Visit to Building capabilities for green, climate resilient and inclusive Lower Koshi River Basin (HI-GRID) program sites in Dhankuta, Mohattari and Dhanusha

This event is organised by ICIMOD’s Action Area on Managing Cryosphere and Water Risks under the Strategic Group on Reducing Climate and Environment Risks and is supported by Government of Australia under the “Building capabilities for green, climate resilient and inclusive Lower Koshi River Basin” (HI-GRID) project. This field visit aims to share the progress, learnings and challenges of the HI-GRID activities and outcomes to the “Department of Foreign Affairs” (DFAT) team from the Australian Embassy.

The HI-GRID project, supported by the Australian Government, in the lower Koshi river basin is contributing to building the resilience of vulnerable communities to the impacts of climate change, particularly in the context of “Too Much Too Little”(TMTL) water issues such as floods, soil erosion, landslides and water insecurity. The project aims to promote pathways towards green, sustainable, and inclusive development by ensuring that vulnerable communities are more resilient to climate, environmental, and socio-economic risks and have access to new and alternative livelihood opportunities. The project approach aligns with the Government of Nepal’s wider green, resilient, and inclusive development framework which is also supported by development partners.

Since its inception in 2021, the project is already beginning to have some positive impacts. Its emphasis on Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI)-responsive Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) practices, nature-based solutions(NbS) for DRR, responsible tourism, and scaling up Community-Based Flood Early Warning Systems (CBFEWS)s has achieved a good head start in promoting pro-poor value chain opportunities and green enterprises that benefit the members of vulnerable communities in the project area. To achieve these specific target outcomes, the project has directly engaged with local leaders, indigenous communities, youth, people with disabilities and women within 28 selected municipalities in the project site.

The objective of the field visit is to:

• Monitor the progress, challenges and learnings of the HI-GRID activities with main focus on (1) Responsible tourism in Dhankuta and (2) Value chain enterprises development in Mohattari and Dhanusha as an alternative livelihoods solution to TMTL water issues.