Kathmandu Valley is in the grip of an acute shortage of safe drinking water. A population explosion and the subsequent increase in demand is certainly one factor. Other factors aggravating the water crisis are absence of sources to meet the demand and inability of successive governments to resolve this problem in time. After World Bank's pull out from the Melamchi project the Nepal government has not been able to come with any alternative plan to alleviate the problems the people are facing due to water shortage. (editorial)