Figure: Official announcement of the 2023 ACS ES&T Water Best Paper Award.

A research article led by faculty and students of the Department of Civil Engineering, IOE Pulchowk Campus, received the 2023 Best Paper Award in December 2024 from ACS ES&T Water. ACS ES&T Water is a globally recognized journal indexed in WoS (ESCI) with an I.F. of 4.3, Q1, of the American Chemical Society (ACS). This honor was awarded to only ten manuscripts worldwide each year, selected from all papers published in 2023, reflecting excellence in scientific scholarship, novelty, and global impact.

The awarded paper, titled “Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene of Nepal: Status, Challenges, and Opportunities,” was co-authored by Aman Shrestha (Batch 2017), Tek Narayan Bhattarai (Batch 2017), Garima Acharya (Batch 2019), Haribansha Timalsina (Batch 2016), senior scientists Dr. Sara J. Marks and Dr. Sital Uprety of Eawag, Switzerland, and corresponding author Assoc. Prof. Shukra Raj Paudel of Pulchowk Campus. This collaboration showcases IOE’s growing engagement in high-quality international research.

The study presents a two-decade review (2000–2020) of Nepal’s progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 6. It shows national gains in WASH access but also highlights persistent inequalities across geographic, economic, and gender lines. The analysis identifies core constraints, including limited long-term infrastructure capacity, financial challenges, and institutional inconsistencies. It also outlines opportunities to build a more climate-resilient and sustainable WASH sector. The paper recommends coordinated roles for Nepal’s federal, provincial, and local governments to address climate risks and ensure safe water for future generations.

This global recognition by ACS ES&T Water underscores the academic strength of IOE’s research community and marks a significant contribution by Nepali scholars to advancing water and sanitation knowledge worldwide.