NEPAL: Groundwater resource dries up in the Kathmandu Valley

FROM MYREPUBLICA

BY ANJALI RAMTEL

KATHMANDU, Aug 12: The groundwater source has started drying up in the Kathmanu valley due to overharvesting.

The use of groundwater is on the rise in the Kathmandu valley as water crisis is worsening day by day with ever increasing population.

According to Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited (KUKL), the authorized company for supplying water here, there is a demand for 270 million litres of water in the Valley in a day. However, it has been able to supply only 10 percent of the demand.

Given the water scarcity in the Valley, Kathmandu denizens have no alternative but to use groundwater.

Earlier, digging up to 20 feet was enough to get the level of underground water. But, these days it is very difficult to found the water level under up to 40 feet, according to technicians involved in drawing underground water for a long.

There are altogether 313 stone spouts (one of the natural resource of underground water) in Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur. Of them, 59 are running dry while some others are drying up day by day due to maximum use of underground water.

Similarly, twenty-two waterspouts inside the Balaju Park also known as Balaju’s bais dhara were one of the central attractions for tourists until a few years ago. But, these days the stone spouts are running dry affecting the beauty of the site. The site was popular as the “water garden” among the tourists in the past.
It is said the source of these waterspouts dried up due to an increasing trend of digging water wells and installing water boring machines inside the Balaju Corridor Area and adjoining areas.

Following this, the necessity of an act regarding the use of groundwater has been realized. The Ministry of Physical Planning and Works is planning to introduce an Act related to groundwater to regulate the use of ground water, informed geologist Suresh Das Shrestha. But, lack of sufficient information and data has delayed in bringing the Act, he added, underscoring the need of controlling the use of groundwater.

Groundwater has been a boon for private water suppliers. They directly draw groundwater from any place or pump it out in an uncontrolled manner for commercial purposes, said Shrestha. So, it is necessary to bring and implement a clear policy to control such business, he stressed.

There are around 6,000 private water supply companies in the valley, according to non government organizations (NGOs) working in the sector of drinking water and sanitation. They sell around 25,000,000 liters of water in a day.

KUKL´s board member Lajana Manandhar also acknowledges using groundwater for distribution.

Many households in the Kathmandu valley sustain on groundwater as they have no option in the context of severe water crisis. The prevalence of water wells, the source of groundwater, is common in the valley.

Experts concerned have estimated that presently Kathmandu has 5000 water wells.

The valley has a long history of water wells. There are altogether 487 wells of traditional form in Bhaktapur while this number is 318 in Lalitpur.

Besides, digging up water wells and installing tube-well is on the rise in the new settlements as well.

During the study conducted by the KUKL in the valley sometimes ago, underground water in some parts of south Kathmandu was found to be contaminated with arsenic. According to doctors, water with arsenic is harmful for health.

The study shows that water drawn from a deep in the ground has the maximum chance to have arsenic. Despite this fact, the valley people are forced to use groundwater due to acute water scarcity.

It is said population growth is to blame for this severe water crisis dogging the Kathmandu Valley for decades.

According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, Nepal´s annual population growth rate is 2.25 and its current population is around 27.05 millions. Of them, around 3 million live alone in the Kathmandu Valley