KATHMANDU, SEP 25 –
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $23.5 million grant from the Strategic Climate Fund for a project that will ensure water supply to about 45,000 households.
The project is one of five components of Nepal’s Strategic Program for Climate Resilience.
“This is the first large-scale intervention by ADB in watershed management in Nepal,” said Cindy Malvicini, Senior Water Resources Specialist with ADB’s South Asia Department.
“We expect the lessons from this project will influence the ways in which rural water supply and irrigation projects are designed elsewhere.”
The project will work in watersheds in six districts in the Far-Western Development Region — Achham, Baitaidi, Bajhang, Bajura, Dadeldhura, and Doti — which depend on agriculture but are already suffering water shortages.
Under the project, better water management and storage will be implemented through some 100 community subprojects, which will rehabilitate and protect the areas around water sources in order to improve the yield of those sources.
They may also build water collection ponds and drinking water tanks to storage water during dry months.
The project will also educate communities on water conservation practices, including micro-irrigation, methods for maintaining soil moisture in agriculture, grazing and fodder management, and ways to regenerate vegetative cover.
The executing agency is the Department of Soil Conservation and Watershed Management.
On top of ADB’s funding, the Nordic Development Fund will provide up to $4.63 million in complementary technical assistance, and the Government of Nepal will provide $1.94 million. The project is due for completion in 2020.
Source : The Kathmandu Post
