KATHMANDU: Nepal’s major political parties have placed clean drinking water at the center of their election manifestos unveiled ahead of the upcoming polls.
Citing the continued lack of safe, regular and quality drinking water in many parts of the country, the parties have pledged long-term planning and structural reforms to address the issue.
The key political forces have linked access to clean water with public health, gender equality, climate adaptation and sustainable development, presenting it as a priority agenda.
Rajendra Aryal, chair of the Federation of Drinking Water and Sanitation Users Nepal, said that while the drinking water management plans outlined in the manifestos appear promising, translating them into action would remain challenging without effective improvements in budget management, project implementation, source conservation and transparency.
The Nepali Congress, under the slogan “Clean Water, Healthy Life,” has committed to ensuring access to safe drinking water for all citizens. Its manifesto highlights rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge, source protection and the scientific restoration of traditional ponds, wells, stone spouts and hand pumps to ensure sustainable supply.
The party has also pledged to prioritize the conservation of water sources drying up due to climate change and implement community-centered management systems.
It has further committed to expanding distribution networks from source to household to end the burden of long hours spent fetching water. The party also promises to complete under-construction urban and rural drinking water projects, including the Melamchi Drinking Water Project, on time to expand access to clean water.
Similarly, the UML has announced that it will complete all ongoing drinking water projects within the next five years and provide up to 10,000 liters of water per month free of cost to each household. The party has proposed bringing water from rivers in the Tarai districts through bulk distribution systems.
It aims to ensure basic drinking water and sanitation facilities to all households within two years and full access to quality water within five years.
The UML manifesto also mentions GIS mapping, smart distribution systems, 24-hour supply, alternative arrangements for drought-prone areas and disaster preparedness plans. It has pledged to allocate a fixed portion of climate finance to source conservation and focus on protecting watersheds, wetlands, ponds and rivers.
The Nepali Communist Party has also prioritized drinking water alongside rural and urban development, announcing a plan to provide clean drinking water to every household within five years.
The party has unveiled targets to develop 20 cities as ‘smart cities’ and 100 rural settlements as ‘smart villages.’ Its manifesto also includes a plan to construct 500,000 new housing units within five years under the concept of ‘one family, one housing unit.’
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