Water Supply Minister Pradeep Yadav has said that the Ministry of Water Supply is trying to make drinking water and sanitation accessible to everyone.

While answering the questions raised in the resolution proposed by MP Jag Prasad Sharma at the meeting of the National Assembly on Thursday, Minister Yadav said that the Ministry of Water Supply is making efforts to make drinking water and sanitation, guaranteed by the constitution as a fundamental right, accessible to everyone. 

Minister Yadav also informed the House that the Ministry is timely reviewing the legal arrangements that are hindering the provision of safe drinking water and sanitation to all citizens. 

Kathmandu Valley Water Supply Limited (KUKL) is a company established under the concept of public-private partnership, he said, noting that the Ministry of Water Supply, the local level and the private sector also have shares invested in it, and the company is not under the direct control of the Ministry. He said that all taxes including revenue, income tax/VAT should be exempted on drinking water and the ministry of water supply is positive on this matter. He said that a letter was sent to the Ministry of Finance on December 12 with the opinion of the Ministry on this matter. "The prime minister has been informed about this matter, the tasks to be done at the ministry level have been completed and the Ministry of Finance is being advised in this regard," he said. 

Mentioning that drinking water and sanitation consumer committees are non-profit community organizations, Minister Yadav also mentioned that the process has progressed to maintain the rate of electricity tariff consumed while operating water and sanitation projects of all kinds of pumping systems at the same rate as the electricity tariff of irrigation. 

Since the budget statement mentions the provision of subsidies for electricity tariffs in the next financial year, the ministry has already started the process to prepare and implement the necessary guidelines for this, he informed. "Discussed in the presence of a representative of the Electricity Regulation Commission, the electricity tariff used in water supply projects in the regulations of the said commission" I would like to inform you that a correspondence was also sent to the Electricity Regulatory Commission on May 25 to address the Nudan issue,' he said.  

Likewise, even though the Urban Development Fund is not under the Ministry of Water Supply, he informed that a letter was sent to the Ministry of Urban Development for approval by a secretary-level decision on this issue on January 12th. "Consumer committees of various drinking water and sanitation projects are requesting the ministry to reduce the existing five percent interest rate of urban development fund to three percent and accordingly the ministry is taking necessary steps," he said. 

Minister Yadav said that at least 15 percent of the total cost of subsidized projects should be borne by consumer organizations and local levels. He mentioned that in the case of other water supply and sanitation projects, the draft of the integrated guidelines is being prepared and is being discussed.