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PROFESSIONAL TRAINING COURSE

Multi-scale integrated river basin management in the Hindu Kush Himalaya

Programmes

SG 1: Reducing Climate and Environmental Risks, AAA

Venue

ICIMOD, Kathmandu

Date & Time

06 September 2023 to 15 September 2023

Contact

Nisha Wagle & Neera Shrestha Pradhan

About the training

ICIMOD is organising a multi-scale Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM) training to provide an immersive and practical professional learning experience on the topic. The training will be delivered by regional and international experts to build knowledge and key skills for applying IRBM frameworks, tools, and approaches.

The training covers eight different modules, which includes both conceptual perspectives and real-world examples related to IRBM. All modules comprise the vibrant and rigorous mix of presentations, group activities, and discussions with an overall integrated learning approach.

Training participants

Md. Abdulla Hel Kafi

Institute of Water Modelling

Bangladesh

Gyeltshen Dorji

Department of Forest and Park Services

Bhutan

Yu Huiling

Academy of Beijing Fuqun Environment

China

Nidhi Singh

Centre for Ecology Development and Research

India

Manoj Panta

Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation

Nepal

Ihsanullah Marwat

South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation Energy Centre

Pakistan

Jannatul Fardous

Bangladesh Water Development Board

Bangladesh

Sangay Tenzin

National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology

Bhutan

Kiran Gautum

Water and Energy Commission Secretariate

Nepal

Vikram Kumar

Department of Hydrology and Meteorology

India

Nirakar Thapa

Department of Hydrology and Metrology

Nepal

Muhammad Dilshad Arshad

Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources

Pakistan

The course for the year 2023 is designed for managers and decision makers involved in river basin planning.

Participants will be exposed to both biophysical and socio-economical aspects of IRBM, which will enable them to understand the complex issues, impacts, and responses to water management throughout the diverse HKH river basins. This will enable them to lead the team and make informed decisions. The course will include the following modules:

Module 1: Conceptual understanding of river basin drivers and their implications for IRBM

Module 2: Tools and approaches for understanding the biophysical drivers of change

Module 3: Gendered vulnerabilities and the socioeconomic drivers of change

Module 4: Leadership, Governance, policy, and institutional framework

Module 5: Water diplomacy and transboundary cooperation

Module 6: Operational aspects of water resource management

Module 7: Learning from the field: Linking IRBM theory to practice

Module 8: Knowledge management and communication

Leadership and GESI focus

Leadership and Gender Equality, and Social Inclusion (GESI) will be the overarching content of all the modules and the range of case studies. The GESI modules and case studies will strengthen the participants’ capacity to understand the role of women and marginalised groups in RBM/governance at different levels and recognise the specific socio-cultural contexts for, and their identification of, the intersections of the forms of social exclusion that impact people’s capacity to manage, withstand, and adapt both within their organisations and the broader community, with respect to IRBM. Additionally, the training will equip participants with the skills and knowledge to mainstream GESI in policies, procedures, and institutional mechanisms related to IRBM.

Training delivery

The training will take place from 6–15 September 2023 at the ICIMOD Headquarters in Kathmandu, Nepal.

The course will include a range of in-person and on-line sessions, electronic learning resources, and a field visit to the Koshi Basin. The sessions will involve group learning and individual work-based coaching to help participants apply the lessons learned and provide a way of building a network of IRBM-committed professionals from across the HKH.

Expected outcomes

Following this training, the participants will be able to:

Develop a comprehensive understanding of IRBM principles and strategies to effectively guide and oversee IRBM activities within their organisations
Gain insights to navigate complex water governance, foster regional cooperation, and address socio-economic considerations, including GESI, for informed decision-making in water resource management
Enhanced capacity in IRBM, aligning it with organisational goals, fostering collaboration, and implementing innovative approaches for sustainable water management.

Selection criteria

The training is targeted to the members of government and non-government organisations in Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, and Pakistan, preferably female participants working in the field of IRBM. Participants with demonstrated capability to promote the knowledge and use of IRBM in their respective work roles across the HKH will be given preference. The participants will be selected based on the criteria presented below:

Age and language: Applicants must be between 35–55 years old, in a managerial position, and fluent in English.

Experience in IRBM: Applicants must have an academic degree(s) in either water resource management, environmental science, hydrology, ecology, geography or civil engineering and five years of work experience in IWRM/IRBM, or over 10 years of working experience in IWRM/IRBM. Contributions to professional and/or academic literature in IWRM/IRBM is an added advantage.

Potential to influence IRBM approach: Preference will be given to applicants with decision-making roles related to IRBM; proven ability to influence science, policy, and institutional orientation to IRBM; and/or have made significant contributions to the literature on water resources.

Institutional affiliation and commitment: Applicants must be employed by their applying institution for a minimum of three years before the application date. Affiliation with a national, regional, or international institution, or an academic institution with considerable influence in or contribution to water management is desirable. Applicants must submit a letter from their employer institution committing to maintain and support their IRBM roles/responsibilities.

GESI: GESI principles strongly encourage the inclusion of women, people with different abilities, indigenous people, and ethnic minorities. Applicants with experience addressing GESI in their work (project design/planning/implementation and outcomes, publications, or other evidence) can also apply.

Participants’ commitment:

Attend the entire training in Nepal. The organisers will not change the travel plan (tickets) once selected for the training.

Submit the institutional commitment from their organisation to attend the training
Apply the new concepts obtained from the training in their own IRBM work
Learning sessions beyond the training and participate in the tracer survey

Application process

Shortlisted candidates will be informed by 10 August 2023.

If you have any difficulties submitting the form, please write to Ashmita Shakya (Ashmita.Shakya@icimod.org) or Nisha Wagle (Nisha.Wagle@icimod.org).

If you need any further information about the training, please write to Neera Shrestha Pradhan (Neera.Pradhan@icimod.org).

We request you to pass this information along to interested colleagues and peers.

Agenda

Time	Presentation topic	Resource Person
9:00-9:30	Registration	Ashmita Shakya, Programme Associate, ICIMOD
9:30-9:45	Opening remarks	Shekhar Ghimire, Director Administration, Finance and Operations, ICIMOD
9:45-10:05	ICIMOD MTAP and AAA: Cryosphere and Water Risk	Neera Shrestha Pradhan, Action Area Coordinator, ICIMOD
10:05-10:25	Resilient River Basin Management Intervention and purpose of trainings Program structure and agenda	Faisal Mueen Qamer, Remote Sensing Specialist, ICIMOD
10:25-11:00	Keynote IRBM in context of transboundary cooperation	Medha Bisht, Associate Professor, South Asian University
11:00-11:30	Group picture and tea break
11:30-12:00	Participants introduction and expectation	Chimi Seldon, Communication Officer, ICIMOD and Nisha Wagle, Research Associate, ICIMOD
12:00-12:15	Vote of Thanks	Faisal Mueen Qamer, Remote Sensing Specialist, ICIMOD
12:15-13:30	Lunch

Start Time: 13:30 (NPT)

Venue: Kanchenjunga Hall, ICIMOD Headquarters

Resource persons:

Arun B Shrestha, Strategic Group Lead, ICIMOD

Nisha Wagle, Research Associate – Water Resource Management, ICIMOD

Ganesh Pangare (External)

Ramesh A Vaidya (External)

Rapporteur: Serena Amatya, Consultant, ICIMOD

Time	Presentation Topic	Resources persons
13:30 – 13:45	Overview of the module	Arun B Shrestha
13:45 – 14:15	Principles and approaches for IWRM and IRBM	Ganesh Pangare
14:15 – 14:35	Policy and institutions for IRBM	Ramesh A Vaidya
14:35 – 14:55	Presentation on U/S – D/S linkages and Multi-scale IRBM in HKH context as a means to address biophysical and socio-economic challenges for the HKH region	Arun B Shrestha
14:55 – 15:35	Experiences of IWRM implementation and challenges · International experience 1: Mekong River · International experience 2: Aral Sea Case	Ganesh Pangare Thim Ly Barbara Janusz-Pawletta
15:35 – 15:50	Tea Break
15:50 – 16:35	Group work: Opportunities and challenges from participant’s viewpoints for implementing IRBM (Guiding questions for the group work will be provided)	Arun B Shrestha and Nisha Wagle
16:35 – 16:50	Questions, discussion, and reflection on the module from participants	Arun B Shrestha

Start Time: 9:30 (NPT)

Venue: Kanchenjunga Hall, ICIMOD Headquarters

Resource persons:

Faisal Mueen Qamer, Remote Sensing Specialist, ICIMOD

Arun B Shrestha, Strategic Group Lead, ICIMOD

Bikram Shakya, Geospatial Application Development Analyst, ICIMOD

Kabir Uddin, GIS/RS Specialist, ICIMOD

Manish Shrestha, Hydrologist, ICIMOD

Nisha Wagle, Research Associate – Water Resource Management, ICIMOD

Pradeep Dangol, Senior Hydrology Research Associate, ICIMOD

Rongkun Liu, Analyst Indus Koshi China Focal Point, ICIMOD

Sudip Pradhan, Geospatial Application Development Specialist, ICIMOD

Girish Lamsal, Associate Researcher, NDRI (External)

Rapporteur: Sravan Shrestha, Remote Sensing & Geoinformation Associate, ICIMOD

Time	Presentation topic	Resource person
9:30-10:00	Introduction of module How analytical tools help in IRBM?	Arun B Shrestha
10:00-10:45	Basin scale modelling to support agriculture production and economic scenario planning Discussion	Girish Lamsal and Divas Basynet
10:45-11:00	Tea Break
11:00-12:00	Role of data and information DSS (Hi-CHAP, IKPP, KBIS) demonstration and hands on exercise	Bikram Shakya and Sudip Pradhan
12:00-12:30	Land cover change and its implication on soil erosion and river sedimentation	Kabir Uddin
12:30-13:30	Lunch
13:30-14:00 14:00-15:15	Hydrological Modelling in River Basin Management (with Disaster Management Perspective)	Manish Shrestha, Pradeep Dangol, and Faisal Mueen Qamer
13:30-14:00 14:00-15:15	Demonstration of climate and water risk management tools (HiWAT/Drought)	Manish Shrestha, Pradeep Dangol, and Faisal Mueen Qamer
15:15-15:30	Tea Break
15:30-16:30	Interaction based on DPSIR model	Nisha Wagle, Faisal Mueen Qamer, and Rongkun Liu
16:30-16:45	Questions, discussion, and reflection on the module from participants	Faisal Mueen Qamer

Start Time: 9:30 (NPT)

Venue: Kanchenjunga Hall, ICIMOD Headquarters

Resource persons:

Aditya Bastola, GESI Consultant (External)

Kosar Bano, Gender and Adaptation Specialist, ICIMOD

Shiba Satyal Banskota, Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Lead, ICIMOD

Reena Chaudhary, Environmental Inspector, NDRRMA (External)

Rapporteur:

Serena Amatya, Consultant, ICIMOD

Vuyasi Rajbhandari, Consultant, ICIMOD

Time	Presentation Topic	Resource person
9:30 – 9:45	Participants introduction	Aditya Bastola
9:45 – 10:00	Expectation and Objectives of the Module Participants share expectation and objectives	Aditya Bastola
Session I: Gender and Identity
10:00 – 11:15	GEDSI – Understanding gender, sex, disability, and identities	Aditya Bastola Kosar Bano Reena Chaudhary
11:15 – 11:30	Tea Break
11: 30 – 11:45	Gender, Society and River Basin System	Aditya Bastola
Session II: Enacting GEDSI
11:45 – 12:45	Enacting GEDSI – the need	Shiba Satyal Banskota Aditya Bastola Kosar Bano
12:45 – 13:45	Lunch break
Session III: GEDSI dimension of Water Resource Management
13:45 – 14:30	GEDSI mainstreaming and analysis tools	Aditya Bastola Kosar Bano
Session IV: GEDSI Mainstreaming and Analysis
14:30 – 15:30	Group work	Kosar Bano
15:30 – 15:45	Tea Break
15:45 – 16:15	Group Report Back	Group Leads, Kosar Bano, and Reena Chaudhary
16:15 – 16:45	Feedback and evaluation	Shiba Satyal Banskota Aditya Bastola Kosar Bano

Start Time: 9:30 (NPT)

Venue: Skyline Hall, Hotel Himalaya

Resource persons:

Medha Bisht, Associate Professor, South Asian University (External)

Avash Pandey, Assessment Analyst, ICIMOD

Frederik Bouckaert (External)

Kapil Gnawali, SDE, WECS (External)

Rapporteur: Silian Pan, YIPP, ICIMOD

Time	Presentation Topic	Resource person
9:00-9:15	Introduction	Medha Bisht/Participants
9:15-9:35	Concept of adaptive governance through illustrative examples	Avash Pandey
9:35-9:40	Reflections on Conceptual Part
9:50 -11:00	Experience sharing on Adaptive Governance i. Murray Darling Basin ii. Ganges basin iii. Kamala basin iv. Brahmaputra	Medha Bisht (Moderator- Frederik Bouckaert Nitin Kaushal Kapil Gnawali Anamika Baura
11:00-11:20	Tea Break	Videos
11:20- 11:40	Introduction to governance decision tree	Avash Pandey
11:40- 12:30	Interactive exercise in concepts of adaptive governance	Medha Bisht
12:30-13:30	Lunch

Start Time: 13:30 (NPT)

Venue: Skyline Hall, Hotel Himalaya

Resource persons:

Arun B Shrestha, Strategic Group Lead, ICIMOD

Avash Pandey, Assessment Analyst, ICIMOD

Nisha Wagle, Research Associate – Water Resource Management, ICIMOD

Rapporteur: Silian Pan, YIPP, ICIMOD

Time	Presentation Topic	Resource person
13:30-13:50	Presentation on principles, challenges, and benefits of transboundary cooperation	Arun B Shrestha and Avash Pandey
13:50 – 14:50	Water cooperation examples in the basins Remme – (TBC) Danube River NARBO – (TBC)	Peter Kovacs – ICPDR (International Commission for the Protection of Danube River)
14:50 – 15:05	Tea Break
15:05 – 16:15	Discussion on transboundary cooperation based on role play	Avash Pandey, Arun B Shrestha, and Nisha Wagle
16:15 – 16:30	What did I learn today?	Arun B Shrestha

Start Time: 10:00 (NPT)

Venue: Manaslu Hall, Living Mountain Lab, Godavari

Resource persons:

Neera Shrestha Pradhan, Action Area Coordinator, ICIMOD

Bandana Shakya, Action Area Coordinator, ICIMOD

Chimi Seldon, Communication Officer, ICIMOD

Karishma Khadka, Springshed Management Associate, ICIMOD

Kosar Bano, Gender and Adaptation Specialist, ICIMOD

Nisha Wagle, Research Associate – Water Resource Management, ICIMOD

Pradeep Dangol, Senior Hydrology Research Associate, ICIMOD

Rongkun Liu, Analyst Indus Koshi China Focal Point, ICIMOD

Shailendra Shakya, CBFEWS Consultant, ICIMOD

Sharad Joshi, Cryosphere Analyst, ICIMOD

Vijay Khadgi, Flood Preparedness and Early Warning Analyst, ICIMOD

Aditya Bastola, GESI Consultant (External)

Rapporteur:

Silian Pan, YIPP, ICIMOD

Vuyasi Rajbhandari, Consultant, ICIMOD

Time	Presentation Topic	Resource person
10:00-10:15	Introduction of module objectives, sessions, and resource persons	Neera Shrestha Pradhan
10:15-10:45	Understanding physical, human resources, GEDSI issue and opportunities Session summary	Neera Shrestha Pradhan and Kosar Bano
Working Tea/Coffee
Practical solutions
10:45-11:15	GLOF and GESI	Sharad Joshi and Kosar Bano
11:45-12:15	GESI responsive springshed management for increased water security	Karishma Khadka and Kosar Bano
12:15-12:45	Integrated flood management and GESI	Vijay Khadgi, Pradeep Dangol, Aditya Bastola, and Shailendra Shakya
12:45-13:30	Lunch
13:30-14:00	Nature based solutions for river basin management Look at participants knowledge on solution for each (GLOF, spring, IFRM)	Bandana Shakya (TBD) Rongkun Liu
14:00-16:00	LML visit	ICIMOD Team
16:00-16:10	Tea Break
16:10-16:20	Learning and closing Take home message	Neera Shrestha, Nisha Wagle
16:20-17:00	Co-learning objectives for the field Communication aspect	Chimi Seldon, Vijay Khadgi, Shailendra Shakya
17:15	Travel to Dhuilkhel

Resource person:

Vijay Khadgi, Flood Preparedness and Early Warning Analyst, ICIMOD

Aneel Piryani, Program Officer, ICIMOD

Arun B Shrestha, Strategic Group Lead, ICIMOD

Chimi Seldon, Communication Officer, ICIMOD

Karishma Khadka, Springshed Management Associate, ICIMOD

Neera Shrestha Pradhan, Action Area Coordinator, ICIMOD

Nisha Wagle, Research Associate Water Resource Management, ICIMOD

Shailendra Shakya, CBFEWS Consultant, ICIMOD

Aditya Bastola, GESI Consultant (External)

Shrijana Shrestha, Undersecretary, President Chure Terai- Madhesh Conservation Development Board (External)

Date: 12 September

Time	Programme	Resource Person
07:30 – 18:00	Visit to: · Barahbise Hydro-met station · Jure Landslide site · Sunkoshi Hydropower · Balephi Confluence · Water diversion and IRBM at zero kilo · Panchkhal	ICIMOD team
19:00 – 20:00	Reflection and group interaction at Aagantuk Hotel, Dhulikhel	ICIMOD team

Date: 13 September 2023

Time	Programme	Resource Person
07:30-18:00	Visit to: · Local adaptation solution sites · CBFEWS station in Ratu river, Lalgadh	ICIMOD team
19:00-20:00	Reflection and group interaction at Komal Hotel, Dhalkewar	ICIMOD team

Date: 14 September 2023

Time	Programme	Resource Person
07:30-17:00	Visit to: Solar power irrigation pumps in Kalyanpur CBFEWS station in Khando river, Rupani Koshi barrage Koshi embankment breach site	ICIMOD team
18:00	Flight back to Kathmandu	ICIMOD team

Date: 15 September

Start Time: 9:30 (NPT)
Venue: Kailash Hall, ICIMOD Headquarters
Resource persons:
Chimi Seldon, Communication Officer, ICIMOD
Annie Dare, Head of Communications, ICIMOD
Anshu Pandey, Media Associate, ICIMOD
Neraz Tuladhar, Media Officer, ICIMOD

Rapporteur: Vuyasi Rajbhandari, Consultant, ICIMOD

Time	Presentations	Resource person
9:30 – 9:35	Icebreaker	Anshu Pandey
9:35 – 9:40	Quick review of impactful climate change visuals and discussion on what makes them stand out	Chimi Seldon
9:40 – 10:00	Communicating and outreach to increase impact (TBC)	Chimi Seldon
10:00 – 10:30	How to communicate policy message to the community and other stakeholders (TBC)	Annie Dare
10:30 – 11:00	Leveraging media to communicate and foster collaboration. Writing for socials and graphics	Neraz Tuladhar and Anshu Pandey
11:00 – 11:30	Group work and Discussion	Annie Dare and Chimi Seldon
11:30-12:00	Tea Break

Start Time: 12:00 (NPT)

Venue: Kailash Hall, ICIMOD Headquarters

Time	Presentation topic	Resource Person
12:00-12:15	Take home message and action points	Faisal Mueen Qamer, Remote Sensing Specialist, ICIMOD
12:15-12:45	Module reflections 1-7 By participants (1 male/1 female) Resource person (1-outside ICIMOD)	Neera Shrestha Pradhan, Action Area Coordinator, ICIMOD
12:45-13:00	Post training survey	Shailendra Shakya, CBFEWS design consultant, Nisha Wagle, Research Associate
13:00-13:15	Closing remarks	TBC
13:15-13:30	Vote of Thanks	Arun B Shrestha, Strategic Group Lead, ICIMOD

In the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region, climate change is causing significant changes in hydrological patterns, leading to less predictability of water availability and increased occurrence of extreme events. These changes are adversely affecting communities, their livelihoods, and investments across the region. Furthermore, water resource management in the region is based on sectoral and siloed approach with limited coordination and cooperation at various levels. To address this challenge, there is an urgent need for integrated, effective, and equitable management of water resources that considers the needs of all stakeholders and sectors.

IRBM offers a comprehensive approach that encompasses the sustainable use of water and land resources, environmental impacts, livelihoods, and disaster risk reduction while involving stakeholders in decision-making processes. With its strong base on the interconnected nature of water bodies across landscape and river corridors, IRBM offers an approach to address the challenges of HKH’s sectoral and siloed water resource management.