Despite the ‘immense’ water resources available, Nepal has not been able to transform this abundance of water resources into desired economic growth and societal welfare. This paper attempts to analyze the reasons for such incessant challenges that loom over water resources development in Nepal. This paper finds that it is not the resource that limits the development of water resources, but the approaches and wishes that are framed on the foundation of persistent myths. Analyzing those myths, this paper highlights the realities in water resources management of Nepal, and suggests that without dismantling the existing myths, the sustainable development of water resources seems limited.HYDRO Nepal JournalJournal of Water, Energy and Environment Issue: 23Year: 2018

This paper analyses the role of the principle of downstream benefit sharing under international water law regime in the management of cross-border water courses. This paper argues that the principle of downstream benefit sharing may play a key role in wiping away the long-existing distrust between countries as well as hold the potential to usher in a new phase of cooperation between riparian neighboring countries, such as Nepal and India. If pursued in good faith the downstream benefit principle would enjoin erstwhile losers of the vast potential to a cooperative mechanism where they could find themselves in a win-win situation. The Budhi Gandaki Storage Project presents a unique opportunity for employing this new paradigm of cooperation between two countries: Nepal and India. In this paper, we present the example of India that is facing a water and energy crisis for which it may ease to a considerable extent its problem by depending on Nepal for these resources. Downstream benefit sharing may provide India an opportunity to gain the confidence of the Nepalese people for developing many hydro projects with or without water augmentation resulting into multiple benefits downstream in India. Employing the downstream benefit sharing principle might requirere visiting treaties like Gandak Project Agreement.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/hn.v14i0.11267HYDRO Nepal JournalJournal of Water, Energy and EnvironmentVolume: 14, 2014, JanuaryPage: 59-64

This paper discusses how an upper riparian country can establish its water right of fulfilling own water needs through development of a transboundary river in a contested terrain of water management. Citing the case of the development of Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and adoption of the Declaration of the Principles by the Eastern Nile Basin States, this paper highlights the major lessons that South Asia need to learn to achieve water security in the region through cooperation. This paper further argues that if, economically weak upstream riparian country, Ethiopia can initiate such an important and strategic project, then Nepal must also be in similar position to fulfill own demand without causing significant harm, rather benefiting the downstream countries. Like Egypt and Sudan, the lower riparian countries Bangladesh and more importantly India need to be in a position to acknowledge the downstream benefit principle. This paper states that without cooperation among riparian states of the Ganges basin, the sustainable development of the region seems limited.

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