalaya, Kupundole, on December 16, 2024. In the meeting, participants discussed the challenges of operationalizing the FWC, a global initiative launched at the UN Water Conference in March 2023. The FWC aims to restore 300,000 km of degraded rivers and 350 million hectares of wetlands by 2030 in 44 countries, including Nepal. My reflection as one of the panelists at the meeting.
According to Nepal’s 2001 Hydropower Policy, projects must release at least 10% of the minimum monthly average discharge of the river in which they are located or the amount specified in the concerned Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report into the lower reaches downstream reaches to support uses and the survival of fish and other aquatic organisms. However, a 2021 study of 50 hydropower plants in Nepal revealed that none comply with this environmental flow requirement. The priority is energy generation. The power purchase agreements signed by the developer stipulate that all hydropower plants must maximize electricity production during the dry season [1].
A 2020 study indicated that the water quality of rivers in the mid-hills and Tarai regions is declining [2]. Untreated wastes from industries, urban areas, and agriculture are discharged into waterways and rivers, leading to significant pollution that adversely affects human health and the natural ecosystem, ultimately harming lives and livelihoods. The impacts of river pollution are particularly severe during the non-monsoon months when a river’s ability to dilute wastes grossly diminishes.
Legislations concerning rivers, water resources, hydropower, irrigation, pollution, watershed management, groundwater aquifers, drinking water, and sanitation systems exist in isolation and fail to adequately protect, conserve, and enhance freshwater. Policies and regulations are poorly enforced. According to Dixit et al (2023) [3]
- Polices often overlook the importance of the nexus between humans and natural ecosystems, along with their services and functions. This reflects a gap in utilizing enhanced science-based understanding to support a holistic approach to freshwater use and management, as well as their overall
- Nepal lacks the necessary instruments to translate the inherent value of natural ecosystems into significant social benefits by incorporating services that are crucial for maintaining an area’s biotic integrity.
- The formal education system related to natural and water resources tends to treat their development, use, and management as neutral from both social and environmental standpoints. It gives little recognition to the importance of freshwater research that can enhance understanding of evolving socio-ecological dynamics
- Sectoral policies either assign low priority to or exclude the conservation of natural ecosystems while simultaneously promoting their extractive use, leading to the degradation of these ecosystems, including freshwater.
There is also limited awareness and discussions about the impacts of floods, winter droughts, and periods of no rainfall during the monsoon on the already compromised freshwater ecosystems. Climate change poses a pressing challenge for water management but remains inadequately recognized despite the rhetoric.
The current knowledge systems and policies do not integrate various components of the waterscapes, including high and sporadic rainfall during monsoons, rivers, wetlands, ponds, springs, and groundwater aquifers. Dr. Jayanta Bandyopadhyay identifies four interconnected elements of rivers: water (W), energy (E), aquatic biodiversity (B), and sediment (S), collectively termed WEBS [4]. This concept aligns with Eastern philosophies that recognize the ideas of Shakti, Prana, and Atma. The prevailing focus largely on water and energy overlooks aquatic ecosystems and the nutrient value of sediment. This neglect results in excessive extraction of riverbeds and banks, fragmentation, degradation, and a lack of longitudinal connectivity of rivers.
The challenges of freshwater stewardship need to manage diverse and conflicting functions. Dixit et al. (2024) suggest that [5] the initial step is to observe Nepal’s policy provision regarding e-flow. Achieving compliance with this policy entails institutionalizing a structured approach by executing the following steps:
- A dedicated local agency for compliance monitoring.
- Gather evidence to assess the extent of non-compliance with policy provisions.
- Incentives and penalty arrangements through ecosystem certification.
It is also crucial to fill the gap in the systemic understanding of river systems through the allocation of resources such as budget, human resources, and knowledge. On a philosophical level, we need to create an integrated knowledge system that harmonizes natural sciences, social sciences, and Indigenous practices. By merging disciplines such as hydrology, ecology, context-specific engineering informed by social science, and traditional Indigenous knowledge, we can adopt a holistic approach to freshwater challenges. The goal is to foster collaboration, encourage innovation, and facilitate systemic decision-making that promotes effective water use and management to benefit ecosystems and human societies.
