Constitution of Nepal is the foremost binding document that guides the use of natural resources, including rivers.
It was only on 1992 Nepal drafted an umbrella act/law to bind all the water resources of Nepal, The Water Resource Act 1992.
While the first policy framework developed by government for water resources is Water Resource Strategy (WRS) 2002. In order to implement the activities identified by the WRS, a National Water Plan (NWP) was prepared by the WECS and approvedby the government in September 2005.
In 2012, WECS has formulated National Water Resources Policy (NWRSP) but is yet to be endorsed by government.