Climate-Resilient and Inclusive WASH Financing: A Local Government Investment Framework

Local governments in Nepal face substantial financing constraints in expanding and sustaining water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services. This article examines ten-year WASH investment requirements and develops a climate-resilient, inclusive financing framework using financial strategy information from seven local governments in Surkhet, Dailekh, Rukum West, and Jajarkot. The source analysis reports a combined investment requirement of NPR 11,248 million and available financing of NPR 1,420 million, implying a reported gap of NPR 9,828 million (87.38%). Capital expenditure accounts for NPR 6,920 million (61.52%), operational expenditure NPR 3,017 million (26.82%), capital maintenance NPR 942 million (8.37%), and capacity building NPR 370 million (3.29%). These patterns indicate that the financing challenge is not limited to constructing infrastructure: recurrent operations, asset renewal, institutional capacity, inclusion, and climate resilience also require planned funding. The article synthesizes five strategic pillars: capable WASH governance; mobilization and efficient use of resources; advocacy and coordination; improved service delivery; and climate adaptation. It recommends life-cycle costing, transparent revenue and tariff systems, targeted intergovernmental transfers, inclusive budgeting, climate-risk-informed planning, and routine financial monitoring. The findings are descriptive and reflect figures reported in the underlying local-government strategy materials.