Transforming river basin management: Stories from the Koshi Basin

This collection of stories introduces the people and places benefiting from the work of ICIMOD’s Koshi Basin Programme. The programme focuses its work in the Koshi River basin, an area that extends from the hills of the Tibetan Plateau, through the mountains and hills of Nepal, down to the expansive plains of the Indian state of Bihar. What connects this region together is water: The Koshi River and its tributaries cut to the heart of life in both the upstream and downstream communities that live along them. Here, water is the source of both life and death – it provides food and energy, but also incites floods, landslides, and, in its absence, drought.

The projects documented in this book illustrate innovations and partnerships that are enhancing water management in the transboundary basin so that water may be used effectively as a sustainable resource for local socioeconomic development. If water is well managed, damage as a result of water-induced disasters may also be mitigated. Projects range from community-level trainings on flood early warning systems to the rejuvenation of local springs and ponds. Significantly, these projects promote regional collaboration between China, India, and Nepal. Along rivers, a positive effect in one place often translates to a positive effect in another, including those across national boundaries.