Bhubanesh Kumar Pradhan, Nepal
Introduction:
Nepal has four World Class Rivers. They are Koshi, Gandaki (Narayani), Karnali and Mahakali. In total, Nepal has more than 6000 rivers.
Each river has some development potential, with some more and others less.
The total annual surface runoff draining the country from these rivers amounts to 225 billion cubic meters of water.
Additionally, Nepal has an estimated 12 billion cubic meters of ground water with the Bhavar Zone serving as recharger of groundwater resources.
Nepal also has an estimated hydropower potential of 83,000 Mw because of the ample flow and steep gradient provided by nature.
Nepal’s water resources contribute approximately 45 per cent of the long term average flow of the Ganges Basin and constitute over 70 per cent of the Ganges flow during the driest months.
These resources make Nepal richest in South Asia for its size. It, therefore, requires the development strategy if it has to prosper.
Irrigation:
Nepal has an area of 14,718,100 ha of land. Of this 2,641,000 ha is agricultural and 1,766,000 ha is irrigable. Nepal has been able to provide irrigation facility to 1.43 million ha of land in 2017 although year round irrigation facility is available to only 35% of it. Of this, surface irrigation accounts for 57%, groundwater 31% and farmer managed irrigation 12%.
Water supply:
Nepal’s population stayed at 29.30 million in 2017 with an annual growth rate of 1.3 per cent. Water supply was available to 86% of the population and basic sanitation to 46% in 2017.
Melamchi Water Supply Project coming in line soon is estimated to provide 170 million litres per day (mid) to 2.5 million water-thirsty population of Kathmandu. (Melamchi has developed a glitch: Ed).
Power supply:
Nepal has so far been able to generate only 501 Mw of power. Out of the peak demand of 1198 Mw in the past winter, 501 Mw of power was met internally, 428 Mw by import from India and 269 Mw by load management.
However, the prospects for the coming years are bright with the availability of almost 3000 Mw in 1921 with the completion of several projects now under construction coming in line including 456 Mw Upper Tamakoshi Hydro-electric Project.
Besides, the Government of Nepal has brought out a Policy Paper to bring in line 5,000 Mw of electricity in 5 years and 15,000 Mw in 10 years.
“Manage Your Water Resources with Your Own Financial Resources.”
I have been putting stress on this theme in each and every forum while in government and outside.
Though Nepal is rich in natural water resources, financially, it has been poor in the past. It has gradually been developing all sectors of its economy.
Nepal has lately realized that irrigation infrastructure has to be developed with its own resources.
Taking the lessons from the past, today Nepal is capable to finance even a showpiece Project like Bheri-Babai Inter-Basin Diversion Project where water rich Bheri River, a tributary of Karnali River, suffices water deficient Babai River emerging from the Siwalik Range connecting together by means of a 12.4 Km long tunnel.
The Project when completed will provide the year-round irrigation to 51,000 ha of land in Banke and Bardiya districts and provide 48 Mw of hydro-power as a by-product. It is estimated to cost Rs 26.17 billion.
Nepal has already completed some key irrigation projects like Kamala, Banganga, Bagmati, Babai, Sikta etc.
These range from small to medium size projects.
Had they not been built with our own resources and depended on external resources, they would have never been built because all these projects had been built with great struggle facing stiff opposition from certain quarters.
So the big lesson learnt is “Build Your Irrigation Projects with Your Own Resources.”
“Never Give Your Water Resources for Others to Manage.”
We have to develop our water resources ourselves taking the assistance and support where easily available.
We cannot totally surrender our water resources in the name of co-operation.
We can work together as equal partners to develop our water resources where the need and concern of each can be addressed not like in Koshi or Gandak Agreements where basic interest of only one country is covered.
We cannot lament over what had happened in the past.
In this context, Bhutanese Model is often quoted. We should understand first the Model itself. Here GOI has the free hand to manage the water resources of Bhutan providing technical and financial resources for the Model to work and giving the fringe benefit to Bhutan.
Bhutan is never an equal partner in such a deal though it is the provider of chief element-the Water Resources.
“If Your Stand is Correct, You Will Always Prevail on Others.”
Nobody can stop the judicious use of water in your own territory.
India had always raised its concern on every irrigation project undertaken in Nepal, be it a small or a medium project.
As projects undertaken in Nepal for its use have not adversely affected the projects downstream in India, India after making its concern known for a few times stopped raising the issue again as it is futile.
Here is a very interesting episode of Babai Irrigation Project which was to be executed in Nepal under the World Bank assistance.
Firstly, the Government of India wanted to stop the Project saying that it affects its Project downstream when the Project being aided has no impact on India downstream.
The World Bank got verified the flow available at the Babai River at the Nepal-India border at different times to check if the diversion upstream really affected downstream. To its surprise, the same flow was available downstream even after diversion through recharge of water upstream at the Nepal-India border.
All Key Water Resources Projects need to be Made National Pride Projects.
All key projects in the Water Resources Sector should be made National Pride Projects for their timely completion and satisfactory operation thereafter..
Need of Watershed Management:
For a sustainable water resources development, watershed management plays a key role to provide continuous supply of water in the river-network.
For this, all watersheds of important river basins are to be covered with forests with proper planning.
This calls for concerted effort of all concerned Ministries and Government Departments to work together with coordinated approach.
Need of Multi-purpose Projects:
For the fast growth of irrigation development in Nepal, multi-purpose projects with irrigation and power components have to be developed together as in Bheri-Babai Diversion Project.
Irrigation potential of 1.77 million ha of land has to be fully developed covering the cultivated land of 2.64 million ha with some irrigation for sustainable agriculture.
Both irrigation water and agriculture activities have to be so coordinated that maximum output of agriculture product is achieved.
Need to Make Irrigation Projects Year-round:
Nepal needs to make its irrigation projects as much efficient as possible providing irrigation water to farmers year-round bringing in new techniques including conjunctive use of surface and groundwater where feasible.
Climate Change:
In its strategy of water resources development, Nepal should always take note of the untimely and unprecedented floods and droughts occurring in the country as a result of Climate Change globally.
Nepal-India Water Relations:
Nepal has entered into agreement with India on implementation of 4 Projects.
i. Sharada Barrage Agreement (1920)
After that, it wanted to limit the quantity of water being used for the Project and no more withdrawal of water from the Babai River. This was detrimental to the cause of water right for the people living in the Babai River Basin.
So, Nepal did not want to create a precedence where its hands are tied in the use of water in its own territory and it did not agree to the World Bank’s proposal of limiting the use of Babai River water and consequently the aid package of $ 60 million to the Babai Project was withdrawn by the Bank.
But that did not deter Nepal. Nepal went to construct the Babai Barrage and Irrigation System with its own resources. This has been a great asset to Nepal without the burden of loan and a lesson for the World Bank that it cannot prevail on a wrong issue at the instance of others when it was fully aware that the Project which the Bank was financing had no adverse impact whatsoever on India.
Nepal-India Water Relations:
Nepal has entered into agreement with India on implementation of 4 Projects.
i. Sharada Barrage Agreement (1920)
Koshi Agreement (1954)
Gandak Agreement (1959)
Mahakali Treaty (1996)
Of these, Mahakali Treaty (1996) could not make much head-way due to untenable demand raised by the Indian side regarding the use of water in the Pancheshwar Multi-purpose Project.
Almost all water was used for the benefit of India in Mahakali, Koshi and Gandak Agreements with some fringe benefit to Nepal.
The Sharada Barrage Agreement, 1920:
The Mahakali Agreement was signed with the British India on August 23, 1920 for the construction of Sharada Barrage across Mahakali River to irrigate 396,000 ha of land in UP, India.
The Agreement provides that the Nepal Government will have a right to a supply of 460 cusecs and, provided the surplus is available, for a supply of up to 1000 cusecs when cultivation grows at any future time from the Sharada Canal Head Work during the Kharif i.e. from 15th May to 15th October, and of 150 cusecs during Rabi i.e. from 15 October to 15 May the canal head being in the latter period alternately closed and opened for 10 days at a time running 300 cusecs whenever the canal is open.
This water was not used till 1970 as almost all land then was covered by forest.
It was 50 years after the Agreement that the Mahakali River water was utilized in Nepal with the implementation of the Mahakali Irrigation Project to irrigate 11,000 ha of land in the Kanchanpur district.
Another feature of this Agreement was that 4093.88 Acre of land in Nepal adjoining the Mahakali River was swapped with India. Nepal got in exchange land from Lucknow, Bahraich and Gonda from the border area.
The Koshi Agreement, 1954:
The Koshi Agreement was signed with India on April 25, 1954. India built the Koshi Barrage across the Koshi River.
The Koshi Eastern Main Canal and the Koshi Western Main Canal offtaking from the Barrage irrigate 612,500 and 356,610 hectares of land respectively in the State of Bihar, India.
Under the Agreement, Nepal got an inundation Canal from the left bank of Koshi at Chatra, 20 Km upstream of Koshi Barrage with a side intake.
It has a capacity to carry 1600 cusecs of water to irrigate 66,000 ha of land in the Sunsari and Morang districts.
At the time of handover in 1977, the Canal was in the state of irrigating 20,000 ha only. Later, Nepal had to incur a substantial cost to fully recover the benefit from this inundation canal with IDA assistance from the World Bank under the Sunsari Morang Irrigation Project.
Later under the separate arrangement in West Koshi Main Canal, Nepal got a pump canal to irrigate 10,000 ha of land and direct gravity irrigation to 10,000 ha of land in the Saptari district from the Koshi Western Main Canal.
In total, this amounts to 86,000 ha of land from the Koshi Project under the Agreement. Nepal also gets some hydro-energy though not much at the rebated price under the Koshi Agreement.
The Gandak Agreement, 1959:
The Gandak Agreement was signed on December 4, 1959. India built the Gandak Barrage across the Gandak (Narayani) River.
The Gandak Eastern Main Canal and the Gandak Western Main Canal offtaking from the Barrage irrigate 920,520 and 930,000 hectares of land respectively in the State of UP, India.
Under the Agreement, Nepal got 625 cusecs of water from the Don Branch Canal, a branch from the Gandak Eastern Main Canal which was raised to 850 cusecs after negotiation with the Government of India.
But this was never made available as agreed on one pretext or other.
It is possible to irrigate 28,000 ha of land in the districts of Bara and Parsa only leaving out Rautahat district. The irrigation system was later refurbished under the Narayani Zone Irrigation Development Project with the IDA assistance from the World Bank.
Nepal got 300 cusecs from the Gandak Western Main Canal to irrigate about 10,000 ha of land in the Nawalparasi district. Nepal also got 10,000 Kw of power from the Surajpura Power House in the Gandak Western Main Canal with an installed capacity of 15,000 Kw under the Gandak Agreement.
iv. The Mahakali Treaty, 1996:
The Mahakali Treaty was signed in Delhi on February 12, 1996 by the respective Prime Ministers of Nepal and India.
Article 1 paragraph 1 of the Treaty maintains the water supply for Irrigation to Nepal as provided in the Mahakali Agreement signed in 1920.
It also covers the water supplied by 1920 Agreement in case of failure of Sharada Barrage. India also agreed to supply additionally 28.35 m3/sec (1000 cusecs) of water in the wet season and 8.50 m3/sec (300 cusecs) in the dry season.
This is to be provided in lieu of the eastern afflux bund constructed by India at Jimuwa in the Nepalese side.
Also, Nepal got the supply of 70 million Kwh (units) of energy on a continuous basis annually from the date of entry into force of this Treaty.
This is 15% of 448.4 million Kwh of energy generated at 120,000 Kw Power Plant at Tanakpur.
The main component of the Treaty, i.e. the Pancheshwar Multipurpose Project, is, however, still under review by both the Governments on the finalization of Detailed Project Report.
Future Co-operation with India:
In its talks with India, Nepal should seek the co-operation of India for its navigation rights to the sea and make the river stretches navigable for it to happen.
Nepal has also to seek the co-operation of India to get the benefit of regulated water for irrigation and flood control in India to arrive at some agreeable solution as there will be many storage projects in Nepal which will have much more regulated water to handle.
Nepal should continue its dialogue in water resources keeping always in mind its sincere interest. All the benefits Nepal and India will get in any future cooperation have to be explicitly mentioned in the Treaty itself to avoid any doubts whatsoever taking the lesson from Mahakali Treaty signed in 1996 which has not made much headway even 23 years after the Treaty due to untenable claims India has made regarding the water use that Nepal cannot agree with. Nepal should take projects with both sides in win-win situation. For meaningful dialogue with India, Nepal has to create human expertise within the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation conversant with Nepal’s Water Resources technically and legally.
Conclusion:
Nepal should always have unified stand at the national level in any negotiation with India with the Universal Truth, United You Stand, Divided You Fall.
Text courtesy: From a journal on “Strategies for the Development and Management of Nepal’s Water Resources’ published by the Association of Former Career Ambassadors of Nepal (AFCAN December 2020), and Edited by Dr. Khaga Nath Adhikari.
Thanks AFCAN and the distinguished author of the article Mr. Bhubanesh Kumar Pradhan- Editor telegraphnepal.com
Book source: Ambassador Ram Bhakta Thakur, President AFCAN.