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. Integrated River Basin Management
Implementation in Nepal: Challenges
and Opportunities
Madhav Belbase
Joint Secretary, WECS

2. Water Resources
Annual Rainfall – 1530 mm
Surface Water Available - 225 BCM
GW – Dynamic GW Reserve – 8800 MCM
Per Capita Water Availability – more than 8,000
m3/person

3. Second richest country in water resources in the world?
01-Feb-19 3
Per Capita Freshwater Availability in m3
Water stress line 1700 m3
Water scarcity line 1000 m3
The Answer
is Big No
Only we
have
enough
fresh water
may be 46th
in the world.

4. Issues in Water Resources and
Irrigation Sector

5. Too Much Too Little

6. Huge Temporal and Spatial variation
Annual volume of Water (~225 BMC) = Abundant
BUT
Scarcity within Abundance
Climate Change worsens this variability
About 2/3rd of surface water in three
snowfed rivers and irrigates only 13% of
the land small and medium rivers, source
of 60% of irrigated land have seasonal
variation ratio 20 to 50.

7. 7

8. Other Issues
• Increasing demand of water for domestic use,
irrigation, energy, industrial and other uses
along with population growth and increase in
living standards
• Maximize economic, social and environmental
benefits from the water resources
• Adaptation of IWRM principles

9. The WRM Comb for cross sectoral integration
9
Important sectors in Nepal’s context:
Irrigation (water use)
Hydropower
Municipal water supply (water use)
Disaster risk reduction (management of floods, droughts, water
pollution)
Environmental preservation
Navigation
Culture, tourism and recreation

10. 10
Institutions
Ministry of Energy, Water
Resources and Irrigation
Department of
Water Resources
and Irrigation
Department of
Electricity
Development
Department of
Hydrology and
Meteorology
- Planning of Water
resources
- Development and
management of
Reservoir and
multipurpose and
large water resources
projects
Licensing and
monitoring of run-of-
river hydropower
scheme to private
companies
Data collection,
analysis and
management
Water and
Energy
Commission
Nepal Electricity Authority
and other companies
related to generation and
transmission
WRRDTC
AEPC

11. Eastern

12. Master Plans of River
Basins were prepared in
cooperation with JICA
Gandaki Basin 1978
Koshi Basin 1985
Karnali and Mahakali
Basin 1993

13. Water Resources Strategy 2002
and National Water Plan 2005
Policy Principles
Development and management of water
resources shall be undertaken in a
holistic and systematic manner, relying
on IWRM
Water utilization shall be sustainable to
ensure conservation of the resource and
protection of the environment. Each
river basin system shall be managed
holistically

14. Integrated Basin Plan of Bagmati
Task1: Decision Support System (DSS)
Task2: Flood Forecasting and Early Warning System (FFEWS)
Task3: Water Quality Monitoring System (WQM)
Task4: Integrated River Basin Development and Management
Plan (IRBDMP)

15. Preparation of River Basin Plans and Hydropower
Development Master Plans and Strategic
Environmental and Social Assessment
Draft Inception Report

16. Draft Water Resources Policy
• Integrated Water Resources Management
Approach
• Basin Plan will be prepared for each basin
• Sectotal Master Plans will be prepared based
on Basin Plan
• Water use will be licensed, three level of the
government will have right to issue the license
• Water and Energy Regulatory Commission

17. WR Ministerial Council
Chairman – Minister MOEWRI
Members – Related Prvc Ministers
Ministry of Energy, Water
Resources and Irrigation
Department of Water
Resources and Irrigation
Department of
Electricity
Development
Department of
Hydrology and
Meteorology
Water and
Energy
Commssion
Water Resources Standing
Committee
Chairman – Secretary
MOEWRI
Members - Concerned
Secretaries in Provinces
Secretary – WECS Secretary

18. Eatern River
Basin Office
(Mechi to Rivers in
Parsa)
Central River
Basin Office
(Makwanpur to
Kapilvastu)
Western River
Basin Office
(Dang to Mahakali)
Water and Energy
Commission

19. Federal
Government
Project
Development
and Licensing
of Large
Project
Provincial
Government
Project
Development ,
Licensing of
Medium
Project and
Management
of Large and
Medium
Project
Local
Government
Project
Development,
Licensing and
Management
of Small
Irrigation
Provisions of Water Resources Policy

20. Challenges
• Develop Basin Plan based on IWRM principle and
execute use it
• Define of roles and responsibilities of the three
levels of the government in the development and
management of water resources in the spirit of
the constitution and Basin Plan
• Construct the infrastructures considering fragile
geology, climate change, variation and water
availability in time and space, difficult topography

21. Challenges
• Implementation of Basin Plan when already
many hydropower development and survey
licenses have been issued
• As such there is common notion among the
people of Nepal, there is abundant water, if
there is abundant water why you need
planning

22. Opportunities
• Availability of Enough water resources to meet
the present and future demand of the country
• Opportunities to establish right institutions,
formulate policies and legislation related to
water resources development and
management at the three levels of the
government in the spirit of Constitution

23. • There is good opportunity to use latest
technology and construct environmental
friendly projects as not has been done so far
• The rivers of Nepal have international
dimension, hence possibility to have bi/multi-
lateral cooperation in the development of the
water resources
• Good hydropower, irrigation, navigational
potential for the economic use of water

24. Thank You