Parliamentary Committee urges emergency budget for water crisis

KATHMANDU: The Development, Economic Affairs, and Good Governance Committee under the National Assembly has directed the Ministry of Finance to allocate an appropriate budget to address the ongoing drinking water crisis in Madhesh Province and other parts of the country.

In a meeting held on Thursday at Singha Durbar, the committee emphasized that the drinking water shortage has reached a critical level, requiring immediate attention and financial intervention.

The directive has been issued to the Office of the Prime Minister, Ministry of Finance, and Ministry of Water Supply to ensure prompt resource allocation.

Committee Chairperson Kamala Devi Panta stated that the issue is of an emergency nature and cannot be effectively addressed within the limitations of the regular budget. “This is not the time to be constrained by the boundaries of annual allocations. The water crisis is a national emergency, and Madhesh Province has already declared it as such,” she said.

Pant added that the current budget provisions are insufficient to resolve the crisis, and therefore, special financial measures must be taken to support the Ministry of Water Supply in its efforts.

In addition, the committee has formed a subcommittee to assess short-term, medium-term, and long-term solutions to drinking water and sanitation challenges in line with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6.

The subcommittee, led by Urmila Aryal, includes members Narayan Dutt Bhatta, Sabitri Malla, Sharada Devi Bhatta, and Pooja Chaudhary.

This subcommittee will conduct a detailed study and provide recommendations to ensure clean water and sanitation for all, contributing to the fulfillment of SDG 6.