Meena Shrestha Becomes First Woman To Lead Department Of Drinking Water and Sewerage Management (DoWSM)

Meena Shrestha becomes the first woman to lead the Department of Drinking Water and Sewerage Management as a Director-General. For the first time, the Ministry of Water Supply has appointed Shrestha as a Director-General.

With five decades of long institutional history, Shrestha is the first director-general. Joined the department in 1994 as an engineer, Shrestha was deputy director-general of the department.

Following the transfer of Sunil Kumar Das from the department, she was given the responsibility. The minister of water supply is also a woman.

History of piped water supply system development in Nepal dates back to 1895 A.D. when the first BirDhara system (1891-1893) was commissioned in Kathmandu by then Rana Prime Minister Bir Sumsher. The system also led to the establishment of Pani Goshwara Adda (The office for water supply) and it provided limited private and community standpipes in few selected parts of Kathmandu. The water supply services were then gradually extended to a few other prominent places like Amalekhgunj, Birgunj, Palpa and Jajarkot Khalanga where either the Rana rulers themselves or their family/relatives resided.