Experts want water resource ministry reinstated

KATHMANDU, July 5: Water resource experts and government officials involved in water resource planning, management and execution have said that the government´s decision to bifurcate the Ministry of Water Resources into Ministry of Energy (MoE) and Ministry of Irrigation (MoI) is against the National Water Plan prepared from a long-drawn water resource strategy.



Such a strategy (25-Year Plan) was prepared in consultation with all major political parties that had accepted the plan in principle and the legislature parliament endorsed it. [break]



At an interaction on Sunday organized by the Jalsrot Vikas Sanstha (JVS) Nepal, the secretary of Ministry of Irrigation (MoI), Umakant Jha, said that the government decided to divide the ministry without prior consultation or survey. "The government´s decision is against the country´s water planning and strategy which were formulated in agreement of all political parties," Jha said. He added that the decision has brought practical and functional problems for the government.



The JVS has claimed that the government´s decision is not justified at all as this has halted the ministry´s negotiations with India and brought to a complete standstill the license issuing process for new projects. The JVS last week submitted a memorandum to the prime minister claiming that the ministry of water resources must be reinstated. "The prime minister suggested that the water resource may be included in the irrigation ministry. It may be renamed as ministry for irrigation and water resources," Suryanath Upadhyaya, general secretary of JVS and former secretary of MoWR told myrepublica.com.



It was decided at the function that a technical committee be formed by including senior bureaucrats and private sector representatives to bring out recommendations for both short-term and long-term solution to the problems created after the ministry´s split.



Speaking at the function, Dr Upendra Gautam of JVS said, "The decision to dissolve the ministry has come at a time when we were just strengthening the legal and institutional regime in this sector," adding, "This happened because the political leaders do not understand the importance of the water resource."



The participants opined that the political leaders cannot make such decisions for the sake of political compromise and political convenience. The JVC mentioned in its memo to the prime minister that the decision is against the Water Resource Strategy 2002, National Water Plan 2005, Act of 2049 BS and other related government regulations. The decision, the memo said, would affect and pose serious threat to a unified management and development of water resources in the country.

Related story

Ministry moots special campaign for water resource conservation