Nepal, Aug. 4 -- A cabinet meeting on July 23 declared Madhesh Province a disaster zone, citing acute water shortage after scant rainfall. All three tiers of government have scrambled to come up with ideas to address the crisis, but there is a paucity of coordination and expert opinion, exposing a policy gap in planning and implementation of water supply and irrigation in the province. The Post's Biken K Dawadi sat down with former secretary for the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Engineer Anup Kumar Upadhyay to discuss the causes, effects and possible solutions to the crisis.

Madhesh province is considered the country's breadbasket. What are the water supply needs of the province to sustain agriculture, especially tho...