2LT Local News
Rippling progress: Nepal, Australia collaborate on water resource management
Dec 6, 2023
KATHMANDU, Nepal – On November 23, Kathmandu hosted the first Nepal-Australia Joint Advisory Committee (JAC) meeting under a new Memorandum of Understanding on Water Resource Management.
The meeting was co-chaired by Sushil Chandra Tiwari, Secretary of the Water and Energy Commission Secretariat, and Felicity Volk, Australia’s Ambassador to Nepal.
On Monday, the Australian embassy stated that the JAC provides a platform for bilateral engagement in mutually beneficial areas such as river basin planning and governance, the energy-water nexus, spring shed revitalization, hydrometeorology, climate change, and disaster risk reduction.
The meeting approved a joint work program that included the Kamala River Basin Action Plan, support for the Nepal Basin Information System, modeling of Pokhara and Tulsipur’s water sources to determine the efficient allocation of water for commercial and domestic use, and a training package for federal and provincial officials on integrated river basin management, drawing on Australia’s basin planning and management experience.
According to the statement, the six-week training programme is set to begin in January 2024.
According to the embassy, JAC members included Director Generals from the departments of Electricity Development, Hydrology and Meteorology, and Water Resources and Irrigation, as well as representatives from Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development.
Dr Jane Doolan, a Member of Australia’s Murray Darling Basin Authority, and Simon Krohn (member of the Australian Water Partnership) presented on Australia’s water and energy reform challenges.
During the week, they participated in a variety of public engagements, including a guest lecture at the Institute of Engineering’s Department of Water Resources Development, a policy seminar with the Independent Power Producers Association Nepal and the Department of Electricity Development, and an appearance on a podcast hosted by Policy Entrepreneurs Inc. (PEI).
