Nepal, a landlocked country in South Asia, is blessed with an abundance of natural resources, including fertile land and water resources. Agriculture is the backbone of the Nepalese economy, providing employment to a majority of the population and contributing significantly to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Irrigation plays a vital role in increasing agricultural productivity and food security in Nepal. However, the status of irrigation in Nepal has been a concern for many years.
The government of Nepal has recognized the importance of irrigation in increasing agricultural productivity and food security in the country. As a result, it has initiated several programs and projects to improve irrigation infrastructure and increase access to irrigation facilities for farmers. One such program is the National Irrigation Plan (NIP), which was launched in 2016 to increase the irrigated area in Nepal to 50% by 2030.
The NIP aims to develop large and small-scale irrigation facilities, including gravity-fed systems, small-scale irrigation schemes, and groundwater irrigation. The government has also encouraged public-private partnerships in the development and management of irrigation infrastructure. Additionally, the government has emphasized the use of modern irrigation technologies such as drip irrigation and sprinkler irrigation to increase water-use efficiency.
The government of Nepal has been investing in the development and expansion of irrigation facilities in the country since time immemorial by the farmers themselves and especially since the beginning of the planned development from the government level. It seems that the development of irrigation started only after the construction of the Chandra Canal started in 1979 B.S. After that in 1985, water distribution started from Chandranahar, and modern irrigation technology spread in the country. Around the year 2000, Judh Canal was constructed in Sarlahi, Jagdishpur Dam in Kapilvastu, and Pardi Dam in Pokhara was started. Before 2007, government involvement in the irrigation sector was limited. Irrigation development works used to be implemented through the chiefs, but due to the lack of indigenous technical manpower, foreign manpower had to be used as well. Although the production of indigenous technical manpower started after the democratic change in 2007, the responsibility of the leadership of the canal department was established in 2009. From 2013, it was done only by Nepali technicians. After the implementation of the first five-year plan in the year 2013, irrigation development was started in a planned manner from the government level. In some projects, development committees were formed and started to be implemented, while some projects were implemented at the central level. In the completed projects, divisions/sub-divisions were established as per the requirement, and operation and maintenance were started. In the year 2028, 4 regional directorates were established and in 2037, the number of regional directorates increased from 4 to 5. In the course of the irrigation institutional development, the canal department, irrigation and drinking water department, and irrigation and climate science department were renamed as the irrigation department in 2044 and became a representative organization for overall irrigation development and river control. Since 2045, 5 Regional Directorates, 75 District Irrigation Offices, and Central Projects have come into operation under the Irrigation Department.
After that, the Local Self-Government Act, of 2056 was issued and implemented. In 2058, there was a structural change in the irrigation department. At the same time, the Disaster Prevention Technical Center under the department was established as a Disaster Prevention Technical Center, and various programs were started in the field of water disaster control. A control department was established. In 2058, 5 Regional Directorates, 26 Irrigation Development Divisions, 20 Irrigation Development Sub-Divisions, 8 Irrigation Management Divisions, 3 Mechanical Divisions, and Central Projects came into operation under the Irrigation Department. In the same year, 7 divisions and 5 sub-divisions were established under the Water Disaster Control Department. B.S. In 2072, the number of Irrigation Divisions/Sub-Divisions was increased to 73 and the number of Irrigation Management Divisions was increased to 13 to facilitate service operations in all districts. Likewise, 24 divisions and 2 sub-division offices came into operation under the Water Disaster Control Department. B.S. In 2073, the name of the Waterborne Disaster Control Department was changed to Waterborne Disaster Management Department. As reflected in the Constitution of Nepal, 2072, the Irrigation Department for the work to be done by the Union in the formulation, policy formulation, implementation, and monitoring of large central level projects and projects related to water resources, irrigation, and water-related disaster management, inter-provincial multi-purpose projects, multi-purpose projects of international concern and Waterborne Disaster Management Department was rejected and B.S. The Department of Water Resources and Irrigation was established in 2074. DWRI (Department of Water Resources and Irrigation) under the government of Nepal is playing a vital role in the irrigation sector in Nepal.
Despite the government's efforts, progress in improving the status of irrigation in Nepal has been slow. The reasons for this are numerous, including inadequate funding, lack of skilled manpower, and poor coordination between government agencies. Moreover, the frequent political instability in the country has also hindered the progress of irrigation development.
In conclusion, the status of irrigation in Nepal is still a concern, and there is a need for concerted efforts from the government and other stakeholders to improve it.
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