The role of social identity in improving access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and health services: Evidence from Nepal

Balasubramanya, Soumya; Stifel, David; Alvi, Muzna Fatima; Ringler, Claudia

doi:10.1111/dpr.12588

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Bharatpur's population is heterogenous, with a small Indigenous population and large, diverse migrant groups. With social discrimination (based on caste, gender, sexuality, disability and ethnicity, for example) endemic in Nepal, historically marginalized groups have less access to water, sanitation and hygiene (Balasubramanya et al, 2022). During the pandemic, women, Indigenous Peoples, people with disabilities, and those with intersectional identities in Nepal faced worsened inequalities in terms of health, food security, and violence (Gurung, 2021).…”

Section: • Haphazard Urban Development and Ill-equipped Governance -N...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Inclusive urban development to reduce biological hazards and disaster risks: a case study of Bharatpur, Nepal

Tran¹,

Niraula²,

Pottinger-Glass³

et al. 2023

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This brief synthesizes findings of a case study of Bharatpur, Nepal, that examined ways to increase the coherence of urban planning, public services, and disaster-risk reduction measures, and, at the same time, integrate the needs of the most vulnerable groups. Based on this assessment, the authors recommend five policy changes. 1) Increase policy coherence and institutional coordination across levels and sectors of government. 2) Pay attention to the different impacts hazards have on different groups; 3) Develop capacity and allocate resources to help local government address risks for different groups. 4) Customize policies to address needs, particularly in peri-urban and rural areas engulfed by rapid urban growth. 5) Use community-engagement approaches to include and address issues raised by residents of marginalized communities.

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Section: • Haphazard Urban Development and Ill-equipped Governance -N...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Inclusive urban development to reduce biological hazards and disaster risks: a case study of Bharatpur, Nepal

Tran¹,

Niraula²,

Pottinger-Glass³

et al. 2023

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“…Our analysis also confirms that SIP users are economically better off, belong to historically advantaged social groups, and are better networked socially than SIP non-users. This is perhaps unsurprising, given the backdrop of Nepal's social structure which is based on caste, ethnicity, and religion (Desai and Dubey 2012); where access to goods and services offered by public and private institutions can often be mediated by these identities (Balasubramanya et al 2021), leading to the possibility that SIPs may not reach all groups proportionately (Shrestha et al 2020, Kafle et al 2022.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Solar-powered irrigation in Nepal: implications for fossil fuel use and groundwater extraction

Kafle,

Balasubramanya,

Stifel

et al. 2024

Environ. Res. Lett.

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In recent years, use of solar-powered irrigation pumps (SIPs) has increased significantly in the agricultural plains (terai) of Nepal. Federal and local governments there have subsidized the pumps in an effort to expand irrigated agriculture using renewable energy. We use data from a cross-sectional survey of 656 farming households in the terai to examine how SIPs affect fossil fuel use and groundwater extraction. We find that most SIP users continued to use their fossil-fuel pumps, as very few completely replaced them with solar pumps. Farmers who received SIPs operated their irrigation pumps more hours than those who did not receive SIPs. Taken together, these findings suggest that groundwater use has increased, as SIP recipients ‘stack’ their pumps. We also find that solar pumps were more likely to be owned by richer households and those with better social networks than those who were poorer and had relative social disadvantage. As Nepal expands the use of solar pumps in agriculture, policy efforts may benefit from managing expectations about the carbon-mitigation potential of this technology, managing groundwater risks as SIP use expands, and making SIPs more inclusive.

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“…Emerging challenges, such as glaciers melting due to climate change, lower rainfall, and saltwater intrusion along coasts, place a strain on water supplies, limiting the availability of water . In addition, the budget gap in WASH sector development, the lack of coordination among overlapping WASH-related agencies, and institutional and policy issues are major hurdles to the improvement of the WASH sector in these regions . The successful implementation of WASH projects and their availability to all people require seriously considering these hurdles.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene of Nepal: Status, Challenges, and Opportunities

et al. 2023

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Access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) has been a challenge to south Asia’s rapidly growing and climate change-sensitive region. Nepal, a water-abundant country, faces obstacles to fulfilling the highly prioritized WASH Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6). This review offers details about Nepal’s WASH status from 2000 to 2020 with regard to the challenges Nepal had in delivering reliable WASH services to the people, as well as opportunities for a sustainable way forward, and provides insights that can be applied to other developing countries. From analysis of national-level assessments, estimates point toward healthy progress in extending WASH access to the population. However, large inequalities persist at the subnational level between urban and rural residents, between poor and rich residents, and between genders. Many local constraints such as a lack of long-term infrastructural capacity to provide and maintain WASH services, financial issues, and institutional and policy incompatibilities are some of the key factors that technical considerations and private sector involvement could address. We also propose roles for Nepal’s central, provincial, and local governments for identification and adaptation to the undeniable risks of climate change. Furthermore, there is a need to capitalize on the potential opportunities for developing a much-needed robust and climate-resilient WASH sector in Nepal, safeguarding the rights of future generations to safe and clean water.

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The role of social identity in improving access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and health services: Evidence from Nepal

Abstract: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creat ive Commo ns Attri butio n-NonCo mmerc ial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.

Cited by 6 publications

References 39 publications

Inclusive urban development to reduce biological hazards and disaster risks: a case study of Bharatpur, Nepal

Inclusive urban development to reduce biological hazards and disaster risks: a case study of Bharatpur, Nepal

Solar-powered irrigation in Nepal: implications for fossil fuel use and groundwater extraction

Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene of Nepal: Status, Challenges, and Opportunities

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