THE SMALL EARTH NEPAL

Together We Stand for Sustainable Lifestyles

Rainwater Harvesting to Mitigate Drought in Western Nepal

Water is one of the most pressing issues the world is facing today and there are two aspects of water: deficit and deluge, which can both affect the ecosystem and livelihood in negative ways. This project is for Karnali river basin in western Nepal, which is the most vulnerable basin in Nepal to climate change and variability. The region is facing drought particularly in winter and spring, but receives abundant water during monsoon season. This project aims to identify the potential water harvesting sites for household and agricultural uses in the basin using advanced technologies of Geographic Information System (GIS) and remote sensing. It promotes the rainwater techniques making local people capable by providing techno-commercial information of rainwater harvesting system with a mobile application. The goal is to synthesize the existing data into a comprehensive knowledge system and disseminate the final product using growing Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) connections. The outcome of the research will be a valuable asset to policy makers for prioritizing resource optimization and allocation for water management and climate change adaptation.

Funding Source: Asia Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN)

Duration: 2 Years (July 2017-June 2019)

Project Leader

 Jeeban Jeeban Panthi, Research Coordinator, The Small Earth Nepal (SEN), PO Box 20533, Kathmandu, Nepal
jeeban@smallearth.org.np

Jeeban Panthi is a young researcher interested to decipher the linkage between research and their implications to people. He is interested in transferring proven technology to the end users in a way they understand and adopt to mitigate the climate impacts. Jeeban loves to identify new relationship of different environmental variables with climatic parameters. He received UNEP PROVIA Young Research Fellowship in 2016.

Collaborators

 Yadu Dr. Yadu N Pokhrel, Assistant Professor, Michigan State University
1449 Engineering Research Ct., East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
ypokhrel@egr.msu.edu

Dr. Yadu Pokhrel, a civil engineer by training, has extensive experience in multi-scale hydrological modeling, with a focus on the impacts of human activities (e.g., irrigation, reservoir operation) on the water cycle. He has previously developed global and regional hydrological models to study the changes in freshwater systems due to climate change and accelerating human activities. His ongoing works include the study of hydropower systems in the Amazon and groundwater sustainability in parts of China under projects funded by various agencies including the National Science Foundation of US.

 Fawzia Fawzia Tarannum, Lecturer and Programme Coordinator, Department of Regional Water Studies, TERI University, 10, Institutional Area, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi- 110070, India
fawzia.tarannum1@teriuniversity.ac.in

Fawzia Tarannum is an Electrical Engineer with Diploma in Business Management and has got over 18 years of experience in project management administration, marketing, human resource management, teaching and training. She has already conceptualized and executed several projects, workshops and seminars in water systems management. Her research interest includes public participation in water resource management, community based adaptation for tackling water scarcity and gender and water.

 dhirajweb Dhiraj Pradhananga, Tribhuvan University (Currently at University of Saskatchewan) 626-Bhakti Thapa Sadak, Naya Baneshwor, Kathmandu, Nepal
dhirajmet@hotmail.com

Dhiraj Pradhananga has more than twenty years of work experience in meteorology: three years as a meteorologist; and seventeen years as a lecturer, several years’ experience working with NGOs and community.