Kathmandu, June 7:

Minister of State for Water Resources Gyanendra Bahadur Karki today called on all concerned to focus on exploitation of water resources. Karki conceded that his ministry has been unable to meet the growing demand for electricity.

“I feel ashamed to tell you that we have generated a mere 280 MW of power in the past one decade, though we say electrification began in the country a century ago,” he said at at a seminar on water resource management, organised under the aegis of the Institute of Foreign Affairs.

He urged all to join hands to ensure maximum utilisation of water resources. “Let’s not focus on discussions anymore. Time has come for us to consolidate the political system and declare the exploitation of water resources as our priority,” he said.

Ministry for Foreign Affairs Sahana Pradhan said, “More hard work is needed to exploit water resources.”

Fossil fuel is causing pollution worldwide, she said, adding that electricity should be used to run the transport system. Gyan Chandra Acharya, secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Nepal needs a consensus among political forces and a bold vision to exploit water resources.

“Sustainable national development should be our priority,” he said.