The State of Traditional Stone Spouts in Relation to Their Use and Management in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

ABSTRACT

Water resource management is a major challenge throughout the world. People still use traditional water harvesting and conservation techniques in many long-established societies. However, traditional methods are in decline or have been abandoned in many countries even though they are more efficient and cost effective than modern water harvesting techniques. Nevertheless, traditional approaches continue to be valuable in some countries, including Nepal. This research documents the state of such traditional methods, in this case stone spouts, in relation to their use and management within urban and peri-urban areas of Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. This study shows a somewhat surprising outcome that spout condition is better in unprotected areas than in protected areas.

KEYWORDS:

• Stone spouts
• urban
• peri-urban
• bio-physical status
• significance
• management
• Nepal

Acknowledgements

The authors are thankful to the community members, government officials, and planners/experts for their support during field visits and data collection and to Lincoln University for research funding.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. Much of the present article also appears in the unpublished doctoral thesis ‘A Comparative Evaluation of Stone Spout Management Systems in Heritage and non-Heritage Areas of Kathmandu Valley, Nepal’ which can be read (as of 11 December 2018) at https://researcharchive.lincoln.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10182/7629/Tripathi_PhD.pdf?sequence=3. The thesis applies the terms ‘heritage’ and ‘non-heritage’ to discuss stone spouts which are found and cared for in UNESCO protected areas or those that fall outside those boundaries, respectively. For the purposes of this article, the editor has changed those terms to ‘official heritage’ and ‘unofficial heritage’ to more accurately reflect the internationally accepted nature of heritage and their official designation and related formal protections, or lack thereof. The editor has also changed the spelling and occasional words to better fit the article and journal style.

Additional information

Funding

This work is supported by Lincoln University.

Notes on contributors

Mira Tripathi

Mira Tripathi is an environmentalist and a researcher in social sciences. She works at Timaru District Council, New Zealand. As a researcher, she examined the socio-cultural and other values of the first hydraulic structure used in Nepal, known as a stone spout, in order to foster ongoing sustainable management of the remaining spouts for her PhD at Lincoln University. These spouts are still used as a complementary source of water, built more than 1500 years ago. Her research interests include waste management, environment and natural resources management.

Kenneth F.D. Hughey

Kenneth F.D. Hughey is a professor in the Faculty of Environment, Society and Design at Lincoln University, New Zealand. He is a member of the Environmental Institute of Australia and New Zealand, NZ Agribusiness and Resource Economics Society, the Board of the Waihora Ellesmere Trust and Hurunui Waiau Water Zone Management Committee. His areas of expertise are: ecology and wildlife management, environmental policy and planning, bird habitat use in braided riverbeds, river values prioritisation, integrated water resources management, with a focus on Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere, environmental impacts of tourism and the triennial survey of New Zealanders' perceptions of the state of the environment.

Hamish G. Rennie

Hamish G. Rennie is an associate professor in the Faculty of Environment, Society and Design at Lincoln University, New Zealand and a research fellow at the New Zealand Geographical Society. He is also a member of the international editorial boards of MAST–Maritime Studies, Journal of Coastal Management and Lincoln Planning Review. Hamish's areas of expertise are: environmental policy and planning, human dimensions of fisheries and aquaculture, coastal and marine tourism geography, management and planning, governance and institutional dimensions of commons with particular emphasis on marine, lake and freshwater commons in developing and developed countries and communities, Checkland’s soft systems methodology, planning education, Maori and Indigenous planning and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)/National Science Challenge: Resilience to Nature's Challenges.