Capacity building of community resource persons on hydrogeological mapping for reviving springs

About the event

We are organising a five-day residential training to develop a pool of trained Community Resource Persons (CRPs) capable for conducting field-based hydrogeological assessments to identify recharge areas – a key step in springshed management. The training brings over 20-25 CRPs who have been actively engaged in spring inventory work across seven municipalities in Kavrepalanchok district of Nepal during 2023 and 2024.

The event is supported by ICIMOD’s Himalayan Resilience Enabling Action Programme, funded by the United Kingdom International Development.

Objectives:

The specific objectives are to:

• Train selected CRPs in hydrogeological assessment.

• Create a skilled workforce capable of identifying recharge areas supporting spring revival efforts.

Outcomes

• Kavre district developed as a learning hub on Gender Equality and Social Inclusive (GESI) responsive and collaborative springshed management with active involvements of local communities and local governments.
• CRPs equipped with skills and knowledge to support local municipalities to revive critical springs with minimum external support.

Background

In the Kavrepalanchok district of Nepal, ICIMOD is implementing GESI-responsive springshed management as a nature-based solution through a co-implementation approach involving four urban and three rural municipalities with support from the HI-REAP programme.  One of key outputs of HI-REAP is to co-develop Namobuddha and other Kavre municipalities as a learning hub on nature based solution for water, particularly springshed management. This entails activities such as strengthening capacities of local communities and local governments in implementing the six-step protocol for spring revival.

Building on this approach, we have actively engaged local women, men and youth inventorisation of springs in Kavrepalanchok district. With the participation of 150 citizen scientists from seven municipalities of the district, HI-REAP successfully mapped 5,689 water sources, including 5,168 springs and 521 ponds, across 743 square kilometres over a period of eight months (October 2023–June 2024).  The spring inventory map, which analyses source status in relation to flow trend, active sources, ownership and management communities with women in leadership roles has been documented and shared to enhance awareness and trigger investment.

To advance this process, we have planned to develop a pool of para-hydrogeologists within each municipality to support the hydrogeological mapping of springs for identifying recharge areas – one of the critical springshed management planning and implementation steps.  By enhancing local capacities, we want to empower communities to take ownership of spring revival work across Kavrepalanchok.