THE SMALL EARTH NEPAL

The Nepal National Water and Weather Week (NNWWW)-2024 was inaugurated on March 17, 2024 at Hotel Himalaya, Lalitpur. This marked the launch of a week-long program of NNWWW, which is organized every year to celebrate World Water Day and World Meteorological Day, and led by the Water and Energy Commission Secretariat (WECS), the Government of Nepal with different partner organizations working towards water and related sectors. The theme for World Water Day (2024) is “Leveraging water for peace,” and for World Meteorological Day (2024) is “At the Frontline of Climate Action”. The NNWWW- inauguration program was chaired by Mr. Kalanidhi Poudyal, Joint Secretary, WECS, and had over 69 participants from various organizations, including government, I/NGOs, academic institutions, entrepreneurs, and journalists.

Mr. Mahendra Bahadur Gurung, Advisor, The Small Earth Nepal (SEN) welcomed participants and highlighted the background of the NNWWW and its initiation in 2009, its continuation and the importance of water for different aspects. A panel discussion was held to gain insights on issues and challenges of water resources management at the local level. Panelists representing the municipalities of Lahan, Mahabu, and Godawari deliberated on the challenges encountered by water management programs in Godawari, Terai region, and Dailekh. The major challenges discussed were scarcity of water, over exploitation of chure region and lack of coordination among the province, local and state level government for addressing these challenges. The exchange of ideas encompassed a comprehensive range of subject matters, including water conservation, sanitation, and water supply, among others.

Mr. Poudyal in his closing remarks highlighted the need for collaborative efforts of all three levels of government: federal, provincial and local for the management of water resources in the changing contexts. Additionally, he opined the need for institutional reform and policy updates. He was hopeful that the state level government will collaborate with province and local level governments in the coming days, and thanked all the organizers for the continuous collaboration in NNWWW since 2009.

The inauguration session was followed by a Multi-Stakeholder Knowledge Forum “Transformative Actions for Inclusive and Sustainable Water Management in Nepal” organized by International Water Management Institute (IWMI), The Small Earth Nepal (SEN), WaterAid and SNV. The forum comprised a technical session on “Inclusive and Sustainable Water Management,” two panel discussions on “Improving Water Governance at the Local Level” and “Transformative Actions for Improving Water Security in a Climate Crisis.” The major discussions were on challenges faced in the WASH sector, interlinkage of climate change and water management, role being played by government, NGOs and private organizations in research related to water security and climate change and the role of youths in addressing water related issues activities.

Finally, the knowledge forum concluded with takeaways and remarks from IWMI Nepal, SEN, and SNV Nepal.