Assessment of groundwater abstraction practices and their effect on the surrounding environment: a case study of Tilottama Municipality, Rupandehi, Nepal, 2022

Groundwater is the primary source of household supply in many fast-growing towns of the Nepal Terai, yet local data on abstraction practices and on the awareness of the people who depend on these aquifers remain limited. This study examined groundwater abstraction in Tilottama Municipality, in Rupandehi District, and the effects it has on the surrounding environment. A questionnaire survey of 397 randomly selected households across all 17 wards of the municipality was paired with focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, and field observation. Data were collected between January and September 2022. Of the surveyed households, 353 (89 percent) named the piped gravity system as their primary source for household use, while 44 (11 percent) abstracted directly through tube wells; the piped system itself is fed by deep boring, so household supply depends on groundwater throughout. Per capita consumption drawn from groundwater sources averaged roughly 56 litres per day. A change in water table depth over the past decade was reported in 14.3 percent of wells, mostly in the northern wards. About 84 percent of the municipal area remained open, and 99.2 percent of household plots retained some space suitable for recharge. Awareness was the weakest link: 63.1 percent of households did not understand how groundwater recharge works, and 87.2 percent were unaware of the rules and regulations that govern its use. These findings carry direct practical significance for municipal planners in rapidly urbanising Terai towns: the physical capacity for recharge already exists, so the more cost-effective policy lever is building awareness and enforcement capacity now, before the aquifer moves from manageable pressure to the kind of deficit already documented in the Kathmandu Valley. The aquifer appears to be under growing but still manageable pressure, with ample physical capacity for recharge offset by a clear shortfall in awareness and regulation.