On 16 May 2024, a two-day kick-off workshop for the project “Promoting Climate Resilient and Socially Inclusive Water Management in the Lower Karnali Watershed Region, Nepal (CLASSIK)” commenced at Alice Conference, Lalitpur, Nepal. The Small Earth Nepal (SEN) with IHE Delft, Institute for Water Education, Central Department of Geology, Tribhuvan University (CDGL-TU), Tharu Women Upliftment Center (TWUC), and Karnali Integrated Rural Development and Research Center (KIRDARC) is implementing the CLASSIK project supported by Water and Development Partnership Programme of IHE Delft, The Netherlands.
The opening session of the Kick-off workshop was chaired by Dr. Dhiraj Pradhananga (President of SEN, Associate Professor of TU and Chairholder, UNESCO Chair in Mountain Water Sustainability), Dr. Jagdishwor Karamacharya (Director General, Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM)) was Chief Guest. Dr. Shreedhar Maskey (Associate Professor of Hydrology and Water Resources, Institute for Water Education, IHE Delft), Mr. Govinda Bahadur Shahi (Executive Director, KIRDARC), Ms. Prisma Singh Tharu (Executive Director, TWUC) were the special guests. 26 representatives from different institutions and journalists joined the opening session. Opening session shared the project summary to the participants highlighting its overall goal of promoting climate resilience and inclusive water management in the Lower Karnali Watershed Region.
Ms. Prisma Singh Tharu, TWUC in her remarks highlighted problems faced by indigenous women from the lower Karnali region, ranging from drinking water scarcity, lack of irrigation for agricultural activities, and climate-induced disasters like floods and droughts. She highlighted the importance of this project to help local communities in the region. Mr. Gobinda Bahadur Shahi, KIRDARC provided insights into the importance of preserving the natural state of the free-flowing Karnali River and discussed the indigenous people’s right to use natural resources. He mentioned that the project could serve as a model for promoting socially inclusive climate resilient practices. Dr. Shreedhar Maskey, IHE Delft, provided brief information about the IHE Delft and mentioned that the project has a focus on marginalized indigenous communities whose livelihood depends upon the natural ecosystem. He also emphasized that the research of the project will ultimately benefit the local communities of the Karnali region.
Chief Guest, Dr. Jagadishwor Karamacharya, Director General of DHM highlighted the need to work on building resilience to climate change and early warning systems. He also briefed about DHM’s programs and emphasized the need for balance between conservation and development.
Chairperson, Dr. Dhiraj Pradhananga, emphasized and invited the potential collaboration between different institutions to further work on the CLASSIK project. He also highlighted how this project uses the transdisciplinary method including physical science, social science and local communities. He also shared about the UNESCO Chair in Mountain Water Sustainability where he is one of the Chairholders which complements the CLASSIK project and strengthens the activities and collaboration.
CLASSIK aims to sustainably manage water resources through transformative water management policies, transdisciplinary research, knowledge expansion, education, awareness, advocacy, capacity development, and training. The duration of the project is 3.5 years till December 2027.
