WASH infrastructure in Nepal: vulnerability, resilience to disasters, and mitigation strategies

ABSTRACT The infrastructure of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) systems in Nepal is highly vulnerable to frequent natural disasters, endangering both socio-economic well-being and public health. This study employs a literature review approach to examine the intricate relationships between WASH systems and natural and human-induced disasters, including landslides, floods, and earthquakes. The results reveal severe consequences, including contaminated water sources, deteriorated sanitary infrastructure, and an increase in illness, disproportionately affecting marginalised populations. This research also sheds light on Nepal's remarkable resilience, showcasing innovative recovery programmes that combine indigenous knowledge with scientific approaches to enhance long-term preparedness. Key strategies include fortifying infrastructure resilience, distributing redundant facilities, enhancing institutional synergies through comprehensive emergency planning, localising capacity building, and incorporating disaster mitigation into land-use policies. Despite its contributions, this study is limited by its reliance on secondary data sources, which may include biases in reporting disaster impacts and resilience strategies. However, future research should aim at incorporating field studies and empirical analysis to enhance the accuracy and applicability of resilience frameworks. Despite these limitations, this study further proposes incorporating WASH resilience into sustainable development paradigms through multi-sectoral collaboration, strategic resource allocation, and ongoing implementation of the best practices. Globally, natural disasters pose a significant challenge to WASH infrastructure; however, in Nepal, the exceptional frequency and severity of disasters, such as landslides, floods, and earthquakes, necessitate a unique focus on innovative, context-specific strategies to enhance resilience and ensure long-term sustainability.