Back to news
20 Jun 2018 | HICAP

Government of Nepal allocates public investment to Shardu Khola as a priority national urban watershed

1 min Read

70% Complete

In 2018, the Department of Soil Conservation and Watershed Management (DSCWM) under Nepal’s Ministry of Forests and Environment listed Shardu Khola watershed in east Nepal as one of the country’s seven prominent urban watersheds. This comes as a result of four years of engagement between the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), municipalities, and the central government. The DSCWM has allocated NPR 10 million (USD 917,000) to implement low-cost, innovative watershed management solutions that were identified through research by ICIMOD and others. The DSCWM and municipal government acknowledged ICIMOD’s role in identifying the five primary investment areas in urban catchment management: a) sediment management structures; b) green technology development and implementation; c) Spring recharge and water source protection and catchment restoration; and d) study of water sources and availability.

In 2014, ICIMOD’s Himalayan Climate Change Adaptation Program (HICAP) began investigating incentive schemes and watershed management options to provide drinking water to upstream communities in the Shardu Khola watershed. Following findings that such schemes were feasible and best carried out by municipal governments, ICIMOD deepened its engagement with municipal governments and the DSCWM in 2016–17. ICIMOD’s Koshi Basin Program (KBP) and government partners established a local multi-stakeholder platform to conserve the upstream area, as the primary source of water to Dharan, and devolved responsibilities to the municipality to incentivize upstream communities to better manage the watershed.

Stay current

Stay up to date on what’s happening around the HKH with our most recent publications and find out how you can help by subscribing to our mailing list.

Sign Up

Related content

Continue exploring this topic

3 May 2016 Himalica
Farmers Learn Modern Beekeeping

Beekeeping with Apis cerana is a common practice among the pilot households in Taplejung district of Nepal. Over one-third of the households ...

8 Dec 2015 KSL
ICIMOD Partners Day in China

To continue strengthening partnerships with Chinese organisations, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Chinese Committee on ICIMOD (CNICIMOD) ...

31 Aug 2017 News
ICIMOD and UCAS Symposium on Resilience in the HKH at International Congress of Ecology

Eklabya Sharma, the Deputy Director General of ICIMOD, delivered a keynote speech at the conference. Sharma talked about the importance ...

1 Mar 2015 News
Second Workshop on Hindu Kush Himalayan Monitoring and Assessment Programme (HIMAP)

Perceiving Drivers of Change as the key global issues and trends driving change in the HKH Region, International Centre for ...

8 Oct 2018 CryoHub
CryoBrain interaction with Norwegian cryosphere expert

Kjetil Melvold, researcher at the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE), presented his ongoing research on sub-grid snow distribution ...

27 Jul 2015 HKPL
National Technical Consultation Meeting in Pakistan

ICIMOD, in collaboration with thegovernment of Kyber Pakhtunkhawa, hosted a National Technical Consultation meeting — Karakoram-Pamir-Wakhan Transboundary Conservation and Development ...

14 Jun 2018 REDD+
ICIMOD supports ICFRE in developing State REDD+ Action Plan for Uttarakhand, India

Countries seeking funds from the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) programme need to develop a National REDD+ ...