Climate Change Causes Water Scarcity in Gandaki Province
Summary
Climate change is drying up traditional springs across Gandaki Province, sharply reducing drinking water supply in hill districts and forcing some Mustang villages to abandon their settlements. A new study links the crisis to erratic rainfall, rising temperatures and poorly planned road construction, and urges spring-shed mapping and recharge ponds.
Key Points
- About 84.5 percent of households in Gandaki say their traditional drinking water springs are drying up, and 70 percent of mid-hill springs have seen major decline in flow.
- Villages such as Dhe and Samjung in Mustang have been abandoned because residents could no longer access enough drinking water.
- The study says climate change is the main cause, along with roads built without engineering, deforestation, wildfires and soil erosion.
- The Gandaki Province Policy and Planning Commission and UNDP conducted the study, and the provincial government says it will incorporate the findings into policy and budget.
