Ojha, H;
Neupane, KR;
Khatri, D;
Devkota, K;
Maskey, G;
Dahal, N;
Joshi, T;
(2020)
Urban water security in South Asia: Crucial policy lessons from the Nepalese town of Bidur.
World Water Policy
, 6
(2)
pp. 259-266.
10.1002/wwp2.12041.
Preview |
Text
Kovacs_Ojha et al. 2021.pdf Download (252kB) | Preview |
Abstract
The rapidly urbanizing and highly populated South Asian region is facing a water crisis. As a key response, large centralized water systems are being put in place, replacing small and community-based systems. In this discussion note, we present the case of Nepal's town of Bidur to show that Himalayan South Asian towns cannot ensure water supply by neglecting community-based and small-scale water supply systems. Using insights from qualitative and quantitative data collected during 2014–2019, we argue that decentralized and community-based urban water systems are more resilient than large ones during disasters. Our argument is based on the analysis of Bidur's response to the 2015 earthquake as well as the COVID-19 pandemic. We show that a mixed approach of large and small water supply schemes provides a promising solution to water insecurity in the South Asian towns. This approach can be realized by promoting diversity of water management strategies and creating research-informed planning and discussion forums at the community and municipality levels. We also recommend municipalities to formulate a comprehensive water security strategy, considering the current and future scenarios of water demand and supply.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Urban water security in South Asia: Crucial policy lessons from the Nepalese town of Bidur |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1002/wwp2.12041 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1002/wwp2.12041 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions. |
| Keywords: | Community-managed water systems, Nepal, resilience, South Asia, urban water insecurity |
| UCL classification: | UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS > Dept of Geography UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH UCL |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10150031 |
Archive Staff Only
 |
View Item |
