Consensus Building: A Water for All Approach in Nepal
- Violeta Manoukian
- Mar 14
- 2 min read
Bringing water to Kathmandu meant navigating complex community needs in the Melamchi Valley. The Asian Development Bank's Nepal Melamchi Water Supply Project aimed to transfer 170,000 m3/day of water from the Melamchi Valley to Kathmandu via a 26 km tunnel. Recognizing the need to balance the impact of this transfer, Collaboration Works International was engaged to enhance stakeholder participation and develop a consensus-building framework.
To achieve this, Collaboration Works International facilitated a community consultation in Melamchi Valley and also interviewed members of other key stakeholder groups. We then designed and facilitated a participatory strategic planning workshop to create collaborative action plans. Over the next nine months, project stakeholders implemented these action plans working towards consensus building and the drafting of collaborative binding agreements in three key areas: water sharing, levy agreements, and tariff policies.
The workshop began with project updates from the Melamchi Water Supply Development Board (MWSDB). Participants then formed Action Teams focused on water sharing, levy agreements, and tariff policies. Each team brainstormed ideas, shared information, and developed a detailed nine-month Action Plan using a structured approach. Key discussion topics included:
Water Sharing Agreement: Ensuring fair access to water by monitoring the river's health (riparian requirements) and adapting to seasonal changes, sharing data transparently, and creating a legally sound water sharing agreement.
Levy Agreement: Establishing a fair levy system by defining how it's calculated (per cubic meter), clarifying payment responsibilities, tracking water usage and payments, creating guidelines for how levy funds are used, and ensuring legal compliance.
Tariff Policies/Institutional Reform: Creating a just tariff policy through consumer and NGO involvement, reforming institutions, exploring private sector partnerships, understanding diverse user needs based on income, and linking tariff structures to both socio-economic factors and service quality.
Each Action Team nominated a coordinator to report regularly to the MWSDB Executive Director, ensuring consistent progress monitoring. The Action Plans were presented and approved at the final plenary session.
The MWSDB Executive Director acknowledged the workshop's success as a crucial first step towards consensus in these vital project areas and pledged his support for the timely and successful implementation of the plans.
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