Kathmandu, Aug. 22: Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Biraj Bhakta Shrestha has called for preparations to deal with the El Niño crisis. He said that all concerned agencies must be prepared to cope with the drought and dry conditions expected from the impact of an exceptionally strong El Niño forecast to enter Nepal in about eight weeks.
Addressing a national seminar on Super El Niño and climate risks organised by the Water and Energy Commission Secretariat and the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology on Friday, Minister Shrestha stressed the need to remain vigilant about the serious impact El Niño, expected to be felt from October to February, could have on Nepal’s hydropower, irrigation and overall food security.
“There is a need for early warning and preparedness. Without this, farmers will suffer. But no one will remain unaffected. When farmers are unable to focus on their production, it directly affects food security. It also affects energy because most of our hydropower generation is based on run-of-river projects,” he said.
“Water is already insufficient during the dry season. What will happen if water availability declines further due to its impact? On the other hand, what can we anticipate if some of our glacial lakes melt and cause another problem? Therefore, this is a serious issue,” he said.
Minister Shrestha said that, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), there is more than a 90 per cent probability of a powerful El Niño occurring this year, with its effects expected from October to February. He said the phenomenon could affect the electricity system.
As the peak period of El Niño overlaps with Nepal’s main electricity import season from November to April, both domestic hydropower generation and electricity imports from India could be affected simultaneously, he said.
Minister Shrestha also expressed concern that most irrigation systems are dependent on the monsoon and that could result in water shortages during the dry season and potentially causing a significant decline in the production of winter crops such as wheat and barley.
According to a press statement from Minister Shrestha’s secretariat, he stressed the need to work on forecasting and preparedness. “Unlike sudden disasters, drought is a delayed disaster, so instead of announcing the damage after it has occurred, we should take advance planning and policy measures based on pre-determined criteria,” he said.
He stressed that the ministries of Energy and Agriculture should work together to combat this crisis by linking irrigation and agriculture. He said climate change was an issue that would affect future generations as well as the economy, energy sector and all other aspects of life, and urged everyone to take the sensitive issue seriously.
Minister Shrestha said that although he had been in office for only a short period, the Ministry of Energy had acted promptly to prepare for a potentially major disaster, while the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology had also made good preparations.
He called for collective efforts to address the El Niño crisis. He said the ministry had already prepared the Tarai-Madhes Drought Resilience Strategy in Jestha and had begun monitoring groundwater levels in 22 districts of the Tarai.
TRN