Improving urban water & energy services in Nepal

KATHMANDU: Nepal has experienced rapid urbanization in recent decades, resulting in resource constraints for essential services such as energy and water, as well as enormous challenges for urban planning and service provision.

According to UNICEF/WHO, only 25% of Nepal’s urban population has access to safe water services.

While 94% of Nepal’s urban population has access to electricity, only 72% have reliable, affordable, and uninterrupted access to electricity for a significant portion of the day, and according to the World Bank’s enterprise survey, two-thirds of Nepal’s firms identify electricity as a major constraint to doing business in the country.

The country’s energy sector is also struggling to meet rising urban demand while remaining committed to sustainable, dependable, and cost-effective service delivery.

Keeping both of these urban service provision challenges in mind, the GSMA Digital Utilities program is organizing a forum on “Improving Urban Water and Energy Services in Nepal” in collaboration with Diyalo and Gham Power to innovate, ideate, and explore new ways to address Nepal’s urban challenges of water and energy.

The mission of the GSMA Digital Utilities programme is to provide affordable, reliable, safe, and sustainable urban utility services through digital solutions and innovative partnerships.

Energy, water, sanitation, waste management, and transportation are examples of inclusive utility services that help cities in low- and middle-income countries better withstand challenges such as population growth, climate change, and inequality.

The forum will bring together key stakeholders from the public and private sectors, as well as funders and enablers, to drive improvements in urban service delivery via digital solutions and innovative partnerships.

The GSMA Digital Utility Urban Forums in Lagos, Kigali, and Islamabad sparked fruitful discussions, paved the way for long-term collaborations between private and public sector innovators, and identified key enabling environment interventions.

The upcoming GSMA workshop in Nepal will focus on the challenges of making urban energy and water services more affordable, reliable, safe, and sustainable in Nepal.

The main objectives of the workshop include:

• To understand the current challenges of utilities in the provision of urban energy and water services in Nepal
• To develop partnerships with and between stakeholders in Nepal working in affordable and accessible energy and safe water sectors and identify areas of mutual understanding
• To serve as an information and knowledge sharing session for different stakeholders in the accessible and affordable energy and safe water sector to share their ideas and perspectives
• Demystify public-private partnerships in water and energy by drawing on best practices from our work in other low- and middle-income countries

The forum is expected to be attended by over 20 senior level government officials from Nepal’s water and energy departments, enabling organizations working in the water and energy sector, as well as start-ups supported by the GSMA, which include eSewa, Geo Krishi, and Practical Action, in addition to Gham Power and Diyalo.

The event will be held behind closed doors and will include roundtables and panel discussions with key industry stakeholders to discuss the role of digital solutions and partnerships in the provision of urban water and energy services.

The GSMA Digital Utilities team and its supporting partners, Gham Power and Diyalo, hope to raise awareness about the potential of digital solutions and partnerships in improving energy and water services in urban areas through this workshop.

Furthermore, this forum hopes to establish a platform for relevant partnerships between the government, the private sector, and enabling organizations that can drive innovative use cases and service delivery models throughout Nepal and the region.