Lessons from local water planning practices in Nepal

1. International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development
Kathmandu, Nepal
Achieving gender water equity in the face of
changing climate context:
Lessons from local water planning practices in Nepal

2. Outline
• Introduction
• Challenges in managing farm water in
changing climatic and socioeconomic context
• Significance of gender inclusive planning for
equity in irrigation sector development
• Lessons of Water Use Master Plan preparation
and implementation in Nepal
• Conclusion

3. Introduction
Gatlang, Golgung,
Chilme Chilime
Manakamana,
Chhargare, Bidur,
Khanigau
KhanigauMeghauli, Tadi, Kathar,Patyani,
PatyaniRatnagar
Piparasi, Rakhai,
Chharke,Jangiyadavpur, Khap
12 WUMPs – content analysis
5 WUMPs- process and result
12 WUMPs- ongoing process

4. Introduction
60.4 percent of economically active population in Nepal are
engaged in farming
89.9 percent are subsistence farmers.
Female engagement in agriculture is 73.6 percent compare
to 50.5 percent of male (Regmi and Gautam, 2014)
There is increasing trend of keeping land fallow, which is rather triggered by
variability in rainfall.
– Rasuwa, high altitude farming:
• 50% of land in Golgung VDC is fallow through out the year.
– More than 80 % of rain fed land is fallow in winter in Nuwakot
– Water from Labdu Dikure irrigation system, could not reach two tail end branches
out of ten due to water scarcity at the source in winter.
Women’s engagement is increasing in overall farm activities
including water
Farming today face multiple challenges due to climatic and
socioeconomic changes, so is the people engaged with it.

5. Challenges in managing farm water
High altitude farming: snow depletion
– Farmers in Gatlang VDC are troubled with drying of crop as the moisture retain by
snow fall in winter is declining
Farming in mid hills: drying of springs, threat of flood in command area as the drainage is
channeled in farm land through irrigation canal, failure of winter crop in rainfed farming
Terai – scarcity of water at the source, need for more irrigation facilities due to erratic
rainfall, use of ground water as alternatives.
Water is becoming scarce resource
Overall women’s farm work burden has increased with
climatic and socioeconomic changes
Warming in Nepal- 0.6 degrees Celsius per decade, compared with a
global average of 0.74 degrees Celsius over the last 100 years
(Eriksson et al, 2009).
Increase rate of male migration for alternative income for
livelihoods
Farm responsibility in hand of women and elderly.

6. Significance of gender inclusive planning for
equity in irrigation sector development
Question of public investment on irrigation- selection criteria
Vision and objective of irrigation sector development
Irrigation policy, 2013
GESI guideline of MOI, 2015
Village level water assessment, water budgeting and planning
through gender and social inclusive process, and accountability
mechanism and its significance for gender water governance

7. Lessons of Water Use Master Plan preparation
and implementation in Nepal
• WUMP is a VDC level water
plan
• Follows 17 steps process
that has a mandate to
promote women’s
participation in every steps.
• It is owned by VDC. The
current WUMP guideline
2016 has institutionalized
WUMP formulation process
at national level.

8. GESI integration in WUMP process and
outcome

9. GESI and WUMP study
Cluster WUMP Guideline
preparation period
No. of WUMP per
cluster
No. of WUMPs for
content analysis
No. of WUMPs
For field study
Cluster 1
1999 -2006
(7 years)
No guideline
(1999 – 2000)
26 2 1New guideline prepared in
2001
Cluster 2
2007-2010
(4 years)
Revised guideline in 2007 56 4 2
Cluster 3
2011-2014
(4 years)
Revised guideline in 2012 32 6 2
Total 114 12 5
Expected GESI related outcomes of WUMP
Disadvantaged groups participate on equal terms in the planning, negotiation and decision making of water
resources of a community. The basic needs of all members of a community, including the poor and
disadvantaged groups are considered
Women’s role as “water managers” is properly taken into account, since in many cases women take traditionally
care of water issues and carry corresponding responsibilities.
As the WUMP process encourages and enables women to participate in meetings/workshop and be represented in
committees where they take actively part in decisions, it empowers them and contributes to improving their
position within the community.

10. GESI in guidelines
• “….social mapping process to be started when all
women and men of the settlements are present…”
• provision of seasonal calendars was made to gain
an insight on community people's work
engagement schedule for the year
• representation of each household during formation
of ward and VDC level committees and is to ensure
the participation is responsibility of Support
Organisation and Community Facilitator.
• …..

11. Result
Status of increased service level in Koiralakot and Chhapali VDC between 2008 and 2014
we don’t have to
spend hours for
fetching water
Inclusive representation in committees and
addressing gender need
Improvement in women’s status
Addressing gender based discrimination
Change in gender role
Control of political influence in water
planning – 80% WUMP studied

12. GESI in WUMP conceptualization : a
way forward
Conceptualizing GESI as context and vision of WUMP rather than support activities could help in achieving
gender water equity through planning and implementation of the planned activities.

13. Conclusion
• WUMP practice has been recognized by
Ministry of Water Supply and Local
Development. Recognition from irrigation
sector is limited.
• Implementation of irrigation projects
based on priorities in WUMP document
can be an effective modality to achieve
gender responsive irrigation investment,
considering WUMP has been formulated
following gender responsive process.

14. Thank you
Credit to :
Koshi Basin Program, ICIMOD
GESI and WUMP study
Neeta Neupane Shrestha
Min B Gurung
HELVETAS
HI-AWARE Program, ICIMOD
Gandaki Basin Study
Prajjwal Bhandari
Sangita Dandekhya
Arun Regmi
Photo
Sangita Dandekhya
Arun Regmi
Pranita B Udas