This site uses cookies, as explained in our terms of use. If you consent, please close this message and continue to use this site.
River Basin and Cryosphere
The DFAT Brahmaputra and Energy Special Project, supported by the Government of Australia under the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), is promoting research, and generating and documenting knowledge about the extent of water and equity issues in the HKH region.
At a glance
The project is addressing water issues by reviving springs and improving access to water for domestic and agricultural use in the regional member countries of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).
Spring & solar pumps, Clean energy
Our Focus
Impact assessment of solar-powered irrigation pumps (SPIPs) in the Nepal Terai, studies on benefit sharing in hydropower – case studies from Pakistan (mostly Upper Indus) and India (Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Sikkim)
ICIMOD’s solar-powered irrigation pumps activity started in January 2015 under a grant from CGIAR’s WLE programme through a competitive bidding process. It proposed to undertake research on:
In 2015, ICIMOD worked with the Niti Foundation, a think tank based in Nepal on the issue of benefit sharing in hydropower in the country. In 2018, the project will carry out similar studies to look at benefit sharing in hydropower in Pakistan and the three Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh, and Sikkim.
Featured Publication
This handbook takes on the earlier attempts of RM&DD, and modifies it to suit the generic requirement of all ICIMOD RMCs. ICIMOD and ACWADAM, following a consultative process with major partners came up with detailed steps, which were then vetted at a workshop held in Gangtok, Sikkim, India in November 2015.
NEWS AND FEATURES
WE EMBRACE DIVERSITY
Both internally and externally, our multicultural staff and partners are our greatest asset. They provide us with a broad perspective across disciplines, and offer us localized knowledge like no other.
EVENTS AROUND THE HKH
People in the Hindu Kush Himalayas face economic and institutional water scarcity in areas where water is plentiful, but inaccessible. The inaccessibility is caused by a lack of rural electrification or irrigation infrastructure in the plains and because springs are increasingly drying up in the Himalayan mid-hills.
Low access to electricity and heavy reliance on traditional solid fuels for domestic cooking and heating are the hallmarks of poverty in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH).
Fifty-three farming families in the Terai districts of Saptari, Bara, Rautahat, and Sarlahi in Nepal have enjoyed uninterrupted supply of water for irrigation since they installed solar-powered irrigation pumps (SPIPs) in their fields.
Other Initiatives
