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Plenty of water, not enough strategy: How inadequate accessibility, poor governance and a volatile government can tip the balance against ensuring water security: the case of Nepal

Plenty of water, not enough strategy: How inadequate accessibility, poor governance and a volatile government can tip the balance against ensuring water security: the case of Nepal
Plenty of water, not enough strategy: How inadequate accessibility, poor governance and a volatile government can tip the balance against ensuring water security: the case of Nepal
Water security is arguably the single most important factor regarding the future sustainability of our planet. Without water we have no life, and with depleting freshwater resources conflict can easily ensue. The intersection between hydrology and politics requires a delicate balancing from decision-makers to ensure policy is well-informed and science is well communicated. In this paper, we discuss water issues currently faced by Nepal, a nation where freshwater resources are abundant yet political pressures are threatening future water security. We argue that despite adequate water supplies a nation may still experience severe water insecurity, particularly if effective governance and equitable access are not prioritised. We explore potential policy options necessary to achieve a holistic framework for water resources management, which we suggest, need to consider water resource reliability, accessibility and governance as fundamental pillars for ensuring water security.
water security, accessibility, governance, nepal, IWRM, water–energy–food nexus
Biggs, Eloise M.
f0afed06-18ac-4a4d-841c-36ea4ff8a3b4
Duncan, John M.A.
928ee263-5675-49f8-91c8-195452126c28
Atkinson, Peter M.
96e96579-56fe-424d-a21c-17b6eed13b0b
Dash, Jadunandan
51468afb-3d56-4d3a-aace-736b63e9fac8
Biggs, Eloise M.
f0afed06-18ac-4a4d-841c-36ea4ff8a3b4
Duncan, John M.A.
928ee263-5675-49f8-91c8-195452126c28
Atkinson, Peter M.
96e96579-56fe-424d-a21c-17b6eed13b0b
Dash, Jadunandan
51468afb-3d56-4d3a-aace-736b63e9fac8

Biggs, Eloise M., Duncan, John M.A. and Atkinson, Peter M. et al. (2013) Plenty of water, not enough strategy: How inadequate accessibility, poor governance and a volatile government can tip the balance against ensuring water security: the case of Nepal. Environmental Science & Policy. (doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2013.07.004).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Water security is arguably the single most important factor regarding the future sustainability of our planet. Without water we have no life, and with depleting freshwater resources conflict can easily ensue. The intersection between hydrology and politics requires a delicate balancing from decision-makers to ensure policy is well-informed and science is well communicated. In this paper, we discuss water issues currently faced by Nepal, a nation where freshwater resources are abundant yet political pressures are threatening future water security. We argue that despite adequate water supplies a nation may still experience severe water insecurity, particularly if effective governance and equitable access are not prioritised. We explore potential policy options necessary to achieve a holistic framework for water resources management, which we suggest, need to consider water resource reliability, accessibility and governance as fundamental pillars for ensuring water security.

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Accepted/In Press date: 2013
e-pub ahead of print date: 30 August 2013
Keywords: water security, accessibility, governance, nepal, IWRM, water–energy–food nexus
Organisations: Global Env Change & Earth Observation

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 356297
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/356297
PURE UUID: 0b151b98-21d5-4445-86ca-5b2147e9b30a
ORCID for Peter M. Atkinson: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-5489-6880
ORCID for Jadunandan Dash: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-5444-2109

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Date deposited: 17 Sep 2013 12:46
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:17

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Contributors

Author: Eloise M. Biggs
Author: John M.A. Duncan
Author: Peter M. Atkinson ORCID iD
Author: Jadunandan Dash ORCID iD

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