Paper short abstract:

South asian Cities are observing rapid urbanization creating disparity on water distribution.Drawing cases from cities of Nepal we conclude urbanisation process creates two types of communities and Social movement inevitable are at suppressed form and surfaced when national politics favours it.

Paper long abstract:

The sustainable development goal number 6 "Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all" by 2030. However, there are many challenges to achieve this in South Asian cities which are observing rapid urbanization and creating disparity between different sections within the urban areas which has raised concerns for equitable access to water. In this context, this paper examines the challenge of equitable water distribution in peripheral regions and the perspectives and contribution of social movements to address the unfulfilled water need. We present a case of community struggle for water access, drawing on the case of Dharan and Dhulikhel from Nepal which has witnessed urban movement for access to water in peripheral regions. This paper will draw out perspectives and experiences on how organized citizens conduct social movements and what are the outcomes of these urban movements for equitable water access. The findings helped us to reveal what has been achieved by the social movements in terms of water access and redistribution. we try to argue that this misbalanced economy creates tension and triggers 'social movement' eventually enhancing 'spread effect' of urbanization from core regions to peripheral areas to minimise imbalance. We draw conclusion that urbanisation process creates two types of communities and Social movement inevitable are at suppressed form and surfaced when national politics favours it. Finally, Even when strong movements exist, challenges and gaps exist in relation to the translation of voice into policy and then in the delivery of results on equitable service delivery.