This document discusses watershed management in Nepal. It begins with definitions of watershed and watershed management. It then provides context about Nepal's population, geography, forests, rivers, and agriculture. It outlines Nepal's legal and institutional framework for watershed management. It describes the history and stages of watershed management approaches in Nepal. It provides examples of specific watershed management initiatives and challenges faced. These include issues around participation, coordination between agencies, poverty, urbanization, and transboundary water management. The document emphasizes an integrated approach to watershed management and its relevance to spatial planning.

1. Watershed Management in Nepal
Practices and Lessons
Neupane, Madhab Raj
Madhab.Neupane@tu-dortmund.de
Land Use Planning and Environment Management

2. Outline
•Definition – Watershed and Watershed Management
•Country Context
•Legal and Institutional Framework
•Practices, Issues and Challenges
•Relevance to Spatial Planning
•Discussion
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3. Definition
Watershed
A watershed is an area of land,
such as a mountain or valley, which
collects rainwater into a common
outlet.
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Image from: http://hawp.org/what-is-a-watershed/
Every body of water has a watershed.

4. Definition
Watershed Management
Process of implementing land use
practices and water management
practices to protect and improve the
quality of the water and other natural
resources within a watershed by managing
the use of those land and water resources in
a comprehensive manner.
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https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Water/Watershed-Management/Watershed-Management---Overview
https://www.geo.fu-berlin.de/en/v/iwm-network/learning_content/_archive/
bak_introduction_iwm/iwm_planning_approach/principles_IWM/index.html

5. Country Context
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Population: 28.09 Million (2018) - World bank
Geographical Area: 147,516 Sq. KM
Forest Area: 44.74 % (MoPE, 2018)
Waterbodies: 6,000 rivers + 5,358 lakes
Snow Covered Area (Glaciers): 5,323 km2
Agriculture area: 28.748 % (2016) - World bank
Federal Democratic Republic (3 tier government)
1 Federal Government
7 Province Governments
273 Local Governments

6. Situation of Watersheds - Nepal
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32%

7. 6/04/2020 Neupane, Madhab Raj 7
Water
Resources
Land
Resources
Forest
Resources
Other
Environment
Policies Linked with Watershed Management
(Eco-system based) Integrated Watershed Management
Participatory and Integrated Watershed Management
River Basin Improvement and Management Programme
Water Resources Act, 1992
Water Resource Strategy,
2002
National Land Use Policy,
2015
National Forest Policy,
2018
Environment
Protection Act, 1996
Soil and Watershed Conservation Act, 1982 Protected Areas
Community Forest
Family Forest

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Stages of Watershed Management in Nepal
Year / Stage Approaches Key Actions
First Stage
(1974-1980)
Central level planning (top-
down)
Activities by construction companies
Second Stage
(1981-1985)
Initiation of decentralization Local leaders and key persons engaged
in implementation
Third Stage
(1986-1990)
In line with decentralization Local government units and user
groups were considered in planning
Fourth Stage
(1991-1994)
Bottom-up approach and
People’s Participation
Sub-watershed planning
institutionalized
Fifth Stage
(1995 onwards)
Institutionalization of
participatory approach to
watershed boundary to political
boundary
River Basin Management
Gender and social equity
consideration, rights and access to
community resources are promoted
under local leadership

9. Watershed Management Initiatives - Nepal
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Karnali River Basin
Koshi River Basin
Bagmati River Basin
Community Forestry
Programme
Integrated Rural
Development
Programme
Aquatic Biodiversity
Conservation
Programme
Integrated Water
Resources Management
Programme

10. Bagmati River Basin Improvement Project
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Kathmandu Valley
Capital City

11. Bagmati River Watershed – Upper Part
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Land Use Map

12. Issues / Problems of Bagmati in Kathmandu
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13. Prioritizing and Categorizing the actions
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WSM Activities

14. Preparation of participatory & integrated
watershed management plan
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WSH Activities
Community
Action Plans

15. • Awareness raising and
promoting echo
friendly cooking
stoves, environment
protection, organic
farming in watershed
area
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WSH Activities
Connecting
Culture + Environment
+ Tourism

16. WSM Activities
• Conservation of
Water Recharge
Areas (Origin of Bagmati)
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17. WSM Activities
• Construction of dams
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18. • Construction of sewer lies, green belts, access roads
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WSM Activities

19. • Waste Water Treatment
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Key Activities
• Riverbank Protection

20. WSH Activities
• Dismantling encroachment
infrastructures within riverbank
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21. Citizens’ Initiatives – Clean Bagmati Mega-Campaign
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• Citizens led
campaign
• Each week (Saturday)
• 2 hours
• Specific Segment
• Voluntary
368 +
Weeks

22. Impacts to Human and Environment (forest, water, land)
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23. Issues and Challenges
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- Participatory process is a long and costly process
- Difficult to include representatives of all stakeholder groups in
management and decision-making
- Conflict between local level management in natural resources due to
national forest policy and local government policy (difference in rights
and roles),
- The poor sectors of society tend to have less participation due to several
constraints like lack of time, seasonal migration, low level of education
and awareness and lack of confidence
- Watershed boundaries and political boundaries do not coincide - each
agency has its own separate plans and responsibilities (hence challenges
of coordination among different agencies) – Transboundary Issues
Management issues
Policy issues
Poverty issues
Institutional issues

24. Rapid Urbanization
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Temperature Trend : Increasing
Dhital and Shi, 2013
Ishtiaque, A.; Shrestha, M.; Chhetri, N., 2017

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Land Ownership and Change in Land Use
Source: Ishtiaque, Asif &
Shrestha, Milan & Chhetri,
Netra. (2017)

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Transboundary Water Management
Nepal - India
Mahakali
Karnali
Gandaki
Koshi

27. Relevance to Spatial Planning
• Spatial planning and Watershed Management are both about
• Setting a framework for land use, investments in large public or
private projects and protecting or enhancing our natural resources
and the environment.
• Both require engaging multiple stakeholders through
coordination, collaboration for integrated planning
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28. Discussion
What watershed management
principles and approaches are used in
your home countries ?
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1

29. Discussion
What are the key challenges of watershed
management practices in your home
countries? And how are they being
addressed ?
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2

30. References
• Bagmati Buttetin. (2018). http://bagmati.gov.np/uploaded/Buletin-2075.pdf
• Bagmati Action Plan. (2009). http://bagmati.gov.np/uploaded/Bagmati-Action-Plan-En.pdf
• FAO. (2014).Watershed Management Case Study: Nepal
• NagarikNews. https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/indian-dam-road-inundated-nepali-
villages-with-photos/
• Khadka, Ananda & Pokharel, Kiran. (2015). HIGH MOUNTAINS AND HIGH HIMAL
FORESTS Of NEPAL. https://www.researchgate.net/figure/River-basins-and-drainage-system-of-
Nepal_fig4_337830788
• http://hawp.org/what-is-a-watershed/
• https://www.land-links.org/country-profile/nepal-2/
• https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Water/Watershed-Management/Watershed-Management---Overview
• https://www.geo.fu-berlin.de/en/v/iwm-network/learning_content/_archive/
bak_introduction_iwm/iwm_planning_approach/principles_IWM/index.html
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31. Thank You !!!