Although it is a natural right to drink clean drinking water, not all citizens have been able to access this facility. To provide drinking water, the Department of Water Supply under the Ministry is operating projects through 15 Water Supply and Sewerage Management Offices in 77 districts across the country under the federal government.

After the country went federal, the federal, provincial and local levels are operating drinking water schemes. However, due to issues such as lack of budget, availability of sources, local conflicts, policy and practical ambiguity of the scope of work between the three levels of government, the impact of climate change, and geographical complexity, drinking water as per the prescribed standards has not been available.

Mainly due to inadequacy of budget, neglect of construction entrepreneurs and delays in work performance, even under-construction drinking water projects have not been able to operate smoothly. Melamchi water distributed in the Kathmandu Valley has not been regular.

Nisha Mehta took oath as the Minister of Drinking Water on Friday to face these and other challenges faced by the Ministry of Drinking Water. A nurse by profession, she was also included in the proportional list for MPs by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in the previous election. But she could not become an MP at that time. This time, she became a member of the House of Representatives from the Madhesi cluster, representing the new generation. And, she also got the responsibility of the Minister of Water Supply.

Mehta, who was born in Inaruwa on 22 Shrawan 2044, is a character who has been interested in politics from the beginning. After completing her master's degree in nursing from the University of Gwalior, India, she returned to Nepal and worked at the Birat Teaching Hospital in Biratnagar. Nisha, who has also studied the issues of Madhesi women and children, has become a minister by raising her voice effectively on the issues of those same classes.

215 multi-year projects have been under construction from government sources from 15 offices across the country for three to four years. The estimated cost is 60 billion. At least 12 billion is now required to complete these projects. While the current one-year capital expenditure of the Ministry of Water Supply is 17 billion. That budget was also stopped by the government last Asoj. The stopped budget has been gradually released and about 9 billion is now available. Due to lack of budget, some plans have not been implemented. It seems that about 800 projects need to be implemented by replacing old ones.

The sixth of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals mentions drinking water and sanitation. Drinking water facilities should be provided within the limits set by the national drinking water quality standards. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the project has been prepared with an expenditure of more than 70 billion rupees for that. The World Bank and the Asian Development Bank are expected to support.

Ministry officials estimate that it will be easy to complete the project since the RSVP's pledge states that safe drinking water will be provided to everyone within 5 years. According to the ministry, the federal government has a standard for operating projects in places with a population of 1,000 in the Himalayan region, at least 5,000 in the hills, and 15,000 in the Terai. However, the practice of the federal government keeping the budget for purchasing a 'coil' pipe in the red book has not disappeared.

What is the status of projects operated by the provincial and local governments? How many consumers are receiving facilities in which places? How much budget has been spent? There has been no coordination with the federal government on issues such as whether the projects are duplicated. Although the federal government has handed over nearly 4,000 projects, the latest status of their implementation is not known.

According to the ministry's data, the availability of basic drinking water to citizens across the country is 97 percent. Only 29 percent of citizens have access to high and medium-level drinking water. Accordingly, it is estimated that about 9 million people are drinking medium-level drinking water. Ramakant Duwadi, Chief of the Planning and Foreign Assistance Division of the Ministry of Water Resources, says that the budget is decreasing every year and there is duplication in the operation of the plan.

He said that the union is forced to operate small projects outside its jurisdiction. He said that since the water source is drying up, resource management has also become a challenge and groundwater management is necessary. He expressed concern that the stench has increased due to the inability to significantly carry out sewage management work in urban areas including Kathmandu.

Implementation is weak due to lack of coordination

According to the Water Resources Department, there is no reliable data on which level of government is operating which level of drinking water project. The provinces have not sent their data to the union. There is also no information on the status of projects operated by the local levels. Kamal Raj Shrestha, Director General of the department, said that coordination between all three levels of government is necessary.

He said that a drinking water office is needed at all places to look after local, provincial and federal projects. There is a growing concern that the resources are not being utilized properly because the operation of drinking water projects is not integrated. Director General Shrestha said that the plan should be operated only by coordinating the governments of all three levels.

The ongoing Melamchi project

The continuity of the Melamchi project and the management of drinking water in the Kathmandu Valley have always been a challenge for the new Water Supply Minister. After the flood, the source of the Melamchi project, which was built two and a half decades after its construction began, has been flooded, and the people of Kathmandu have not been able to drink water regularly.

A plan is being made to move the buried source to Sarkathali, about one kilometer above Ambathan in Sindhupalchowk. Water is now being sent through a tunnel from the source and distributed to Kathmandu, just like the water is being diverted to Duwali. It is estimated that it will take at least two years to build the source at the new location. Currently, the consultant is designing the source to be built. Although a plan was made to bring 170 million each from Yangri and Larke rivers in the second phase of Melamchi, it has not yet begun.

After the floods of Asad 2078 BS washed away the Melamchi source, the design of Yangri and Larke has also had to be changed. Since the source of Melamchi is being moved, the Yangri and Larke dams have also had to be moved. Currently, Melamchi water is being brought to Kathmandu only during the dry season. Melamchi Project Executive Director Bal Kumar Shresh informed that water is being shut off during the rainy season due to the fear of floods and landslides.