A broad stakeholder meeting was held on 20th January 2020 at Water and Energy Commission Secretariat (WECS) meeting hall, Singadurbar, Kathmandu to kick start the preparation for Nepal National Water and Weather Week (NNWWW) for 2020. The main purpose of the meeting was to discuss the possible support, collaboration and proposed activities to celebrate NNWWW-2020. Mr. Sagar Kumar Rai, Joint Secretary (officiating secretary), WECS chaired the meeting session.
NNWWW has successfully made a mark on the environmental calendar of Nepal since its inception more than a decade ago. This year NNWWW will mark its 12th annual milestone by organizing a week-long celebration from March 17-23, 2020. This event has gained adequate attention from the government, non-government national and international organizations by providing a platform for different organizations to collaborate and address the pressing issues in the sector of water and weather.
Er. Mahendra Bahadur Gurung, Executive Director, The Small Earth Nepal (SEN) highlighted the theme of World Water Day (WWD) “Water and Climate Change” and of World Meteorological Day (WMD) “Climate and Water”. Er. Gurung briefly shared the proposed pre-week activities along with week-long activities scheduled for 17 to 23 March. Er. Gurung explained that the objectives of the week-long program included discussion on water-related issues focusing on water and sustainable water resources in Nepal, to make aware related stakeholders, from policymakers to general public on the importance of sustainable management of water, and to bring together the organizations and institutions working in water and environment sectors in a single platform.
An organizing committee was formed under the chairmanship of WECS and all other government- and non-government organizations as members. And SEN will continue to working as a Secretariat like in the previous years.
The Meeting finalized the Nepali translation of the themes of WWD and WMD, which read as “जल तथा जलवायु परिवर्तन“ and “पानी र जलवायु “ respectively.
The participating organizations in the Meeting included Jalsroth Vikash Sanstha (JVS), Water Aid Nepal, USAID PAANI program, National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC), International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Smart Phone for Water(S4W), Nepal River Conservation Trust (NRCT), Center of Research for Environment, Energy, and Water (CREEW) from non-government organizations’ sector. They have expressed their willingness to collaborate with WECS to celebrate NNWWW-2020. Joint Secretaries Mr. Kalanidhi Paudel and Mr. Shishir Koirala had responded to certain questions and curiosities from the participants.
The participating organizations provided valuable inputs for the activities for NNWWW-2020. Mr. Sagar Kumar Rai on his closing remarks appreciated the concerted initiatives and suggested that the success and effectiveness of the week-long program rest on the active participation and partnership of all related organizations and institutions.
