Achieving water security in Nepal through unravelling the water-energy-agriculture nexus

Abstract

This article investigates water security in Nepal from the perspective of the water-energy-agriculture (food) nexus, focusing on pathways to water security that originate in actions and policies related to other sectors. It identifies promoting development of Nepal's hydropower potential to provide energy for pumping as way to improve water security in agriculture. Renewable groundwater reserves of 1.4 billion cubic meters (BCM), from an estimated available balance of 6.9 BCM, could be pumped to irrigate 613,000 ha of rainfed agricultural land in the Terai plains, with a potential direct economic gain of USD 1.1 billion annually and associated benefits including promotion of energy-based industry, food security and local employment. Governance also plays an important role in addressing water security. We conclude that a nexus-based approach is required for effective water management and governance.ARTICLE HISTORY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way.increasing recognition that water resources management is complex and intertwined with the development and social sectors (Biswas, 2004;Falkenmark, 2001). More recently, UN-Water (2013) defined water security as 'the capacity of a population to safeguard sustainable access to adequate quantities of acceptable quality water for sustaining livelihoods, human well-being, and socio-economic development, for ensuring protection against water-borne pollution and water-related disasters, and for preserving ecosystems in a climate of peace and political stability', thus balancing the needs for water management related to socioeconomic development, health, disasters and ecosystems. Further, it is now recognized that water security cannot be treated as a stand-alone issue. Attention is turning to the waterenergy-food (WEF) nexus: the complex interactions within the wider framework of water, food and energy which mean that the actions in each sector can have effects in the others, and that water security, energy security and food security are closely linked (FAO, 2014). Rasul (2014) emphasized the role of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) ecosystem services in sustaining all three in downstream areas, and the importance of the nexus in South Asia resulting from the high dependency of downstream communities on upstream ecosystem services. In this wider framework, investment in water infrastructure and securing water is equally important to bring economic productivity and growth, and water security can be considered as the longer-term payoff of higher economic growth and lower poverty (Asian Development Bank [ADB], 2016; Rasul, Neupane, Hussain, & Pasakhala, 2019).Despite having an estimated 7000 m 3 per person per year of water resources (FAO, 2016), Nepal's water security is thought to be among the weakest in Asia and the Pacific (ADB, 2016). Improving water security requires better...

Impacts of climate change on the flow of the transboundary Koshi River, with implications for local irrigation

“…Annual renewable groundwater resources in the southern plains, also known as the Terai, of Nepal are 8.8 billion cubic metres, and only about 22% of the available dynamic groundwater recharge is being utilized (Shrestha et al, 2018). Groundwater resources can provide additional socio-economic benefits from agriculture production in the Terai (Nepal et al, 2019). Hence, extraction of underutilized groundwater resources and provision of surface water storage could aid irrigation during the dry season to cope with lower Koshi River flows in the future.…”

“…In addition to surface water, groundwater is being used to irrigate land that is not covered by irrigation infrastructure, and there is a possibility of extending groundwater use to irrigated land in the region (Nepal et al, 2019). However, assessment of this possibility is beyond the scope of this study.…”

Food System and Water–Energy–Biodiversity Nexus in Nepal: A Review

“…It shares 42.5% in total cereal cropped area, 51.6% in cereal food production, and contributes 20% in agriculture GDP. Maize, wheat, millet, barley, and buckwheat are other cereal crops grown mostly in rainfed conditions and in the mid-hill regions where irrigation development is lower [41,42]. Cereal production in Nepal is among the lowest in South Asia [40].…”

“…Healthy ecosystems, such as forest, grasslands, and wetlands, provide clean and adequate water to grow crops and produce energy. Without river catchments producing water in all seasons, energy to lift and store water is not possible, at least in the context of mountainous and hilly country Nepal [42]. Food, water, and energy are equally dependent upon each other, and biodiversity links and energizes them all.…”

“…Investing in solar-based groundwater irrigation systems that will allow post-monsoon cultivation in Terai region can foster productivity while breeding drought-tolerant varieties, such as Sukhadhan of rice for drought and Suwarna-Sub for flood-prone areas [57]. However, conservation of water resources should be prioritized to rejuvenate spring sources by various means of water-conserving technologies, such as digging water-recharge ponds at hilltops [42].…”