Scientists, policymakers, and development partners gathered at the 14th National Groundwater Symposium on Thursday to address the escalating water crisis in Madhes Province. The event, held at Hotel Mithila Yatri Niwas, comes as the region faces its first-ever officially declared drought disaster.
The symposium, themed ‘Challenges and Opportunities for Sustainable Development and Management of Groundwater in Nepal’, featured 149 participants from federal and provincial governments, academia, and international organizations. The event was led by the Water and Energy Commission Secretariat (WECS) and the provincial Ministry of Irrigation, Energy and Water Supply (MoEIWS), with technical coordination by the Center of Research for Environment, Energy and Water (CREEW).
Experts at the forum highlighted the severity of the current water shortage. Sanjeeb Baral, Executive Director of WECS, noted that the 2025 crisis was triggered by a monsoon that delivered only 46 percent of normal rainfall, leading to the drying of wells and boreholes across the province. “This is not merely a one-year anomaly,” Baral warned. “It is part of a larger climate change trend that reveals Madhesh’s deep vulnerability to shifting weather patterns.”
Data presented by Raj Kumar Singh, Vice-chairman of the Provincial Policy and Planning Commission, underscored the depletion: while water was once accessible at 100–200 feet, drillers now frequently must reach depths of 450–600 feet to find viable sources.
To combat the water shortage, the provincial government has outlined a three-pillar strategy centered on structural and environmental reform. This approach begins with legal reform through the drafting of dedicated provincial groundwater legislation to provide a clear regulatory framework. It further emphasizes institutional realignment to clarify the specific responsibilities of federal, provincial, and local governments, ensuring a more coordinated response. Finally, the strategy focuses on nature-based implementation, which includes restoring traditional ponds and protecting the critical Chure-Bhabar recharge zones from the impacts of unregulated mining.
Laxmi Pant of MoEIWS also advocated for the completion of the Sunkoshi-Marin Diversion Project, which aims to irrigate 122,000 hectares across six districts. Meanwhile, Manohara Khadka of the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) emphasized the need for ‘water diplomacy’ regarding transboundary aquifers shared with India.
The symposium highlighted significant gaps in current water management. Vishnu Prasad Pandey of Tribhuvan University noted a lack of geospatial maps and integrated databases, while Arinita Maskey Shrestha of UNICEF Nepal pointed to ‘systemic failures’, including low community awareness and a tendency for local governments to manage crises reactively rather than through advance planning.
In his closing remarks, Ram Kumar Khang, Acting Secretary of MoEIWS, committed to extending these technical dialogues to the district and local levels to ensure accountability.
