The concerned authority is planning to carry out two separate broader studies with an objective to assess the situation of water in the rivers, use of water and biodiversity of rivers, among other things.
The Secretariat of Water and Energy Commission has been conducting study for the past one year regarding this issue. Similarly, the Paani Project of USAID is also planning to study various river and their importance.
The concerned stakeholders believe that the two studies will help formulate policy and Act as there is no policy and none of the agencies have carried out any study to know about the importance of specific river so far.
Speaking at a two-day program organized in Kathmandu on Thursday to take suggestions from the experts and concerned stakeholders regarding the study to be carried out by Paani Project, Joint Secretary at the Water and Energy Commission Rishi Sharma said the study is being carried out to evaluate the situation of water in the rivers, how the water is being used at present and infrastructure constructed in which rivers.
“Our project was started in 2018 and we are planning to complete the study in the next two years. The main objective is to highly use the water by conserving the environment. The study of Paani Project will play an instrumental role in formulating the policy,” he said. A separate agency will be formed with an emphasis on the river basin after the study, which will collect detail information about the rivers, Sharma added.
The constitution promulgated in 2015 has provided equal rights to federal, provincial and local government to use the rivers. That is why, conflict may occur among the three governments regarding the usage of rivers.
The Paani Project, which has been operating various projects to conserve the rivers of Nepal, is planning to carry out broader study to know the importance of rivers by incorporating various international organizations, experts and universities.
Speaking at the program, expert Jeff Opperman said the study will be centered on the local communities that have been giving priority to various aspect of the rivers.
Especially, the study will focus on biodiversity, eco system, hydropower, culture and tourism, among others.
The study will also use the findings of the study carried out by other countries. Experts, who have been working in the sector of hydropower for the past many years, will carry out the study.
The study will evaluate the energy system and conservation of various important rivers like Karnali. Especially, the rivers are being used to generate electricity and other projects. But none of the agencies have carried out study about the negative impact of projects on the rivers.
The authority has been issuing license for the construction of hydropower projects in various rivers.
Not only in the local level, the study has also not been carried out in national level to know the importance of specific river. Experts said that if the broader study is carried out, it will be clarified what kind of infrastructure should be constructed pertaining to water and what can be done to protect the rivers.
Likewise, the study will also focus on how to enhance the attempts being made for conserving the rivers. The main objective of the study is to figure out the way to reap maximum benefit from the rivers and conserve them. All the rivers can’t be conserved by adopting the same model. In conclusion, the main goal of these attempts is to assess the way to improve the quality of rivers.
