THE SMALL EARTH NEPAL

Nepal National Water and Weather Week (NNWWW) 2023 was a resounding success, concluding after a week of informative and engaging events. The event, which starts from March 17th to 23rd, featured a podcast series, knowledge forum, media interaction, and training for graduate students, among other activities.

The opening ceremony, chaired by Mr. Sushil Chandra Tiwari, Secretary of the Water and Energy Commission Secretariat (WECS), was attended by over 50 government officials, representatives from I/NGOs, academic institutions, entrepreneurs, and journalists. The chief guest of the program was Mr. Kewal Prasad Bhandari, Secretary of the National Planning Commission (NPC). Following the inauguration session, Knowledge Forum was held for the rest of the day, which engaged multi-stakeholders from the water, energy, food, and environmental sectors in discussing and addressing relevant questions related to policy, research, and practice-based knowledge sharing and learning on inclusive, climate-resilient, and sustainable water management for accelerating change in Federal Nepal.

On March 18th and 19th, a two-day online training session was held on the “Application of Geospatial Tools in Water Resource Management.” Led by Mr. Bhola Nath Dhakal, Associate Professor of the Department of Geography at Tribhuvan University, and Mr. Nirab Shrestha, this event attracted more than 50 participants, including graduate students and mid-career professionals from various institutes.

On March 20th, the National Groundwater Symposium was organized by The Small Earth Nepal (SEN) Center of Research for Environment, Energy, and Water (CREEW), Kathmandu Valley Water Supply Management Board (KVWSMB), and Ground Water Resources Development Board (GWRDB), focused on the Challenges and Opportunities for Sustainable Groundwater Resources Management in Nepal.

The fifth day of the NNWWW 2023 saw a dialogue on the “Role of Media in Communicating Science to the Public” held within the UN House premises on March 21st. Jointly organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Nepal Forum of Science Journalists (NFSJ), and SEN, this event highlighted the critical role and contribution of media in reporting water-related issues in Nepal.

To celebrate World Water Day 2023, the Water and Energy Commission Secretariat (WECS) organized a national-level thematic workshop on March 22nd. Chaired by Mr. Sushil Chandra Tiwari, Secretary of WECS, and featuring Mr. Madhav Belbase, Member of the Public Service Commission as the chief guest, the workshop provided an opportunity for participants to learn more about water resource management in Nepal.

World Meteorological Day was commemorated on March 23rd, the last day of NNWWW 2023, by organizing an educational tour to the ICIMOD Living Mountain Lab at Godawari for graduate students in collaboration with ICIMOD. Tribhuvan University and Kathmandu University students who study meteorology and environmental science attended this event.

Likewise, to celebrate the day, a program was organized at the Central Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (CDHM), Tribhuvan University (TU). It was jointly organized by SEN, Society of Hydrologists and Meteorologists (SoHAM), and CDHM, TU. The program was chaired by Prof. Dr. Hari Krishna Shrestha, Chairperson, SoHAM, and Prof. Suresh Raj Chalise, Advisor, SEN graced the event as a chief guest. Prof. Tek Bahadur, CDHM, Prof. Deepak Aryal, and Dr. Archana Shrestha, Deputy Director General, Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM) graced the event as special guests. There were 3 presentations related to climate, weather, and climate-induced disasters delivered by Mr. Gobinda Jha, Meteorologist, DHM, Dr. Binod Pokhrel, CDHM, and Ms. Nicky Shree Shrestha, Program Development Coordinator, SEN.