HI-CHAP: A portal for climate and water data visualization and access

Marking World Water Day (WWD) 2020, ICIMOD conducted a virtual launch of the HKH Climate and Hydrology Visualization and Access Portal (HI-CHAP) on 23 March 2020. The event was attended by over 80 participants, including researchers, students, and climate change experts affiliated with organizations both within the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region and beyond.

During the event, Arun Bhakta Shrestha, Regional Programme Manager, River Basins and Cryosphere, ICIMOD, shed light on WWD 2020’s global theme – “Water and climate change” – and emphasized on the intrinsic relation between climate change and resulting water impacts. Chandra Gurung Goodrich, Senior Gender Specialist and Gender Lead, ICIMOD, further spoke of the importance of collective water management actions with the inclusion of women and marginalized groups.

David Molden, Director General, ICIMOD, marked the official launch of HI-CHAP and lauded the portal on its accomplishment in organizing and making climate data from major river basins in the HKH widely accessible for visualization and download. Sudip Pradhan, Programme Coordinator, Regional Database Initiative, ICIMOD, demonstrated key features of the portal and elaborated on the significance of various data sets in different climate and hydrology contexts.

HI-CHAP is a compilation of a wide range of climate change and hydrology data across various time periods in the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra basins. It is developed through the collaborative effort of government bodies, international organizations, and policy experts including FutureWater; Utrecht University; the Netherlands Department of Hydrology and Meteorology; Ministry of Forests and Environment – National Adaptation Plan (NAP) expert team, Nepal;  and Action on Climate Today, Nepal. The dynamic portal aims to serve students, academicians, researchers, environment practitioners, and other relevant stakeholders in the region.

The event concluded with a Q&A session moderated by Santosh Nepal, Water and Climate Specialist, ICIMOD, where the ICIMOD team addressed some keen questions from the participants on the nature of the datasets, on climate models, and on the portal’s applicability.

Please find a recording of the HI-CHAP launch and demonstration here.