A Community of Practice for water modeling in Nepal

By Saurav Pradhananga, Santosh Nepal, Mamata Aryal, and Dinesh Parajuli

Nepal faces severe environmental challenges that threaten ecosystems and the livelihoods of people. Climate change is aggravating water scarcity, food insecurity, energy deficits, and ecosystem degradation. However, hydrological models and other hydro-meteorological tools hold the potential to inform policy and practice to address interlinked challenges across the water, energy, food, and environmental sectors.

Models to aid decision making

Hydrological models simulate interactions between precipitation, surface runoff, groundwater flow, and other factors, offering valuable insights into hydrological regimes and assessing climate change impacts. In data-limited regions like Nepal, these models provide cost-effective solutions for water-use planning, basin management, policy development, and impact assessment. They support critical decision-making processes, such as flood forecasting, drought management, hydropower generation, and agricultural water management, and help stakeholders understand the complex interactions in the water, energy, food, and ecosystems (WEFE) nexus.

Nepal has made progress in promoting the holistic management of resources to account for WEFE interactions. Multiple national strategies and policies addressing climate change, agricultural development, and water resources have been devised. These draw on integrated water resources management, and policies such as the 2019 Irrigation Master Plan and the River Basin and Hydropower Development Master Plans are based on outputs from hydrological models.

Establishing a Community of Practice in Nepal

A systematic learning process and platform for such modeling tools can foster a collaborative community that not only enhances the exchange and refining of knowledge, but also facilitates the integration of modeling outcomes into decision-making processes.

In this spirit, in November 2023 the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), with the Water Resources Research and Development Centre (WRRDC) and the Centre for Water Resources Studies (CWRS), Institute of Engineering, Tribhuvan University, established a Community of Practice (CoP) for water modeling in Nepal. Creating a CoP was a goal of the CGIAR Initiative on NEXUS Gains, which seeks to minimize trade-offs and maximize synergies within WEFE systems, particularly in vulnerable transboundary river basins.

The CoP has 25 members (40 percent of whom are women) from key government, academic, and non-governmental institutions in Nepal. It serves as a collaborative platform for professionals to exchange knowledge and ideas. Participants include representatives from the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, Tribhuvan University, Water Resources Research and Development Center, Water and Energy Commission Secretariat and the Department of Water Resources and Irrigation. Communication also takes place via a WhatsApp group, enhancing information sharing and networking among members.

The CoP focuses on building the capacity of water professionals in Nepal’s WEFE sectors to effectively use integrated modeling tools. It thus supports informed decision making that enhances resilience and supports development goals. Since its inception, the CoP has engaged members through capacity-building activities, including a one-day refresher training on the J2000 hydrological model in April 2024 and a three-day residential training on the SWAT+ hydrological model in August 2024. In the residential training, participants learned about model setup, calibrating, validating, and optimizing through a dedicated hands-on exercise for a sub-watershed of the Karnali Basin in the far west of the country.

The series of modeling workshops has not only strengthened the capacity of participants, but also encouraged expansion into the next generation of practitioners. Dr. Suresh Marahatta, Assistant Professor at Tribhuvan University’s Central Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (CDHM) has proposed the provision of SWAT+ training to master’s-level students and the integration of the tool into the curriculum. As part of its collaboration with CDHM, IWMI conducted a first three-day training on the hydrological model in November 2024, building the capacity of 13 students (including five women) on model setup, calibration, and validation. Two of the participants will be incorporating the SWAT+ model into their thesis work in the Karnali Basin. As a new open-source tool with enhanced accessibility and usability, SWAT+ will thus equip future professionals with the skills needed to address climate change and water resource management challenges.

A much-needed forum for the future

The CoP is not only enhancing technical expertise among its members but also fostering a collaborative environment for stakeholders to share knowledge and best practices. Such a network is invaluable in Nepal, where few spaces exist for actors in these sectors to collaborate, particularly given the critical need to holistically manage water and natural resources in a changing climate and socio-economic context. In December 2024, for example, the CoP plans to conduct foresight analyses on the impacts of climate change on water resources and water-dependent sectors.

By strengthening connections between government and non-government actors, and breaking down silos, the CoP can facilitate the adoption of context-specific strategies that boost the resilience of WEFE systems across the region. Through cooperation and innovation, it will strengthen Nepal’s ability to respond to climate change, paving the way to a sustainable future.

Saurav Pradhananga is Senior Research Officer – Climate Change and Hydrology, IWMI; Santosh Nepal is Researcher – Water Resources and Climate Change, IWMI; Mamata Aryal is Consultant Researcher, IWMI; Dinesh Parajuli is Senior Divisional Engineer, Department of Water Resources and Irrigation (previously at the Water Resources Research and Development Center).

This work was carried out under the CGIAR Initiative on NEXUS Gains, which is grateful for the support of CGIAR Trust Fund contributors: www.cgiar.org/funders

Header image: Participants during the three-day residential training on the SWAT+ hydrological model in Nepal in August 2024. Photo by Santosh Nepal/IMWI.