Kathmandu, January 11: Water resource experts have expressed concern that necessary initiatives have not been taken to maintain adequate environmental flow (e-flow) in rivers and streams before diverting water elsewhere for hydropower or irrigation.
Environmental flow refers to the quantity, timing, and quality of water flow required to sustain the ecosystem of a river or stream and the human livelihoods that depend on it. In the context of South Asia, river flow is also associated with cultural and spiritual needs. The implementation of environmental flow does not require the restoration of natural or pristine flows without human development, use, or diversion of rivers, but instead aims to fulfill the wider benefits derived from rivers and streams, both direct and indirect, rather than management focused solely on drinking water, irrigation, or energy.
It has been found that environmental flow in most rivers connected to hydropower, irrigation or drinking water projects decreases to negligible or zero, especially during winter and dry seasons. Experts have emphasized that all three levels of government and local communities need to be serious about keeping the rivers healthy by stopping such exploitation of rivers.
According to the International Water Management Institute (IWI), there are about six thousand rivers in Nepal. Most of them flow from the melting snow of the Himalayas. In recent times, hydroelectric projects have been built on several rivers in Nepal, and preparations have begun for such projects on many rivers. Irrigation projects are also being built on some large rivers.
Nepal’s hydropower policy, formulated twenty-three years ago, stipulates that every project must maintain at least 10 percent of the environmental flow, but various studies have shown that very few river projects allow at least 10 percent of the water to flow to maintain the environmental flow.
In various river sections that have been made waterless by diverting the entire flow of the river for hydroelectric power generation, not only fish and other aquatic animals but also local farming communities are increasingly being deprived of irrigation facilities. Experts have emphasized that much work remains to be done to maintain adequate environmental flow in the country’s rivers, protect the health of the rivers, and preserve the ecosystem of the riverbanks.
A study presented by Deep Narayan Shah, assistant professor at the Department of Environmental Science, Tribhuvan University, at a workshop recently organized by the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources and Irrigation in the capital, states that about 80 percent of the hydropower projects operating in our country have not complied with the rule that at least 10 percent of river water should be released to maintain environmental flow. “We recently studied 50 hydropower stations. Most of them have not released the required water to maintain environmental flow.”
According to another study by EMI, the lack of rules, guidelines and monitoring has led to the failure to comply with environmental regulations. In a country dependent on hydropower, about 160 hydropower plants with a capacity of 3,000 megawatts have been built, while various projects with a capacity of 10,000 megawatts are under construction. Necessary surveys are being conducted to build projects with a capacity of about 8,000 megawatts.
According to Ramdevi Tachamo Shah, assistant professor at Kathmandu University, rules to maintain environmental flow must be followed to protect the health of every river. For that, it is necessary to raise public awareness and provide training to stakeholders.
Experts and officials participating in the workshop emphasized that water should be used only in a sustainable manner while building hydropower, irrigation, or drinking water projects, ensuring that each river is kept alive. According to them, if the issue of environmental flow is addressed in the new Water Resources Bill under consideration in Nepal’s Parliament, the country’s rivers can be sustainably protected.
Former Water Resources Minister Deepak Gyawali believes that the best way to make projects connected to the country’s rivers sustainable is to ‘localize’ them. He emphasizes that the concerns of as many locals as possible should be addressed when preparing and implementing environmental impact assessments (EIAs) before the construction of projects.
