Collaborative learning for effective watershed management: Planning and implementation for Lal Bakaiya Watershed

Background

ICIMOD’s Action Area on Managing Cryosphere and Water Risks, part of the Strategic Group on Reducing Climate and Environmental Risks, is organizing a co-learning visit for stakeholders from the Lal Bakaiya Watershed (LBW) Area to the Nibuwa-Tankhuwa Watershed Area, as part of the HI-GRID project supported by the Government of Australia.

ICIMOD developed the Nibuwa-Tankhuwa Watershed Management Plan (NTWMP) for Dhankuta after receiving the request from Dhankuta Municipality. The planning initiated in 2017 and was finalized and handed over to the local governments i.e Dhankuta Municipality and Chhathar Jorpati Rural Municipality in 2021. Since then, ICIMOD and the local governments have been working together to implement the plan and explore sustainable tourism options. The success of the plan is evident at some sites, where water recharge, soil erosion control, runoff management, and ecosystem services are effectively addressed. ICIMOD has established two pilot sites in the area where these activities are carried out with scientific support.

Under the HI-GRID project, the approach used in the NTWMP is being applied to the Lal Bakaiya Watershed Area. On August 14-15, 2024, ICIMOD, in coordination with local governments and partners, held an inception workshop in Hetauda to kickstart the Lal Bakaiya Watershed Management Plan (LBWMP). This plan will use a combination of scientific evidence and strategic interventions to address water-related challenges in the Lal Bakaiya area, filling a gap left by the BRCRN project, which did not include this river system.

The co-learning visit aims to help local governments and partners learn from the NTWMP. This visit will allow Dhankuta’s local partners to exchange practical knowledge on developing watershed management plans. The itinerary is designed to help Hi-GRID partners from Rautahat, Bara, Makwanpur and Dhankuta understand the local challenges and adaptation measures in different watersheds. This collaborative experience is intended to provide insights that can be applied to their own regions, supporting the overall goals of the HI-GRID project. 

Objectives

The overarching objective of the co-learning visit is to increase the awareness of HI-GRID project partners from the Lal Bakaiya Watershed area about the watershed management planning process, field surveys, and the interventions implemented in the Nibuwa-Tankhuwa watersheds. Additionally, participants from the LBW area will have the opportunity to share their practical experiences and learn about the approaches adopted by local governments, which could potentially be scaled to both sites.

Expected outcomes

The visit is expected to deepen the understanding of the management planning process for creating better and more sustainable watersheds. Participants will have the opportunity to see firsthand how dried springs can be revived. This experience will also provide insights into how local governments contribute to both the planning and implementation phases of watershed management.