By TRN Online, Kathmandu, Dec. 31: Water resources experts have stressed the need for water resources policy or implementing existing ones focusing on multifarious utilization of the hydro resources including drinking water and irrigation.

They argued that it was erroneous to focus only on generating hydroelectricity while making plans about the use of water resources.

They said so at an interaction programme entiled Hydro Resource in South Asia and Nepalese Perspective organized by Friendship Forum for Nepalese Journalists (FFNJ) today.

Addressing the interaction programme, secretary of the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources, Madhusudan Adhikari, viewed that use of massive water resources of the country in an unified manner would result in multiple utilization of the resources, which would also boost the campaign for Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali.

He stated endorsement of the Unified Water Resource Act would open up doors for unified utilization of water resources.

He pointed out concerned stakeholders needed to be vigilant as regional level conflict could arise in case water is not utilized properly in Nepal

Deepak Gyawali, former minister for water resources, said that Nepal's water resources policy should define water resources as strategic resources, something that is not controlled by the market mechanism.

"Our country's water resources policy is fine, but implementation is quite poor," he said.

He underscored on focusing on multiple utilization of water resources while making projects so that cost of the project can be diversified.

"Budhi Gandaki is a multi-purpose project, not only a hydel, but it has been made just a hydel project. Over a hundred thousand hector of land can be irrigated from the Budhigandaki dam which also cuts over 200 km long road way short to 50 km water way," he said, "Drinking water tariff could be much less if the Melamchi drinking water project was made in such a way that electricity was also generated from it."

He deplored that NEA was not paying due attention to installing transmission line in time for the power produced by the private sector.

Former chief secretary and ambassador to China, Leela Mani Paudyal, underlined on the need to make it second priority to export power while placing first priority on using the energy within the country.

Ratan Bhandari, water resource analyst and writer, urged all to come out of the dream of becoming rich by exporting hydro-electricity to India, but concentrate on multiple uses of water resources for getting sustainable prosperity.