Women and Water: Living Between Extremes

When There Is Too Much Water

The Banganga River of Kapilvastu District in Lumbini Province of southern Nepal, is essential to families living along its banks. But in recent years, what was once a familiar, life-giving river has evolved into a growing threat. Each monsoon, it cuts deeper into the land, sweeping away soil and eroding the very ground on which homes, playgrounds, and farms stand. Climate change has intensified this erosion, turning an environmental concern into a fight for survival.

“Every year, the land gets swept away. This place used to extend several meters farther,” shares Karim Miya, a community member, pointing to the shrinking playground where children once played freely. Beyond it lies the community’s agricultural land the primary source of livelihood for more than twenty families. “If the erosion continues, the fertile fields will be next”, he adds.

Despite repeated appeals to the local authorities, only temporary structures had been built and small embankments that could not withstand the rising force of monsoon floods. The community lived with the fear that each year could be the year their homes disappeared. Recognising the urgency, the UK International Development funded Resilience, Adaptation and Inclusion in Nepal (RAIN) programme, in coordination with local stakeholders, conducted assessments and identified the most vulnerable locations. The project then constructed a 90-meter gabion embankment near the playground, a structure that has brought deep relief to the villagers.

For Amrita Kumari Thapa Khatun, Secretariat member of the Users’ Group for Embankment Construction, the river’s destruction has long been personal. “A few years back, the flood entered my house every year. My previous house was destroyed,” she recalls. Even after moving to a concrete home, floodwaters continued seeping into her rooms each monsoon. Amrita proudly shares that the users’ group consists of 11 members, out of which 7 of them are women. Their leadership has guided community efforts from the beginning. 

Earlier attempts such as small dams and makeshift barriers were not enough to withstand changing patten of rainfall. But the new embankment, designed with proper engineering through RAIN’s support, has transformed the community’s sense of safety.

“The ground where our children play is safe, and our agricultural land is protected. For the first time in years, we feel our lives are no longer constantly at risk,” Amrita explains. She also highlights how the project provided knowledge to the community, not just infrastructure. “We learned which plants to grow, how to fill gaps behind the embankment, and how to maintain it. RAIN has educated us.”

The community now hopes for similar permanent solutions along other vulnerable stretches of the river. For the people of Banganga, the river is both life and danger. It irrigates their fields, sustains livestock, and shapes their land. Yet it also threatens their homes and their future. With the new dam construction, the community has gained more than a barrier, they have regained a sense of safety, dignity, and hope. The river may continue to flow and shift its course, but the people of Banganga now stand resilient; united by their labour, their leadership, and their collective determination to protect their home from catastrophes like flood

When There Is Too Little Water

While floods overwhelm, droughts quietly suffocate communities.

On 10 July 2025, Satish Kumar Singh, the Chief Minister of Madhesh Province, officially declared the province drought affected. In response, a Rapid Gender Analysis (RGA) was conducted to examine the gendered impacts of drought in the districts of Mahottari, Sarlahi, and Siraha in Nepal. The study showed that the drought has severely impacted women and girls, intensifying their mental stress and workload. Many have had to travel farther for water, spend more time on household chores, and face greater childcare challenges. Some girls dropped out of school, while others experienced increased risks of violence. 

In Teliya, a vulnerable community located in Lamahi Municipality of Dang District, the large natural pond that sits at the heart of the village has long been both a blessing and a threat. During monsoon, it overflowed, sending water into nearby homes including that of Ranju Chaudhary, who still remembers the fear vividly. “A few years back, my house was almost under water when the pond overflowed. Living here with my children during the rainy season was frightening,” Ranju recalls.

Yet despite this recurring hazard, the pond remains vital for the livelihoods for people of Teliya community. Its water can irrigate up to 25–30 bighas of farmland and plays a crucial role in groundwater recharge, biodiversity conservation, and cultural traditions such as Ghongi (snail) farming.

With support from the local government and the Community Forest User Groups, the community had made multiple attempts to strengthen the pond’s dam. But without proper engineering, their efforts could not withstand monsoon pressures. Understanding the agricultural, ecological, and cultural significance of the pond, RAIN Programme collaborated with the municipality and Community Forest User Groups to restore the pond using Nature-based Solutions (NbS).

A strong earthen dam was fortified with bamboo wattling, bamboo crib structures, and vetiver grass plantation plants known for their deep, soil binding roots. “For the first time in years, I feel safer,” Ranju says with visible relief. “These plants keep the soil intact and make the dam stronger. Now I feel more secure staying here with my kids”, she added. Today, the restored pond stands as a symbol of resilience. What once threatened homes now strengthens agriculture, supports biodiversity, and preserves cultural heritage.

Women as Resilience Champions

Whether facing too much water or too little, women often carry the heaviest burdens. But they also rise as the strongest protectors of their communities leading user committees, advocating for solutions, restoring ecosystems, and safeguarding homes and futures.

On World Water Day 2026, under the global theme Water and Gender, the RAIN Programme shines a light on these women - their voices, their actions, and their impact. They are not only responding to climate challenges; they are shaping solutions and redefining what resilience looks like in their communities.

From the fragile, eroding banks of Banganga to the culturally rooted ponds of Lamahi, their stories reveal a powerful truth: when women lead in water governance, change ripples far beyond households. Communities become stronger, safer, and more prepared for the future.

Through the restoration of old ponds, the construction of new ones, and the strengthening of embankments, water landscapes across Madhesh and Lumbini Provinces are being reshaped. But at the heart of this transformation are people - especially women - driving change from within their communities.

The RAIN programme led by People in Need Nepal, co-led by Dan Church Aid (DCA) Nepal with Community Self Reliance Centre (CSRC), Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research and Development (LI-BIRD), Youth Innovation Lab, Prerana, Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre and the UK Met Office are working to strengthen community resilience to climate-induced disasters, improving the accessibility and effectiveness of early warning systems, enabling timely action, and ensuring that the most at-risk populations are not left behind.

Because when women lead, resilience is not just built - it is sustained.