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Curb on groundwater extraction soon
KATHMANDU, AUG 16 -
Waking up to reports that the Kathmandu Valley is drying up and groundwater level is decreasing, the government is introducing a groundwater management policy within two weeks to regulate extraction of groundwater.
Such a policy will be the first of its kind that will restrict the extraction of groundwater in the “danger zone” and help the government launch different water recharging programmes.
Those individuals and institutions extracting groundwater for commercial purposes must acquire license and pay tax to the government. They will also have to follow standard guidelines while operating such a business.
“The policy will especially focus on the deep tube wells, not the tube wells in operation for home use,” said Hari Dhakal, Director of Kathmandu Valley Water Supply Management Board. The board will be the sole authority to regulate groundwater extraction, he said.
The main objective of the policy is to make groundwater extraction balanced by identifying groundwater as an important source. It will also select “danger zones” for groundwater extraction.
Dhakal said once the policy comes into effect, the Board will count the number of deep and shallow tube wells situated in the Valley and issue license in the initial stage. He estimates that more than 500 tube wells are in operation in the Valley. However, hardly 10 of them has been registered.
Groundwater management has been very difficult in absence of a proper policy, he said. “The first draft of the policy has been readied and it will take two weeks to complete the final draft.” Once it is ready, he said, the copy will be forwarded to the Ministry of Physical Planning and Works. The ministry will take the final call regarding its implementation.
The government had given the task to design the groundwater policy to Full Bright Consultancy. After conducting research for eight months, the private company prepared the draft and the government spent over Rs. 2 million on this project.
It is estimated that more than 30 percent of the people in the Valley fulfil their water need by extracting underground water. Dhakal believes groundwater extraction is six times higher than the water recharge rate in the Valley.
The policy has also emphasised on rainwater harvesting, Dhakal said. “We will focus on rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharging programmes to increase the water level,” he said.
According to Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Ltd., the drinking water demand in Kathmandu Valley is 320 million litres of per day. However, the supply is hardly 120 million litres.
Posted on: 2010-08-17 08:43
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