3rd National River Summit || Karnali River || 2019

Third National River Summit, with the theme, “Managing Rivers for Life,” was co-led by NRCT and the Karnali Provincial government, with support from Paani. It took place from March 28 – 31, 2019 on the banks of the Karnali River in Rakam, Dailekh district.

OBJECTIVES
The National River Summit offers a rare platform for dialogue amongst various interest groups to jointly develop a common vision for sustainable water and river basin management. The Third National River Summit aimed to achieve following objectives:

  • To share and inform multiple users of water with outcomes of recent research, exploration, and understanding of the Karnali River Basin;
  • To foster dialogue among stakeholders as a continuation of the previous river summits, and to create platforms and networks among and between different interest groups; and
  • To consolidate knowledge for a common understanding to inform policies for integrated management of water and other resources by balancing development with overall conservation of river systems.

THEMATIC AREAS

The 3rd National River Summit will deliberate on broader areas of river systems, including river science, river development, communities, governance, water resources management, and cross-cutting issues. The main themes are:

  • River eco-systems and aquatic biodiversity: consolidate knowledge from recent exploration and research outcomes on various aspects of rivers and river systems, freshwater biodiversity and interventions, threats and vulnerability;
  • Water resources management: multiple uses of water (e.g. irrigation, hydropower, ecological uses, etc.), water security, water availability, access and equitable sharing, and no-regret strategies on water resources development and management;
  • Governance, policies, and practices: constitutional provisions for water/river governance under federalism; current policies, laws and regulations; international commitments; water programs and their implementation; and (inter)national practices on shared governance of river systems or river co-management;
  • River and communities: common understanding of the river and its services; citizen science for monitoring health and spring and watershed management; river and livelihoods of river-dependent communities; etc., and;
  • Cross-cutting issues: issues related to climate change, gender and social inclusion (GESI); trans-boundary; awareness and capacity building; and incentives and motivation for youth involvement in river conservation.

OVERVIEW

Third National River Summit kicked off with a series of pre-events from March 26-27 in nearby Surkhet. This included the first river basin-level roundtable discussion, facilitated by the Nepal Forum of Environmental Journalists (NEFEJ), as well as a photo exhibition showcasing 50 photos from NRCT’s 44-day expedition from the headwaters of the Karnali River in Tibet to the Ganges Confluence in India, which took place in 2018.

THE SUMMIT

The remainder of the Summit took place in Rakam Karnali, on the banks of the beautiful Karnali River from March 28-31, where more than 200 participants including river experts, riverine communities, indigenous communities and enthusiasts participated in panels, presentations, and discussions on topics, including: river eco-systems and aquatic biodiversity; freshwater biodiversity threats and vulnerability; water resource management and multiple uses of water; governance, policies, and practices for water/rivers; the relationship between communities and rivers; and other cross-cutting issues, such as gender and social inclusion. The Summit concluded with the development of a 19-point declaration aiming to maximize the cultural, religious, economic, and biodiversity value of the Karnali, including designating 5 km on each side of the river a ‘Sacred Karnali River Corridor.’

SESSIONS/PANELS 

  1. Roundtable Discussion with the theme “Downstream Impact, Preparedness and Adaptation”
  2. River Ecosystem and Biodiversity
  3. River and Community
  4. Experience beyond Nepal
  5. Sharing on Work from Karnali Watershed
  6. Cross-Cutting Issues
  7. Rivers and Development
  8. Sustainable Hydropower Development
  9. Governance, Policies and Practice
  10. Water Resources Management
  11. Vision for Future Development

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Click on link to download Karnali Declaration (Common Understanding) 2019|| (See Full Karnali Declaration.)||

Full Report of 2nd National River Summit Click Here to download.