Author: Pranita Khadka
A Crisis Hiding in Plain Sight
In Purana Gaun of Khotang district, Sarita Rai remembers a time when water was not something her family had to worry about. Today, she wakes up as early as 3 a.m. to collect water. A nearby spring-fed tap has weakened so much that collecting only seven litres can take about an hour. Of the 63 households that once lived in her village, only five remain. The shortage of water has become one of the reasons people have left in search of a more secure life (Subedi, 2023).
Rai’s story is not an isolated one. Across Nepal’s hills and mountains, springs that have supported communities for generations are gradually disappearing. A nationwide study that consulted leaders from 300 local government units found that springs had dried up in 74% of the local governments surveyed, while 44% reported the problem as medium to severe (Thapa et al., 2023). More than 10 million people in Nepal’s hills and mountains depend on springs for drinking water, irrigation, livestock, and other everyday needs.
Unlike floods or landslides, spring depletion happens slowly. It may not make national headlines, but its consequences can be profound. When a spring disappears, households may spend more time and money finding water, farming becomes more difficult, and some families may eventually have little choice but to leave.
Why the Springs Are Disappearing
Nepal’s springs are largely connected to groundwater systems that are replenished by rainfall. Changes in rainfall patterns, longer dry periods, rising temperatures, and changes in land cover can reduce the amount of water entering these underground systems (ICIMOD,2022). Research on Nepal’s springs also points to declining rainfall, infrastructure development, and excessive use of spring resources as important pressures (Chauhan et al., 2023).
Climate change, however, is not acting alone. Development choices can also affect springs. Research involving local governments across Nepal identified road and infrastructure construction as the most frequently reported cause of spring drying, followed by earthquakes and climate change (Thapa et al., 2023). Cutting and blasting hillsides without understanding local groundwater systems can disrupt the underground pathways that supply springs.
This does not mean development itself is the problem. Roads, settlements, and other infrastructure are important for improving people’s lives. The challenge is how development is planned and implemented. When projects are designed without considering local springsheds and groundwater systems, they can unintentionally damage the water sources communities depend on.
The crisis therefore sits at the intersection of climate change, natural resource management, and development planning.
The Human and Gendered Cost
The effects of drying springs are not experienced equally. In many rural communities, women and girls are primarily responsible for collecting water. As springs recede, they may have to travel farther and spend more time carrying water, reducing the time available for education, paid work, and other activities (ICIMOD, 2022).
Poor and remote households can face an even greater burden because they may lack piped water systems or the money to purchase water from alternative sources. For them, losing a spring is not simply losing a convenient source of water. It can affect food production, livestock, household income, and everyday security.
In some communities, the consequences have already extended to migration. The nationwide study by Thapa et al. (2023) found that 7% of local governments reported outmigration associated with water scarcity. In Khotang, for example, prolonged water shortages have contributed to the departure of families from villages that once had much larger populations (Subedi, 2023).
This is an important but often overlooked dimension of climate change. Not all climate-related displacement follows a sudden disaster. Sometimes it happens gradually, as a water source weakens, livelihoods become harder to maintain, and families slowly lose the ability to remain where they have lived for generations.
Governance Gaps and the Accountability
Nepal has policies that recognize the importance of water security. The National Water Resources Policy (2020) calls for water resources to be managed and conserved through institutions at federal, provincial, and local levels. Similarly, the National Adaptation Plan 2021–2050 calls for climate adaptation to be integrated into planning and implementation across levels of government.
Springs are small, scattered, and closely connected to their surrounding landscapes. Yet water planning has often focused more broadly on water supply and larger river systems. Research has identified gaps between existing policies and the specific needs of spring conservation, while conservation initiatives remain scattered in many areas (Chauhan et al., 2023).
Local capacity is another concern. A recent community-based study in Kavre mapped 5,689 springs and ponds and found that 27% of the documented water sources had dried up. It also found that only 12% of active sources were managed by dedicated spring or water management committees, highlighting the need for stronger community-based and inclusive governance (Pandit et al., 2026).
This raises an important question of accountability. When a development project damages a spring on which dozens of households depend, who is responsible for the resulting loss? When a community is forced to spend more money and time securing water, who is responsible for ensuring that climate adaptation reaches them?
Policies cannot protect springs by themselves. They need functioning institutions, adequate resources, coordination between levels of government, and meaningful participation from the communities that depend on these water sources.
From Crisis to Climate Action
The situation is serious, but it is not without solutions. Nepal has already seen promising examples of community-based springshed management. ICIMOD’s work in Nepal has combined spring mapping, recharge interventions, community engagement, and collaboration with local governments. In Kavre, recharge interventions helped revive two critical springs and encouraged the municipality to allocate resources for further spring revival (ICIMOD, 2022).
The recent community-led mapping work in Kavre also shows the value of involving local people in generating evidence about their own water sources. Such information can help municipalities identify vulnerable springs, plan conservation activities, and make better decisions about where resources are needed most (Pandit et al., 2026).
The next step is to make these approaches part of broader climate adaptation rather than isolated projects. Spring data should inform local development and adaptation planning. Infrastructure projects should consider the potential impacts on springs and groundwater before construction begins. Local water-user institutions need greater support, and women should have meaningful roles in decisions about water management, particularly because they often bear the greatest burden when water becomes scarce.
Nepal also needs to pay greater attention to slow-onset impacts. A family does not necessarily lose its home in a single climate disaster. Sometimes its livelihood becomes unviable slowly, as water disappears year after year. Recognizing these gradual changes is essential if climate action is to be inclusive and equitable.
Conclusion
Addressing the crisis of drying springs requires more than temporary solutions. Spring conservation should become a core part of local and provincial climate adaptation planning instead of being treated as a secondary drinking water issue. Infrastructure projects, particularly road construction, should include proper hydrogeological assessments before work begins to avoid damaging important water sources. At the same time, water-user committees need greater financial and institutional support, with meaningful participation of women, who are often the most affected by water scarcity. Nepal’s climate policies should also recognize slow-onset climate impacts, such as the gradual drying of springs, which can force families to migrate or lose their livelihoods long before a major disaster occurs.
A drying spring may never make national headlines, but for the communities that depend on it, its loss is deeply felt. For many households, it represents not only the disappearance of a water source but also the loss of security, livelihoods, and hope for the future.
References
Chauhan, R., Shrestha, A., Oh, S. E., & Gurung, A. (2023). The degradation of spring water resources in Nepal: Some policy gaps. Water Policy, 25(4), 338–358. https://doi.org/10.2166/wp.2023.159
Government of Nepal. (2020). National Water Resources Policy, 2077. Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation.
Government of Nepal. (2021). National Adaptation Plan (NAP) 2021–2050. Ministry of Forests and Environment.
ICIMOD. (2021). Reviving and protecting our springs. International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development. https://lib.icimod.org/records/h4ny9-ms321
ICIMOD. (2022). Springshed revival and management. International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development.
Pandit, A., Thapa, S., Bhuchar, S., Dhakal, M., & Kafle, S. (2026). Community-driven assessment of springs and ponds: Status, dependency, and utilization in Kavre district, central Nepal. Environmental Challenges, 22, 101394. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envc.2025.101394
Subedi, A. (2023, June 9). Migrate to survive: Water woes clear out villages in hilly Nepal. Context by Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Thapa, B., Bhattarai, C., Dahal, N., Tiwari, S., & Jacobsen, D. (2023). Drying of springs in the Himalayan region of Nepal: Perspectives of local government leaders on causes, consequences, and conservation efforts. Mountain Research and Development, 43(4), R9–R15. https://doi.org/10.1659/mrd.2023.00007
Author Introduction
Pranita Khadka is an Environmental Science graduate and emerging researcher passionate about climate action and sustainability. Her interests and work focus on the intersection of environmental challenges, vulnerable communities, climate governance, and climate justice.