Opportunities for strengthening sediment monitoring in Nepal

Organisers: International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate, and International Centre for Hydropower

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About the workshop

In collaboration with the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE), we produced a report describing the status and challenges of sediment monitoring in Nepal and exploring opportunities for better coordination of sediment monitoring in large watercourses in Nepal. To highlight the findings of the report and recommendations for further work, ICIMOD and NVE, together with the International Centre for Hydropower (ICH), are organising a half-day workshop on 8 November 2022. The workshop will bring together stakeholders from the government, hydropower sector, and academia working on sediment monitoring in Nepal and initiate further discussions among stakeholders leading to relevant and joint follow-up activities for a long-term strategy for sediment monitoring. Discussions will cover the status and challenges related to the monitoring, analysis, management, and use of sediment-related data.

Objectives

• Bring together relevant stakeholders interested in sediment-related issues and discuss status and recommendations for strengthening long-term sediment monitoring in large watercourses in Nepal
• Share experiences and good practices in sediment measurement methods and explore the use of the data for a broad purpose
• Discuss opportunities for future collaboration and synergies for a long-term sediment monitoring system

Background

The rivers in Nepal are known for their high sediment load. However, this high sediment load presents multiple challenges, especially to sustainable hydropower development. Hence, there is a need for long-term data to understand sediment dynamics in the design of sustainable hydropower projects and for improved decision making. Over the years, interest in developing seasonal reservoirs in new hydropower projects in Nepal has increased due to the lack of dry season energy provided by existing hydropower projects. This requires a better understanding of sediment transport processes in all rivers, including identifying the differences among rivers across time as sediment transport has increased due to changing land use and climate factors. Analysis and research related to erosion and sedimentation in the river basins of Nepal is also important for future applications. In addition to the hydropower sector, better understanding of sediment and sediment transport in rivers is necessary for other sectors such as agriculture, river navigation, flood alleviation, road and bridge construction, land use, and water.

Our collaboration on monitoring sediment in Nepal started with a workshop in ICIMOD in 2019, which aimed to fully understand the extent of challenges posed by sedimentation. As a result of the workshop, we have developed a report. This work and the report are part of the joint the Snow Accumulation and Melt Process (SnowAMP) Project II between ICIMOD and NVE.

Tentative agenda