Economic sustainability, water security and multi-level governance of local water schemes in Nepal

Abstract

is article explores the role of multi-level governance and power structures in local water securi- ty through a case study of the Nawalparasi district in Nepal. It focuses on economic sustainabil- ity as a measure to address water security, placing this thematic in the context of a complicated power structure consisting of local, district and national administration as well as external devel- opment cooperation actors. e study aims to nd out whether e orts to improve the economic sustainability of water schemes have contributed to water security at the local level. In addition, it will consider the interactions between water security, power structures and local equality and justice. e research builds upon survey data from the Nepalese districts of Nawalparasi and Palpa, and a case study based on interviews and observation in Nawalparasi. e survey was per- formed in water schemes built within a Finnish development cooperation programme spanning from 1990 to 2004, allowing a consideration of the long-term sustainability of water manage- ment projects. is adds a crucial external in uence into the intra-state power structures shaping water management in Nepal. e article thus provides an alternative perspective to cross-region- al water security through a discussion combining transnational involvement with national and local points of view.