Water harvesting assessment: Strengthening water security in Nepal

This report developed under the CARE for South Asia project assesses the need for water harvesting in Nepal adopting an analytical framework and aims to be a resource material for the development practitioners and planners. The document can also be the basis to guide decisions on water harvesting, paving way for detailed analyses and feasibilities for rain-fed and water deficit areas.

Recommendations from the publication include:

• Governments are urged to create a water-secure society as one of the top priorities across the globe (UN-Water, 2013);
• The existing policies, though proactive in terms of adapting to climate change and setting the context, have still not been able to excite and implement investments in watershed harvesting;
• A careful analysis of storage options, sizing and location needs to be done to minimize the risks mentioned earlier as often the value of controlled and in-hand water will outweigh the costs and risks incurred with suitable planning and design;
• Water harvesting should be taken up as an integral part of climate-smart agriculture, providing opportunities for attracting private investment in small-scale water storage interventions building in adaptation and resilience as well as in improving the resilience of the poor and vulnerable on a continuous rolling basis, from 2025 to 2045 to help achieve national goals of prosperity.