Bhaktapur, Nepal

Bhaktapur, home to 81,000 people, is a city in the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal that is experiencing water security challenges stemming from the stress on and degradation of water resources and related ecosystems caused by population growth, resulting in a considerable gap between the water supply and demand. Bhaktapur has a high rate of non-revenue water and the intermittent supply of water from the local water utility causes many residents to supplement their supply with groundwater. With financial support from international organizations, including JICA, there have been recent large-scale water infrastructure developments, including the Melamchi Water Supply Project, which is expected to add 170M liters per day to the Kathmandu Valley water supply. Overarching these developments is the national government’s commitment to improving the living environment of citizens and poverty reduction, with priority focus being given to water supply and sewerage system improvements.