Promoting climate-smart livelihoods in the Far-Eastern Himalayan Landscape

Incubation centre established for R&D of the brick sector in Nepal

Brick entrepreneurs in Nepal can now test soil properties and the calorific value of coal, thereby enabling energy and resource efficient brick production. This has been made possible through the establishment in October 2019 of a brick sector incubation centre and laboratory in Lalitpur. The Federation of Nepal Brick Industries (FNBI) invested in the physical infrastructure and ICIMOD supported procurement of the equipment for testing and research and development (R&D).

Draft FABKA roadmap highlights future as an independent legal entity

Following the ratification of the Constitution of the Federation of Asian Brick Kiln Associations (FABKA) by brick kiln association presidents of member countries in June 2019, a FABKA Secretariat was established in Kathmandu in October 2019. This formal institutionalization enables this important body to efficiently operate as a collective platform for brick makers in South Asia to share and exchange knowledge, technologies, and good practices related to the brick industry.

Building air quality monitoring skills within the HKH to ensure reliable data generation

Rising emissions of air pollutants from urban, industrial, and rural sources have affected the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region over recent decades. This raises concerns about deteriorating air quality, impacts on health and visibility, changes in atmospheric heating and cooling, as well as changes in cloud microphysics and monsoon strength and timing. Moreover, particulate pollution is increasing above the Tibetan Plateau, light-absorbing substances are being deposited onto snow and ice surfaces, and there is accelerated melting of the Himalayan cryosphere.

Adopting a flagship species approach to conserve biodiversity and habitats in the Hindu Kush Himalaya

Flagship species are effective ambassadors for conservation, drawing much needed attention to a habitat, campaign or environmental cause. Highlighting the conservation of such species in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) through a regional collaborative effort could support biodiversity conservation efforts across the region.

Experts from riparian countries discuss regional cooperation and strategic direction for the Upper Indus Basin Network

The transboundary Indus River basin serves as an important source of water for human consumption, agriculture, energy production, and industrial use for about 268 million people in the region. Rapidly changing demographics and climatic conditions are placing great stress on this resource and are likely to affect upstream and downstream populations, especially in the Upper Indus Basin (UIB). The Upper Indus Basin Network (UIBN) was accordingly formed in 2012 to foster higher coordination among institutions and researchers working on climate, cryosphere, water, hazards, vulnerability, and adaption in the UIB. As a knowledge and research network, the UIBN is committed to effectively dealing with climate change effects on water resources and strengthening upstream–downstream linkages.

Himalayan large black cardamom: Geographical indication key to developing value chain in the Kangchenjunga Landscape

Large black cardamom is a high-value cash crop integral to the livelihoods of farmers in the Eastern Himalayan region, including eastern Nepal, Sikkim and parts of Darjeeling, West Bengal, in India, and southern Bhutan. Because the conditions in Kangchenjunga Landscape are very suited to large black cardamom production, farmers in this region can market this niche crop to demand high prices in local and international markets.

Towards data-driven hydropower development in Nepal

Countries in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region have been endowed with immense hydropower generation potential, but the changing climate and consequent changes in the hydrological regime pose grave questions regarding the future of sustainable hydropower development. The dearth of hydrological data, among other things, is a major impediment to harnessing the full potential of available resources in the region.

The KDKH’s transboundary working group to study impacts of GLOF events in the Koshi basin

In June 2019, a study that used declassified military satellite data showed that a staggering 8 billion tonnes of ice were melting each year in the Himalaya.

Training Afghanistan’s water sector professionals in integrated river basin management

The Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM) concept is being widely adopted because it provides a holistic approach to river basin management. IRBM takes into consideration not just the water within the river system but also the management, sustainable use, and environmental impacts of water and land resources for livelihoods, as well as disaster risk reduction and management of water-related hazards.

Brick sector partnership enhances state of knowledge on science, technology, and policy in Nepal and South Asia

ICIMOD and the Federation of Nepal Brick Industries (FNBI) organized a concluding event to share the outcomes of the Adoption of Cleaner Brick Production project (2018–2019), funded by the Department for International Development (DFID) and implemented by ICIMOD. The project’s interventions have made the Nepal brick industry more energy efficient and environment and worker friendly, enhanced knowledge and adoption of improved technologies, influenced brick sector policies, and worked to improve the social and working conditions in brick kilns.

Our biodiversity, our food, our health

Agricultural biodiversity is essential to ensuring food security, nutrition, and human wellbeing. The diversity in crops and livestock seen today is the result of thousands of years of human intervention. Agrobiodiversity is integral to making farming systems more stable, prosperous, and sustainable.

Third UIBN–AC meeting commits to strengthening research collaboration in the Upper Indus basin

A science-based regional platform like the Upper Indus Basin Network (UIBN) can play an important role in helping understand present and future water availability, demand, and hazards and develop solutions for various stakeholders. It can also foster coordination among researchers working in the region to share their experiences, knowledge, and understanding to be able to effectively deal with the effects of climate change on the water resources and address upstream–downstream linkages.

Training on hydrological modelling using JAMS/J2000 enhances Afghan expertise in hydrological dynamics and water availability assessment

A training workshop on hydrological modelling using JAMS/J2000 was held from 25 October to 4 November 2018 in New Delhi, India, for professionals and academics from Afghanistan. It focused on hydrological processes and modelling and applying the J2000 hydrological model in the Panjshir catchment of the Kabul River sub-basin.

Sediment management for sustainable hydropower development in Nepal

Hydropower generation is a viable base upon which economies could flourish in the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region, but excessive sediment loads in rivers and reservoir sedimentation pose a major challenge in operationalizing and maintaining sustainable hydropower plants. “There is no doubt that sedimentation has to be the main agenda for sustainable development in the hydropower sector,” concurs Sailesh Chitrakar, Senior Researcher at Kathmandu University’s Turbine Testing Lab. “Sedimentation impacts production and shuts down turbines, resulting in higher costs through frequent maintenance and repair costs”.

A more efficient brick sector through collaboration and mitigation actions

ICIMOD concluded two key regional meetings in Bangkok aimed at planning collective actions for cleaner and more sustainable brick production in South Asia. Brick entrepreneurs from the region came together for the third Federation of South Asian Brick Kilns Association (FABKA) meeting on 18 and 19 June 2019 to strengthen the association, which was formed in February 2018, and outline its regional approach towards improving the brick sector.

E-Paath and E-Paathshala classes for brick workers’ children at Dhading school

Brick workers, both women and men, face numerous vulnerabilities without any form of social protection. The seasonal migration that this work entails has resulted in the exclusion of generations of workers’ children from formal schooling systems – trapped in a vicious circle of relocation and subsistence livelihoods. Yet, investments in the living and working conditions of women and men brick workers can enable mutual benefits for all involved in this sector.

Reassessing Tsho Rolpa glacial lake

Tsho Rolpa is a large, potentially dangerous glacial lake in Nepal that has been the subject of extensive research and monitoring for decades, with the Government of Nepal even placing it on its priority list in 1997. By 2000, mitigation activities had successfully reduced the lake’s level by 3 m, but the threat of an outburst still looms. The lake has been consistently expanding over the last 60 years and now encompasses an area of 1.6 km2, which roughly translates to around 148 standard-sized football fields. Studies have documented a 3.3% increase in the lake’s area from 2010 to 2015. An outburst flood would be catastrophic for downstream communities.

Partnering with private enterprise and communities to manage flood risk

Disasters are an unavoidable aspect of life in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH). Floods account for a third of these disasters and cause great loss to lives and livelihoods, destroy infrastructure and disrupt basic services. Community based flood early warning system (CBFEWS) is an integrated system of tools and plans to detect and respond to flood emergencies.

Code of conduct being formalized for gender and social inclusion in the brick sector

A national consultation workshop on a social Code of Conduct (CoC) for Nepal’s brick sector was held in Kathmandu on 28–29 June 2019. Participants from across the country including the president – Mahendra Bahadur Chitrakar – and programme steering committee members of the Federation of Nepal Brick Industries (FNBI) gathered to discuss and develop a way forward on the draft CoC. Representatives from 24 district brick associations, which included 19 district presidents and five province-level focal coordinators, also attended the workshop.

Fourth regional hands-on training on community-based flood early warning systems

Floods and flash floods in the Hindu Kush Himalaya cause considerable loss of lives and property, particularly during the monsoon. To address such flood risks and enhance the resilience of vulnerable communities, ICIMOD and its partner organizations have initiated community-based flood early warning systems (CBFEWS). A CBFEWS is an integrated community-managed system of tools and plans that detects and responds to flood emergencies. ICIMOD has developed a people-centric CBFEWS that emphasizes four essential elements of early warning systems: risk knowledge and scoping, community-based monitoring and early warning, dissemination and communication, and response capability and resilience.

Combining top–down and bottom–up: Designing a watershed management plan for Dhankuta Municipality

Dhankuta Municipality has adopted a proactive, solution-oriented approach to water governance, with particular focus on sustainable use of resources and improvement of livelihoods. The municipality had been addressing its annual water scarcity on ad hoc basis. The local government and the Watershed Management Office (WMO) are in the midst of preparing a watershed management plan that will improve the overall health of the watershed and year-round distribution of improved quality and quantity of drinking water without compromising irrigation demands. ICIMOD has been involved in this process from an early stage, providing technical support in the formulation of this plan following a request from local government and community members. In February 2019, a multidisciplinary team from ICIMOD conducted a preliminary field survey that both social and biophysical aspects through focus group discussion, key informant survey, and spring mapping.

South–South learnings for future collaboration in air quality and health research in the HKH

A two-day workshop on air pollution has built a platform for stakeholders from the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region to come together and share knowledge on air pollution and health, promoting collaboration and related research. The regional workshop on “Air pollution and health in Nepal and the HKH” – organized from 13 to 14 June 2019 by ICIMOD and the University of Nottingham – helped share existing knowledge, identify research gaps, and facilitate South–South learning from elsewhere in the HKH.

Bhutan’s first training on Google Earth Engine

The Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform is increasingly finding acceptance across academic, business, non-profit, and government users for scientific analysis and visualization of geospatial datasets in the region. Accordingly, ICIMOD supported the National Center for Hydrology and Meteorology (NCHM), Royal Government of Bhutan, in organizing Bhutan’s first GEE training in June 2019.

Hindu Kush Himalaya Assessment Discussed at 2019 UN High-Level Political Forum

The Permanent Mission of Nepal to the United Nations in New York and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) organized a side event entitled, ‘Impacts of Climate Change on the Mountains’ on the sidelines of the 2019 High-Level Political Forum at the United Nations Headquarters in New York today.

Understanding of glaciers’ health calls for precise estimations of ice losses into water equivalent

Glaciers in the upper Indus supply more than half of the river water and are experiencing significant melting. There is much discussion on the recent melting rate, which involves considerable uncertainties. A recent study reported one of these uncertainties to be caused by density assumptions for volume-to-mass change conversion, hindering estimations of precise glacier mass change.

Bucking the trend: Glaciers in Astore Basin have remained stable in recent times

A recently conducted research on the glaciers in the Astore basin in the northwestern Himalaya found that they follow a similar trend to the glaciers of the Karakoram, where glaciers have remained stable since the early 21st century. The study estimated the current behaviour of glaciers in the northwestern Himalaya in situ using differential Global Positioning System (dGPS) and remote-sensing data.

In conversation with a climate leader

Bindu Bhandari, currently working in the Knowledge Management and Communications unit at ICIMOD, was recognized as one of the “25 female climate leaders shaping 2019” by the renowned British environmental magazine The Ecologist.

Hydrological modelling in the Panjshir catchment

Climate change impacts can affect many aspects of mountain environments, which in turn affect life downstream, from irrigation and food to hydropower and industry. Hydrological models can help plan for climate change impacts on water resources by providing insight into different parts of the hydrological cycle. This, in turn, can help planners and policy makers take informed decisions for the planning and management of water resources.

Regional Cooperation for Tourism Development: High-Level Dialogue on Promoting India–Nepal Cross-Border Tourism, Trade, and Industry

The event was attended by high-profile dignitaries and key stakeholders from both countries representing government agencies, diplomatic missions, intergovernmental organizations, the private sector, academic institutions, and civil society.