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Restoring the flow of life in a changing climate

Improving ecosystem resilience in the mountains of Nepal

June 22^nd, 2015

Nepal’s water resources in a changing climate

The Panchase mountain ecosystem links the highlands of the Annapurna Himalaya range with Nepal’s foot hills downstream, and is a major source of water for nearly the entire population living in the three districts of Kaski, Parbat and Syangja. Water scarcity, however, is an increasingly serious problem facing rural communities in Nepal. In the Panchase region, natural springs are the primary water source for rural areas, but these natural water sources are being increasingly threatened by climate change and other human activities.

According to meteorological data, precipitation patterns in the Panchase region have shown a marked shift in the past few decades, with more intense monsoonal rains, coupled with a decrease in rainy winter days. The monsoon season is also becoming increasingly unpredictable. As a result, it is more difficult for farmers to make informed choices about when to plant or harvest their crops. Most people in Panchase region are subsistence farmers, and dependence on rain-fed agriculture is the norm. Exacerbating these challenges is an increase in development activities, frequently carried out without proper planning and environmental impact assessments. As a result, the traditional water sources upon which so many people depend, are being disturbed, degraded, and in some cases destroyed, along with the associated ecosystems. Unplanned development in the upstream areas further contributes to increased sediment flow in the downstream areas during the monsoon.

Restoring the flow of life in a changing climate

Restoring natural water sources

Human life is unsustainable without water and healthy ecosystems. Mountain ecosystems are particularly important in supporting rich ecological processes and ensuring sustained supply of essential goods and services, especially water, not only to mountain people, but also to downstream lowlands where demands for water from population centres, agriculture, and industry are high. Through the Mountain Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) Programme, the Government of Nepal through the Department of Forests, and working with UNDP Nepal is supporting local communities in the Panchase region to restore traditionally accessed natural springs, to secure easy and continuous access to clean and sufficient water in the face of climate change.

Dandaghupte Pond and its source are located within the Parbat District in the Panchase region. The targeted beneficiaries are among Nepal’s most disadvantaged and marginalised groups, including Dalit households, the most marginalised caste in Nepal. The pond (and the natural spring feeding it) is a traditional source of water, which has been serving the community for generations. However, rising temperatures and increasingly erratic rainfall, coupled with road construction and excavation, disrupted this vital water source, and pond recharge ceased. This resulted in serious drinking water shortages, and also affected water for livestock and crop irrigation. Due to water scarcity, women were forced to spend considerable amounts of time in search of drinking water, while livestock herders had to undertake arduous journeys to find alternative water sources.

Strengthening Water Security

Realising the urgency of these challenges, the Department of Forests under the Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation worked with UNDP Nepal to provide support to the Nakatipakha Community Forest User Groups to reconstruct the pond and related basin, and conserve this traditional source of water. Water conservation was further enhanced by adding a new water collection tank.

“We had a pond that was small. Now it‘s big. With the project we‘ve been able to make our water supply bigger. We have water all the time and the continuous water supply has increased our productivity.” Shiva Bahadur Timalsina, Ramja VDC, Parbat District.

A stone lid was also put on top of the water collection tank to protect the water source from contamination and water evaporation caused by direct sun exposure, and underground pipes were installed to ensure downstream flow is unimpeded by the new road.

Shiva explains further, “[b]efore we had to stand in queue, but now we don‘t have a water problem anymore. It has made life easier for us and for our animals, especially since our livestock can now directly access the larger basin.”

Water is now available even during the dry periods and is of better quality. Better managed and maintained ponds will also enable more efficient use of clean water for this community and their livestock.

Local farmer, Shiva Bahadur Timalsina, Ramja VDC, Parbat District

Restoring broader Ecosystem Health and livelihoods

The Mountain EbA Programme is promoting natural water conservation and water source restoration as an integral part of its suite of EbA measures, given the multiple environmental and economic co-benefits that these activities provide. Restoring ecosystems to a healthy state means they can also deliver a host of downstream benefits. Beyond the provision of adequate clean water for both humans and animals, pond reconstruction also enables the natural recharge of sub-surface and groundwater resources.
Soil moisture level and quality is further enhanced by this natural water infiltration through the ponds, which in turn enables better, more sustainable crop yields in the fields close by. As a result, crop yield has increased, and locals have been able to grow healthier - and greater varieties - of crops for longer periods, leading to improved health and an increase in household income.

The regenerated ponds also contribute to increased amounts of water downstream, especially during the dry season, which results in increased greenery, vegetation, tree growth and other crops close to the water around the pond and downhill. This leads to reduced water run-off, decreased soil erosion and protection of agricultural land and downstream areas from flooding and landslides.

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Promoting Improved Human and Animal Health

The pond restoration also includes social benefits that accrue from ensuring continuous access to sufficient and clean water all year round. Based on evidence from case studies elsewhere, such access is likely to enable a decrease in water-borne diseases for humans as well as a notable decrease in diseases afflicting the livestock, particularly intestinal parasites. Healthier livestock in turn provide healthier milk and meat for human consumption, which, in turn, is likely to increase returns on their sale.

EbA Mountain Programme

The global Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) in Mountains Programme is a partnership between UNDP, UNEP and IUCN, with funding from the German Government (BMUB)’s International Climate Initiative. By using sustainable management, conservation and restoration of ecosystems, as part of an overall EbA strategy, the Programme aims to reduce the vulnerability and enhance the resilience of select fragile mountain ecosystems and their local communities to climate change impacts. The promoted EbA measures carefully take into account anticipated climate change impact trends to help communities continuously adapt to a changing climate and increasing uncertainty. This global partnership also involves national and regional government agencies, civil society and local communities in three countries (Uganda, Nepal and Peru).

Overall, the pond restoration work is part of a broader suite of EbA measures supported by the Mountain EbA Programme in the Panchase region, underpinned by landscape-level interventions. These EbA measures – with a focus on providing dependable, clean water in a changing climate – have significantly lowered the vulnerability of both the surrounding ecosystem and the people and animals who depend on it for their livelihoods and well-being.