This presentation is the part of 12-day (28 January–8 February 2019) training workshop on “Multi-scale Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM) from the Hindu Kush Himalayan Perspective” organized by the Strengthening Water Resources Management in Afghanistan (SWaRMA) Initiative of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), and targeted at participants from Afghanistan.

1. Strengthening Water Resources Management in Afghanistan (SWaRMA)

2. The Hindu Kush Himalaya
Most prominent topographic feature on
earth

3. • 8 countries
• 240 million
people in the
HKH
• Source of
10 major
Asian
river systems
• 1.9 billion
people in the
river basins

4. Erosion
GLOF
Water Storage
High altitude wetland
Hydropower
Irrigation
Industry
Large
settlements
Navigation
Flood
GW depletion
Boundary
Boundary
Agriculture
Hydropower
Aquifer recharge
Flood/ flash
floods/ landslides
Erosion and
sedimentation
Sedimentation
Upstream-downstream
Linkages

5. 0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
2010
2015
Basin
2.2 1.1
1.5
2.0
1.3
0.7
1.4
1.1
0.5
Avg increase 1% per year
Population(10^6)
•
•
•
•

6. Too much and too little water
Floods and droughts have
become more frequent
Some floods are
transboundary in nature
Strong Seasonality

7. In Numbers
10% of all floods are
transboundary
These cause over 30% of
all flood casualties
Those affected account
for 60% of the total
displaced population

8. Climate change
impacts
on water resources
• Loss of storage in the form of ice
• Greater impact for those living
closer to glaciers
• Predicted annual flow volume –
no significant change
• Changing precipitation and flow
patterns – more floods and
droughts; high uncertainty
±
±

12. Western Canal: Nepal 24,500 ha
India 356, 600 ha
Eastern Canal: India 612,000 ha
Koshi Barrage

14. Why regional cooperation on water?
Manage varied distribution of water
Reduce risk of climate related effects making
water supply erratic
Opportunity for overcoming economic,
environmental, technological, and institutional
barriers
Multiple benefits of infrastructure development

15. Current Water Cooperation
Nepal and India: Sharada (1920), Koshi (1954) and
Gandak (1960); Equity in water sharing often
questioned;
Indus water treaty (1960): successful examples;
complications due to increasing demand and
desire to build more infrastructure
Ganges water treaty (1996): Based on old flow
data; no dispute resolution method;
Afghanistan and Pakistan: no treaty; 70% of
Afghan water flow outside the country but
treaty only with Iran

16. Challenges in regional collaboration
Hydropolitics – mistrust, top down approach
Knowledge gaps – misinformation leading
to misinterpretation
Conventional approach – sectoral vs
integrated; resources vs benefits
Inadequate institutional arrangements and
capacities: Lack of joint institutions

17. Annual Runoff, mm/yr
<0 0 - 500 500 - 1,000 1,000 - 2,000 2,000 - 10,000
Legend
HKH Boundary
Asia_Boundary
Source: GRDC
Where does water gets generated?

18. 73%
27%
98%
2%
89%
11%
98%
2%
98%
2%
94%
6%
88%
12%
Opportunities
500 GW regional potential, largely
unmet
Co-operation on sharing benefits
BIMSTEC
Navigation, Erosion, Sedimentation, DRR

19. Regional Platforms
CryoHub – collaborative effort
that shares and disseminates
cryosphere-related data and
information
HYCOS – four countries
participate in flood information
sharing – could be expanded
[http://www.icimod.org/hycosrfis]
[http://www.icimod.org/?q=22937]

20. Knowledge Networks
Koshi – 3 countries of Koshi basin
cooperating in knowledge
development.
Preparing for Koshi DRR Knowledge
Hub
[http://www.icimod.org/kbp]
UIBN – a knowledge and research
network of regional countries in
HKH to improve understanding
cryosphere changes

21. CBFEWS
Implemented in river
tributaries
Upstream/downstream
linkage
Almost real time
information
Provide guidance on how
to act on warnings
Use of low cost ICT tools

22. Before flood After flood
12 August 2017, Ratu River
An example of local level cross border cooperation between Nepal and India

23. RIVER BASINS & CRYOSPHERE 23
Thank you