Your search found 5 records
1 Bharati, Luna; Gurung, Pabitra; Jayakody, P.; Smakhtin, Vladimir; Bhattarai, Utsav. 2014. The projected impact of climate change on water availability and development in the Koshi Basin, Nepal. Mountain Research and Development, 34(2):118-130. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-13-00096.1]
Climate change ; Water availability ; Water resources development ; Climatic data ; River basins ; Hydrology ; Precipitation ; Models ; Calibration ; Mountains ; Land use ; Soils ; Rain / Nepal / Koshi Basin / Himalayan Region
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H046487)
http://www.bioone.org/doi/pdf/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-13-00096.1
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H046487.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H046487.pdf
(19.36 MB) (19.3 MB)
Water has been identified as a key resource for Nepal's economic growth. Although the country has 225 billion cubic meters of water available annually, less than 7% has been utilized. Climate change is a frequent topic in national development discussions in part because of its possible impact on future water availability. This study assessed the likely impact of climate change on water resources development in the Koshi River basin, Nepal, using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool to generate projections for the 2030s and 2050s. Results suggested that the impacts are likely to be scale dependent. Little impact is projected at annual, full-basin scales; but at sub-basin scale, under both the IPCC's A2 and B1 scenarios, precipitation is projected to increase in the upper transmountain subwatersheds in the 2030s and in most of the basin in the 2050s and to decrease in the lower sub-basins in the 2030s. Water yield is projected to increase in most of the basin except for the A2 scenario for the 2030s. Flow volumes are projected to increase during the monsoon and postmonsoon but decrease during the winter and premonsoon seasons. The impacts of climate change are likely to be higher during certain seasons and in some sub-basins. Thus, if infrastructure is in place that makes it possible to store and transfer water as needed, the water deficit due to any changes in rainfall or flow patterns could be managed and would not be a constraint on water resources development. The risks associated with extreme events such as floods and droughts should, however, also be considered during planning.
2 Bharati, Luna; Gurung, Pabitra; Bhattarai, Utsav. 2016. Past and future variability in the hydrological regime of the Koshi basin, Nepal. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 61(1):79-93. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/02626667.2014.952639]
Hydrology ; Models ; Climate change ; Adaptation ; Precipitation ; Monsoon climate ; Winter ; River basins ; Soil management ; Assessment ; Water yield / Nepal / Koshi River Basin
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H046581)
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/02626667.2014.952639
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H046581.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H046581.pdf
(4.11 MB)
Planning adaptation strategies in response to climate change (CC) can be a daunting task, especially in regions such as the Koshi Basin in the Himalayas; where CC impacts are still uncertain. This paper recommends targeting adaptation strategies by focusing on changes in variability between the past and future climates at smaller scales. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) and the Indicators of Hydrologic Alteration (IHA) are used for analysis. Results show: (i) higher maximum precipitation during monsoon and post-monsoon, and lower maximum precipitation during winter; (ii) increase in precipitation and flows in the trans mountain region during all seasons, except for flows during monsoon; (iii) increase in post-monsoon precipitation and routed flow volumes; (iv) decrease in precipitation during winter and routed flow volumes in all the regions, except the trans mountain region; and (v) increase in frequency of high peak flows and decrease in baseflows.
3 Sugden, Fraser; Shrestha, L.; Bharati, Luna; Gurung, P.; Maharjan, L.; Janmaat, J.; Price, J. I.; Sherpa, Tashi Yang Chung; Bhattarai, Utsav; Koirala, S.; Timilsina, B. 2014. Climate change, out-migration and agrarian stress: the potential for upscaling small-scale water storage in Nepal. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 38p. (IWMI Research Report 159) [doi: https://doi.org/10.5337/2014.210]
Climate change ; Water storage ; Ponds ; Tanks ; Migration ; Water availability ; Gender ; Women farmers ; Agrarian structure ; Hydrology ; Models ; Economic aspects ; Political aspects ; Social aspects ; Land management ; Property rights ; Case studies / Nepal
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H046684)
(2.09 MB)
Climate change could have a critical impact on agriculture in Nepal due to dry-season water shortages, and changes in the variability of water availability and associated uncertainty. This makes water storage systems (most notably ponds and tanks) increasingly important. This report explores the potential role of small-scale water storage infrastructure in two subbasins within the larger Koshi River Basin in central and eastern Nepal, yet shows that upscaling such infrastructure requires an appreciation of the other drivers of change in agriculture aside from climate (e.g., rising cost of living and poor terms of trade for agriculture). It also identifies the social relations and dynamics (distribution of land, water and labor) which could mediate the success of future interventions. It is clear from the research that, while small-scale water storage has the potential to significantly strengthen livelihoods in the Nepali hills, it is necessary to tailor projects to the existing political-economic context.
4 Chinnasamy, Pennan; Bharati, Luna; Bhattarai, Utsav; Khadka, Ambika; Dahal, Vaskar; Wahid, S. 2015. Impact of planned water resource development on current and future water demand of the Koshi river basin, Nepal. Water International, 40(7):1004-1020. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/02508060.2015.1099192]
Water resources development ; Water demand ; Water power ; Electricity generation ; Water storage ; Water supply ; Irrigation water ; Domestic water ; Industrialization ; River basins ; Models / Nepal / India / Bihar / Koshi River Basin
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H047251)
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/02508060.2015.1099192
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H047251.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H047251.pdf
(0.78 MB) (796 KB)
Water resources of the Koshi Basin (87,311km2) are largely untapped, and while proposals for their development exist, their impacts on current and future water demands are not quantified. The current study is the first to evaluate the impacts of 11 proposed development projects on hydropower generation and water storage. Results revealed that 29733GWh hydropower can be generated and 8382Million m3 (MCM) of water can be stored annually. This can satisfy unmet demands in current (660MCM) basin situation and future scenarios - i.e. population, agricultural and industrial growth – that are projected to have 920, 970 and 1003MCM unmet-demands, respectively by 2050.
5 Bharati, Luna; Bhattarai, Utsav; Khadka, Ambika; Gurung, Pabitra; Neumann, L. E.; Penton, D. J.; Dhaubanjar, Sanita; Nepal, S. 2019. From the mountains to the plains: impact of climate change on water resources in the Koshi River Basin. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI) 49p. (IWMI Working Paper 187) [doi: https://doi.org/10.5337/2019.205]
Climate change ; Climatic data ; Water resources ; Water balance ; Water yield ; Water availability ; Mountains ; Plains ; River basin management ; Soil analysis ; Soil water balance ; Calibration ; Spatial distribution ; Hydropower ; Precipitation ; Evapotranspiration ; Temperature ; Rainfall ; Monsoon climate ; Catchment areas ; Hydrological data ; Impact assessment ; Models ; Flow discharge ; Runoff ; Land use ; Seasonal variation / China / Nepal / India / Koshi River Basin
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H049130)
(8 MB)
The Koshi Basin, spread across China, Nepal and India, is perceived as having high potential for hydropower and irrigation development, both seen as ways to promote economic development in the region. This paper quantifies and assesses the past and projected future spatial and temporal water balances in the Koshi Basin. Results show that precipitation and net water yield are lowest in the transmountain region and the Tibetan plateau. The values are highest in the mountain region, followed by the hills and Indo-Gangetic Plains. Approximately 65% of average annual precipitation is converted to flows, indicating high water availability. Actual evapotranspiration is highest in the Indo-Gangetic Plains region due to the presence of irrigated agriculture and a few forested mountain watersheds. As most of the water from the mountain and hill regions eventually flows down to the plains, the mountain and hill regions in Nepal are important for maintaining agriculture in the plains in both Nepal and India. Results from the flow analyses indicate the high temporal variability of flows in the basin. The frequent occurrences of both high- and low-flow events demonstrate the existing vulnerability of the region to both floods and droughts, leading to a very risk-prone livelihood system. Climate change projections show an increasing trend in precipitation and net water yield for most of the basin, except the transmountain region. Therefore, it is important to consider the climate change impacts on water resources in future planning.
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