How Nepal is combating drought with nature-based water source management practice

Through simple but powerful nature-based solutions -- from rooftop rainwater harvesting to irrigation ponds -- locals are finding ways to beat back drought.

October 10, 2025

Round blue pond framed by leafy branches in a sunlit garden. — Photo: UNDP Nepal

Just a few days after her marriage, twenty year old Mina Khatri was asked to fetch drinking water from a refurbished pond in Bojepokhari—a daily chore shared by many women in rural Nepal.

She recalls her mother-in-law saying, “It’s just down there,” as she guided her to collect water from the nearest water source, assuring her as if it were only a short, effortless walk.

Her mother-in-law had been doing this for years as part of her daily routine. But for Mina, who was new to the village, collecting water from Bojepokhari in Chyasmitar of Khotang district felt like a strange and difficult practice.
It was indeed a challenging task.

Being newly married, Mina couldn’t question her family’s instructions. Instead, she followed the downhill path to the water source where locals from surrounding villages also gathered to collect water for drinking and household use.

Since the area is geographically challenging, it usually takes about an hour to reach that natural source.

Photo: three people in traditional dress carry woven baskets on their backs through dense greenery. — Photo: UNDP Nepal

“Look how steep this route is,” said Mina, pointing toward the slopes while carrying an aluminum vessel on her back with the help of a bamboo basket and straps. “We used to go even further downhill during the dry season, whenever there was a long queue to collect water from the pond. That itself would take an extra hour. At the water source, we would carry food and sometimes even sleep there overnight when the queue became too long.”

During the dry season, the water level would drop further. More villagers gathered, forming long serpentine queues around the source. The water collected from that steep slope was used not only for drinking, but also for cattle and household chores such as cooking, cleaning, and bathing.

Growing vegetables or watering plants was beyond imagination. Only maize and millet could be grown, and that too only during the rainy season. At least nine vessels of water were required every day to meet the needs of a family and their cattle.

Children and an adult collect water from a concrete well; a large metal kettle sits nearby. — Photo: UNDP Nepal

“Collecting water was our top priority,” Mina recalls her early days in her husband’s home ten years ago. “Doing any other work was impossible, because someone from each family had to spend the whole day—and sometimes the night—just finding water.”

Located atop hills, Halesi is one of the most drought-affected areas in eastern Nepal. Considering the acute water crisis, the government declared it a drought-affected zone a decade ago. According to locals, earlier efforts to lift water from the Sunkoshi River failed to resolve the problem.

Families with better economic means have already migrated to the southern plains, abandoning their ancestral land. An internal migration report by Nepal’s Central Statistics Office (2021) shows that 17.1 percent of people in Khotang district have migrated to lowland areas — the second-highest rate after Taplejung, with 17.4 percent.

Stone bench tucked among large rocks in a lush garden with green plants and pink flowers. — Photo: UNDP Nepal

The persistent water crisis has posed a serious threat to local livelihoods. It became so severe that families from neighboring districts with better water access often refused to marry their daughters to men from Chyasmitar, locals said.

So was Mina’s case.

Born and raised in Okhaldhunga, a neighboring district, she was aware of the struggles faced by people in Chyasmitar. But she fell in love with Rewant, a local man, and eloped with him against her family’s wishes.

That decision made life difficult for many years. The worsening water crisis made daily survival a challenge. The glaciers in the Hindu Kush Himalayas — considered the region’s freshwater towers — are melting faster than expected. Drought variation has been intensified by ongoing climate change and human activities such as deforestation and unplanned urbanization.

Yet, in recent years, locals in Mina’s village in Khotang have breathed a sigh of relief. Despite the worsening climate crisis, a few nature-based watershed management measures have begun to ease the long-standing water scarcity in this remote part of eastern Nepal

Rural fenced farm plot with a tall antenna tower, green fields and hills in the background. — Photo: UNDP Nepal

With support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) under a project funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF)–Least Developed Country Fund, locals have adopted several nature-based solutions — including water source protection, rainwater harvesting, irrigation construction, controlled trenches, and plantation in drought-affected areas. These efforts, locals say, have gradually eased the water crisis.

“Now, it’s a bit easier,” Mina explained. “Small efforts that we never tried before have helped us beat the drought. A rainwater harvesting system has been installed — the water collected from the roof goes directly into a small irrigation pond we’ve built.”

Photograph of a mountain valley with trees and a rectangular pool in the foreground. — Photo: UNDP Nepal

The rainwater is now used for cattle and household purposes such as washing clothes, cleaning dishes, and watering vegetables and fruit trees. Thanks to this, locals have started growing vegetables and fruits for household consumption and even for sale in local markets.

The water Mina collects from Bhojepokhari is now used only for drinking and cooking. Rainwater harvesting has reduced both the crowd at the source and the water stress faced by locals in recent years.

The water ponds built in drought-affected areas have also helped retain soil moisture even during dry seasons. The collected rainwater is used for agriculture.

“More than 80 such ponds have been built in this small village alone,” said local resident Bikram Tiwari. “Water collected from roofs flows directly into these ponds, which can later be used for cattle, vegetable farming, and other purposes.”

Chain-link fence with a closed gate beside a concrete wall and safety sign; blue sky and hills. — undp-np-dcrl

Since most households have built rainwater harvesting ponds, the frequency of water collection from Bojepokhari has decreased. The morning queues are shorter, and enough water is stored throughout the day. “One or two vessels of water are enough for drinking now,” said Mina’s mother-in-law, Kali. “Unlike before, we don’t need to collect water for cattle.”

Dhan Kumar Rai, a schoolteacher at Laxmi Primary School, echoed Mina’s words. “Ninety percent of the water crisis has been resolved in the village. No leakage, no pollution,” he said. “What had been a long-standing challenge has finally been overcome.”

To further ease the crisis, recharge ponds have been built above the villages. High in the hills, controlled trenches and saplings of cash crops have been planted around these ponds and trenches, helping maintain greenery even in drought-affected areas.

Drone view of solar panels on a cliff by the sea, with a circular-topped concrete structure nearby. — Photo: UNDP nepal

In places where water sources have completely dried up, solar water lifting technology has also been introduced. Locals are delighted that these interventions have helped ease the severe water shortage.

According to environmentalists, these measures help keep dry areas moist.

“Indigenous practices have been applied for sustainable water management,” said environmentalist Prem Prasad Paudel, who served as project manager of the Developing Climate Resilient Livelihoods (DCRL) in Vulnerable Watersheds project. “This has helped reduce water stress in drought-affected areas and safeguard the livelihoods of vulnerable communities.”

To restore dried-up sources, the project has protected 600 water sources across Khotang and Okhaldhunga districts. It has also created 100 catchment ponds, 40 contour trenches, and 25 water holes. Rainwater harvesting — from household roofs to root-level irrigation—has helped irrigate 600 hectares of land.

Photograph showing a stone wall along a hillside path, surrounded by lush greenery and distant mountains. — Photo: UNDP Nepal

Through sustainable water management, conservation farming is now practiced on 2,500 hectares—about 37 percent of total agricultural land. Four solar water lifting systems have been installed to ensure water access for marginalized Majhi communities. The project has also piloted drone-based seeding to bring greenery back to barren slopes.

Impressed by these nature-based solutions in five local governments of Khotang and three in Okhaldhunga districts, the Koshi Province government has allocated Rs. 28 million to restore water sources by building recharge ponds in drought-affected areas. An additional Rs. 10 million has been allocated for solar water lifting.

Several local governments in and around the project areas have since endorsed climate-resilient policies to combat the invisible enemy — the climate crisis. Inspired by the success in neighboring areas, other districts have started adopting similar methods to tackle water scarcity and retain rainwater for the dry season.

Lush green hillside with a concrete water trough and railing, distant huts and mountains. — Photo: UNDP Nepal

“Small efforts — rainwater collection, irrigation ponds, and water source protection — have helped us overcome water stress,” said Mina, encouraging others facing drought. “If these simple solutions are making a difference for us, why not for others too?”

From festivals Chhath Puja in the Terai to Sithi Nakha in Kathmandu, many rituals are rooted in the preservation and restoration of water sources. For indigenous communities, water is sacred and communal — a symbol of purity and life. The DCRL project is helping preserve this culture by restoring water sources and reviving people’s connection with nature.

Photo of terraced green hills with palm trees and a small village under a partly cloudy blue sky. — Photo: UNDP Nepal