Narayan Gyawali, program director with Lutheran World Relief that’s working in Nepal, speaks to Down To Earth about trans-boundary floods and better approached to deal with it
By Akshit Sangomla
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Do India and Nepal have a trans-boundary flood management programme?
Nepal and India have a Water and Energy Commission Secretariat (WECS) to deal with trans-boundary water issues. There are some other committees too between Nepal and India like Nepal-India Joint Committee on Inundation and Flood Management, Nepal-India Joint Committee on Water Resources.
However, the meetings and decisions are made at the governmental level, which don’t seem to bring any changes to issues at local or trans-boundary level. The meetings are formal and no concrete action plan or implementation has been observed.
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What are the major challenges in getting a trans-boundary flood management programme?
The trans-boundary rivers are regulated by a barrage constructed at the border. The operation of the barrage during high water level is also a factor to increase flood risk both in Nepal and India. As we know in practice, the barrage is regulated by India and there is no mutual plan to regulate flood water.
The management of the water and the barrage needs to involve wider stakeholders including flood vulnerable communities and civil societies.