Inequity in water distribution and quality: A study of mid‐hill town of Nepal

Abstract

Himalayan cities are highly vulnerable to climate change and increasingly exposed to water insecurity. Given the complexities of water usage within society, developing, allocating, and managing water resources equitably is a serious emerging challenge. This paper adopts a convergent mixed method approach to explore water inequity issues in water distribution and water quality among the core and peripheral wards of Dhulikhel, a mid‐hill town of Nepal. In doing so, the paper analyzes the determinants of inequitable water distribution in core and periphery wards, perception of water quality, and underlying causes of inequity in water quality in core and peripheral wards. The paper found that various socioeconomic, environmental, technological, and governance‐related factors are causing inequity in water distribution. Our analysis showed that climate change is adding on top of these existing challenges, exacerbating inequity in access to water. This paper also found that while core wards benefit from donor schemes that ensure good water quality, the peripheral wards do not enjoy the reach of such schemes, and given climate change impacts on rainfall patterns, seasonal availability of water is likely to be unpredictable in the future.

An analysis of drinking water quality parameters to achieve sustainable development goals in rural and urban areas of Besisahar, Lamjung, Nepal

“…More specifically, only a few urban areas in Nepal have access to piped water, and the water that is provided is not reliable, since most water supply systems across Nepal lack basic water treatment facilities (Sharma et al, 2016). Due to polluted water, inadequate sanitation, and unhygienic living environments, diseases caused by poor water quality remain major threats to public health in Nepal (Aryal et al, 2012;Maskey et al, 2021;Reyes-Toscano et al, 2020). As documented by WHO (2017), there is a big gap in access to drinking water between rural and urban areas in Nepal. There is a shortage of water quality information in most countries, contributing to the worldwide water quality problem (Li & Wu, 2019;Reyes-Toscano et al, 2020;Sasikaran et al, 2012).…”

“…However, only 15% of them are expected to receive drinking water of acceptable quality (Pandey, 2020). Mid‐hill regions of Nepal have small and medium‐sized cities that are undergoing intense urbanization (Bajracharya et al, 2019; Maskey et al, 2021), whose main sources of drinking water are springs and rivers, which are collected in storage tanks and accessed through pipelines (Nepal et al, 2019). More specifically, only a few urban areas in Nepal have access to piped water, and the water that is provided is not reliable, since most water supply systems across Nepal lack basic water treatment facilities (Sharma et al, 2016).…”