Introduction Nepal is highly vulnerable to climate change and variability according to findings of Nepal National Adaptation Programme of Action, NAPA report (Ministry of Environment, 2010). The report showed a significant increase in mean annual rainfall based on 30 years rainfall trend. A recent study in Melamchi valley of the country shows that variability in temperature rose up to 10.5% over a 20-year period of 1978-1999 (Sujakhu et al., 2016). Climate change and variability observed in the mountains include irregular rainfall pattern, the early arrival of the monsoon, longer drying period, and droughts with negative impacts on agriculture, livelihood, and water security (Gentle & Maraseni, 2012). The temporal variability of monsoon rainfall has affected the daily life of people (Bartlett, Bharati, Pant, Hosterman, & McCornick, 2010). It is anticipated that climate change will most critically impact the hydrological system, water sources, and waterdependent human activities in coming years (International Water Management Institute [IWMI], 2012; National Research Council, 2012). Climate change will affect water sources, access to water, and quantity, escalating the vulnerability of rural people (Dhakal, Silwal, & Khanal, 2010). Natural spring water is the major source of household water use in the hill and mountain areas of Nepal. Exploration of household water use and management becomes an important research area in climate change context. The discourse on gender roles, needs, and capabilities to manage, access, and control over water is becoming a nuanced understanding of water gender research interface in the context of developing countries. The dynamic relationship between women and nature is outlined through feminist environmentalism, eco-feminism, and feminist political ecology and issues regarding women and water have emerged at international forums over recent decades (Shah & Kulkarni, 2008). The different gender roles and activities affect the environment (including changing climate) differently and have a different impact on gender. The response of and coping to the environment also differ from short-term to long-term adaptation (Ongoro & Ogara, 2012). Water availability and access condition, perception, 823078S GOXXX10.

Rapid and unplanned urbanization and haphazard infrastructure development causes pressure on the finite land resource and there is urgent need to preserve the arable land for food security. Land suitability analysis is a technique in which the land quality assessment is performed through interpretation of land properties for allocation of lands for particular use. The present paper attempts to conduct a land suitability analysis to determine the potential sites for agriculture land use in Sambhunath municipality of Saptari district. The criteria/ factors for the land suitability analysis were identified through literatures and modified in the local context through expert opinions and focus group discussions. The evaluation of agriculture land is accomplished using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE) and Geographic Information System (GIS). Agriculture suitability index was developed and optimized qualitatively through the strength, weakness, opportunity, and threat (SWOT) analysis. Finally, potential agriculture suitability index map is prepared. The analysis shows almost 3139 ha (29%) lands as 14 highly suitable and 3001 ha (28%) of moderately suitable agriculture land within the municipality. Almost all the suitable agriculture land is located at low land with flat terrain to gentle slope having high natural fertility and mainly in land capability classes I and II. The unsuitable and poorly suitable agriculture land is occupied in the undulating areas and hilly terrain of the Siwalik hill. The study found the GIS tool integrated with MCE-AHP useful in land suitability evaluation process and anticipated that it could act as the planning tool to allocate lands in land use planning for sustainable agricultural practices.

Groundwater has always played a critical role in meeting the water demands of traditionally water-short areas of urban Kathmandu. Studies show that ground water level is depleting and is under immense pressure due to over-extraction.The current study focuses on existing situation of ground water availability and use in urban Kathmandu, conflicts among households for ground water use and changing social setting and policy implementation.The study found that the traditional culture of using public well and sharing and optimizing groundwater resource is gradually fading due to scarcity of water. Private deep wells are being constructed inside house for household use altering traditional social setting of a public well and culture of sharing public resource is declining. There is no authority and policy to control and monitor the ground water extraction for private use. The increasing number of groundwater extraction, uncontrolled and unregulated use for private and commercial use has contested the use of common pool resource and traditional social setting.

The Bishnumati River is one of the major sources of water in Kathmandu city for domestic and agricultural uses. But the quality of the river environment has been degraded seriously since the last few years. This paper is an attempt to explore environmental condition along the Bishnumati River with specific focus on human activities, perception and institutional efforts in dealing with the river environment. Based on field observation, household survey, and key informant survey in eight segments along the river stretch from the city periphery to down town, the information acquired indicate that human activities related to environmentally sensitive phenomena were very much dominant in degrading the river environment. The local inhabitants were aware of the river environmental conservation. The local public agencies were however not seriousness in implementing the waste management activities, but instead they practiced environmentally sensitive activities at the riverbanks. Efforts at both local community and public agencies levels are most warranted to protect the Bishnumati river environment from further degradation. The Geographical Journal of Nepal, Vol. 7, 2009: 53-60

Dynamics of land use are closely related with society, development activities and environment. For the sustainable management of land resource of an area, land use may act as one of the elements of conflicts which could be resolved through land use planning ensuring equitable access and right of land to the owners. The present paper attempts to assess the land use for land use planning and infrastructure development through land evaluation including risk factors. Sambhunath municipality located within Saptari district of Nepal has been used as the study area to test the issues raised. Both qualitative and quantitative methods are used for data generation and analysis. Land use changes have been analyzed for the period 1986 to 2017. Potential land use zones have been identified through land suitability analysis using MCE-AHP and in relation to the risk factors such as flood, soil erosion, landslide, and fire. The infrastructure development plan has been allocated based on land use suitability index maps and planning guidelines. Land use projection have been made through Cellular Automata technique, and land use plans have been developed based on projected land use and optimized through SWOT analysis. Implementation strategy is developed based on legal framework to implement land use plan at local level. The land use change patterns are characterized by the increase of agriculture and built-up area and the decrease in areas under forest cover and water body simultaneously. Altogether 27 different criteria are identified and applied in land use suitability evaluation. Risk prone area is found mostly surrounding to the foot of Chure hill and along Khando river. Almost 46% of the total areas have been planned for future agriculture land use followed by residential, commercial, industrial and public uses which are 201 ha, 26 ha, 3ha, and 345 ha respectively. An implementation strategy has been devised to empower and enforcement for compliance of land use zone together with guidelines for outlined development activities.