Introduction

Hindu Kush Himalayan - Flow Regimes from International Experimental and Network Data (HKH-FRIEND) project is one of eight regional groups under the FRIEND project of the UNESCO/IHP (Project 1.1: Application methods of Hydrological Analyses using Regional Data Sets). The project brings together scientists and researchers from eight countries in the Hindu-Kush Himalayan (HKH) region – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, Myanmar and Pakistan. The region, extending over 3500 km from Afghanistan in the west to Myanmar in the east, represents an important source of water for nearly 500 million people with mighty rivers such as the Indus, Ganges, Mekong and Brahmaputra all rising within the Himalayan region. Its aim is to develop a better understanding of hydrological variability and similarity across different regions through the mutual exchange of data, knowledge and techniques. Such knowledge is vital to improve practical water resource and flood design methods and in developing scenarios for environmental change. Capacity building is an important part of the project in regional countries.

Regional cooperation in hydrological research and studies is essential because many HKH rivers originate in one country and pass through neighbouring countries before reaching the ocean. The region experiences climatic extremes and contrasts, and is very active geologically. An adequate understanding of the flow regimes of this highly energized and fragile environment is extremely important in a region of increasing development and population pressures. Again transfer of hydrological models and techniques of measurement developed in the temperate region for use of the HKH mountains is difficult and could also be inappropriate. Hence, development of adequate understanding of hydrology of the HKH mountains depends very much on studies carried out in the region itself. Such studies must be based on reliable and adequate data on hydrology, meteorology and other relevant parameters. Hence, generation of such reliable data and sharing of such data among the researchers of the region are of fundamental importance. For these reasons, the HKH-FRIEND was launched formally in March 1996 with the participation of regional countries of the HKH, within the framework of International Hydrological Programme (IHP) of UNESCO.