Gyanu MASKEY, Southasia Institute of Advanced Studies (SIAS), Nepal
Monika GIRI, Southasia Institute of Advanced Studies (SIAS), Nepal
Dil KHATRI, Southasia Institute of Advanced Studies (SIAS), Nepal
The unprecedented scale and impact of COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated water security and scarcity globally. The water systems are suffering from the cumulative impacts of climate change, and rapid urban transitions. In the COVID context, a growing uncertainty exists on how water availability and management can address the challenges of the pandemic as it has impacted the water utilities and management of drinking water. There are limited studies on COVID-19 impact in water management particularly in developing countries. In this context, taking a qualitative approach, the research aims to examine the impact of COVID-19 in the water sector in four lower Himalayan towns of Nepal. We particularly focus on analyzing the implications of COVID-19 in achieving water security, how the challenges were faced by local water management bodies, and if the pandemic has created any opportunities of transformation in water governance. We argue that while the pandemic has disrupted journey of water security it has also created an opportunity to reimagine water management. The COVID pandemic also reminded that there is need of more resilient water systems for future. COVID-19 impacted the day-to-day operation of water institutions and the large-scale drinking water projects under construction in the research sites. More specifically, the inability to collect water tariff, the primary source of income has led to financial crisis in the water institutions. The study also finds that the water management institutions are focused on short term management aspects during COVID while long term resilient planning is lacking. We suggest the need of water institutions to focus on building long term resilience along with their focus on immediate water supply management. We also suggest the lessons learnt specifically on the need of stable financial resources, technical expertise and user-friendly digital payment systems to be up-taken to facilitate more resilient water institutions.
Mots clés : water security|COVID-19|water management |Nepal
A104862GM