Background
Every year on March 22nd and 23rd, the world celebrates World Water Day (WWD) and World Meteorological Day (WMD) respectively. A week-long program of events known as Nepal National Water and Weather Week (NNWWW) is being celebrated every year. Each year, the themes for WWD and WMD vary. In 2024, the chosen themes are “Leveraging water for peace” for WWD and “At the frontline of climate action” for WMD. Thus, the awareness and advocacy amidst the changing climate scenarios help to create an urgent need for climate action.
Since 2009, the Water and Energy Commission Secretariat (WECS), Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM) and the other related organizations of the Government of Nepal, and The Small Earth Nepal (SEN) have collaborated to establish NNWWW, a national network of water and climate stakeholders honoring WWD and WMD, as a means of bringing all water stakeholders together on a common platform and starting a dialogue on water and weather-related issues. Over 45 organizations from the public and business sectors, academia, youth-led organizations, and government and non-governmental agencies participate in the NNWWW. Since its inception, SEN has functioned as the secretariat for NNWWW. The occasion provides a forum for exchanging ideas, addressing various weather- and water-related concerns, and developing potential policy solutions.
Objectives
NNWWW aims to celebrate WWD and WMD jointly in Nepal by engaging in policy discussions, research studies, seminars, advocacy events, and public awareness campaigns over a week. NNWWW aims to raise awareness about sustainable water management, foster discussions on water-related issues in Nepal, and unite organizations under the proposed Nepal Water Forum to serve as the government’s water focal point, bridging gaps between national organizations for a sustainable water future.
Activities on Water and Weather Week
| Date | Activities |
|---|---|
| March 17 |
NNWWW 2024 opening |
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Knowledge Forum on transformative actions for inclusive water management in a federal context |
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Training on Flood Data Analysis; Day 1 |
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| March 18 |
Groundwater Symposium: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF GROUNDWATER |
| Training on Flood Data Analysis; Day 2 | |
| March 19 |
Empowering Women in Water & Climate Solutions: QGIS and Geospatial Analysis: Day 1 |
| March 20 |
Empowering Women in Water & Climate Solutions: QGIS and Geospatial Analysis: Day 2 |
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Launch event for River Basin Assessment Reports (Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra). |
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Pani Satsang (Water Discourse Series) titled “Nepal Dry Winter Dilemma: Navigating Food Security and Ecosystem Preservation Amidst Water Scarcity.” |
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20th Transboundary Flood Early Warning Simulation in Parshuram Dham Mandir area, Bank of Mahakali River |
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| March 21 |
National Symposium on Cryosphere ( Warm-up Celebration to the International Year of Glaciers from 2025). |
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National Level Learning Sharing Workshop on Early Warning System |
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Mahakali Basin Mayors conference |
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| March 22 |
National Workshop Celebrating World Water Day |
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Launch of UN World Water Development Report (WWDR) ‘Leveraging Water for Peace and Prosperity’ |
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Rafting as the tool for Transboundary Water Cooperation |
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| March 23 |
Understanding Weather and Climate: Insights from Living Mountain Lab, ICIMOD; Celebrating World Meteorological Day |
