An IWMI team recently returned from a basin tour in West and Far West Nepal, including a partner from Kathmandu University and researchers from the Sri Lanka and Laos offices. The team is beginning research on a three-year long project that will establish a comprehensive understanding of the water resources of the Karnali and Mahakali basins, and how they impact regional geology, ecology, economics, and gender dynamics. “Too often development projects don’t address social sustainability sufficiently,” explained Water Futures Theme Leader David Wiberg, “which is what we’re working to improve here on the ground.”

The team met with a variety of local stakeholders, from those working on the basin scale (irrigation dam, hydropower project), to the district scale (District Soil Conservation Office, development organizations), and village development committee scale (water user group, village focus group).