Pumping Stations, Dams, Hydropower
Moving water across greater distancesWater is not just physical systems
The delivery of water is not just about the construction of physical systems, but also creating suitable social and political infrastructures that can support the appropriation, management and distribution of resources to people. Creating water management systems that are environmentally sustainable and socially just requires the inclusion, participation and representation of all social layers. During May 2017, Nepal held its first local council elections in almost twenty years. At Dhulikhel, water provision to all areas of the town is a highly political issue, with candidates campaigning and competing on this issue to secure the votes of their constituents. Water politics did influence the outcome – a new mayor was elected who is committed to locally sourcing affordable water for town residents through low intervention...Stories of change along the Gandaki River
Himalayas to Ocean (H2O) is the story of communities, climate change, and the transformative power of water. In the shadow of Everest looms the threat of anthropogenic climate change, a force that stands to forever alter the confluence of people and place in the Himalayas. Himalayas to Ocean is a multimedia project and expedition. In September 2017, expedition members set out to trace the role of water from the world’s highest peaks to low-lands valleys through the places and communities most strikingly sculpted by it. Along the way, personal accounts were collected of the communities and cultures experiencing change at the water’s edge. We are an Environmental Change Institute (University of Oxford) affiliated project, and partner with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development...Kathmandus Holy River
Alberto Rey was approached to consider doing a project about the Bagmati River that flows though the middle of Kathmandu, Nepal. The Bagmati is the most sacred river in Nepal and yet it is also the most polluted. Alberto was excited about starting a new environmental project in Asia and about working with a region with several UNESCO heritage sites and a community with a rich cultural heritage. After initial discussions with professionals, museum staff and community members in Kathmandu, it was clear that there was a great deal of interest in having me starting the new project investigating the Bagmati River. Alberto was granted a residency at the Kathmandu Contemporary Arts Center a few months later, and my research began in earnest. Jason Dilworth,...Democracy in Dhulikhel
In May and June 2017, Nepal held its first local government elections since 1997, an outcome of far-reaching political changes that were galvanised by the disastrous 2015 earthquake. Our ESPA research started in Nepal in early 2014. In this period, we have observed and documented first-hand a series of under-reported and examined, yet highly contested ‘political’ elections that have been taking place for years even in the absence of a formal Municipal Council or government. These elections have been taking place within communities for the direct control and management of natural resources – and particularly of water. Over the past two decades, water’s importance as a resource across the Himalayas has grown. Local communities have had to overcome increased scarcity and consumption, as water...Impact of Climate Change on Water Resources in Five of Asia’s Major River Basins
Published by ICIMOD on 11th December 2015 The first atlas of its kind, this new publication from ICIMOD offers a comprehensive, regional understanding of the changing climate and its impact on water resources in five of the major river basins in the region: the Indus, Brahmaputra, Ganges, Salween and Mekong. CLICK HERE TO OPEN THE INTERACTIVE VERSION OF THE ATLAS The atlas shows clearly that the region’s climate, which has been changing rapidly, will continue to do so in the future, with severe consequences for populations locally and downstream. Some of the main points in the atlas include: Temperatures across the mountainous Hindu Kush Himalayan region will increase by about 1–2°C (in some places by up to 4–5°C) by 2050. Precipitation will change with...
