Water is indispensible for life. But, 97.5% of all the water on Earth is saltwater, leaving only the remaining 2.5% as freshwater. Approximately 70% of the freshwater available on the planet is frozen in the icecaps of Antarctica and Greenland. This leaves only the remaining 0.7% of the total water resources worldwide accessible for direct human uses. This is the water found in lakes, rivers, reservoirs and those underground sources that are shallow enough to be tapped at an affordable cost. This also is the only amount that is regularly renewed by rain and snowfall and therefore available on a sustainable basis.
Freshwater is mainly utilized for household use, water supply, agriculture and in industries. About 67% of the water is used in irrigation for the production of food grains worldwide. The per capita use of water also reflects the living standard and economic activities of the people. The comprehensive assessment of water management in agriculture revealed that one in three people are already facing water shortages (IPCC, 2007). Around 1.2 billion people, or almost one-fifth of the world’s population, live in areas of physical scarcity. Another 1.6 billion people, or almost one quarter of the world’s population, face economic water shortage (where countries lack the necessary infrastructure to take water from rivers and aquifers); nearly all of which are in the developing countries. To make it worse, while resources are limited, the demand of water in such countries is ever increasing with the growth in population.
Furthermore, the spatial and temporal distributions of freshwater are highly sensitive to climate change resulting in a more unfavorable situation. These impacts are more prominent in a mountainous country like Nepal. The dense orographic barriers and substantial snow and glacier covered areas are mainly accountable for such responses affecting the planning, development and management of water resources of the country.
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