KATHMANDU – Chairperson of the Infrastructure Development Committee under the House of Representatives, Deepak Bahadur Singh, assured that the ordinance related to water resources will be presented in the parliament very soon.
At a workshop organized by the Water and Energy Commission Secretariat here today, Chairperson Singh pledged that discussion on the ordinance will be concluded at the Committee within two weeks and it will be tabled in the parliament accordingly.
He, in the workshop themed’ Integrated River Basin Plan and Management for effective water governance in Nepal’, further informed that they will hold discussions on the under-consideration ordinances with the relevant experts before presenting it in the parliament.
On a different note, he expressed concern, saying stone water spouts in Kathmandu Valley have dried up. Similarly, Secretary at the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Sarita Dawadi mentioned that the government of Nepal, prioritizing the concept of integrated water resources management, has set up River Basin Offices across the country to conserve the water resources and for the appropriate use of water.
Dawadi observed that distribution of water resources was of paramount importance in the current federal set-up. Secretariat’s Secretary Madhu Prasad Bhetuwal, echoing statement of Dawadi, said that the government was working according top priority to the River Basin Plan for effective usage of water resources.
According to him, the Commission is going to conduct a feasibility study at the Lower Bheri Sub-Basin area of Karnali River and Roshi Sub-Basin area of Bagmati River for appropriate use of water.
On the occasion, Asian Development Bank’s Country Director Arnold Cauchois and World Bank’s Country Director for Nepal, David Sislen reaffirmed donor agencies’ support and assistance for conservation and management of water resources in Nepal.
Chairman of Jalsrot Vikas Sanstha, Balkrishna Prasai noted that the water crisis was increasing due to climate change and thus called for collective efforts for conservation of water resources.
