From an open-access to a state-controlled resource: the case of groundwater in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

Groundwater is no longer an open-access resource in Kathmandu. Perceptions of groundwater are changing from an infinite to a finite resource and the role of the government from supply developer to caretaker of the resource. In this context, this paper aims to unfold how perceptions of groundwater in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, are changing from an open-access resource to an overexploited, depleted, degraded, vulnerable and state-controlled resource. In the process, it produces an aggregated picture of resource availability, development dynamics, impacts and responses in the area; suggests some soft-path approaches for groundwater management; and discusses implications of the experience for other areas.