Regional Conference on Rain Water Harvesting and Management on March 18-19

A Regional Conference with the theme ‘Rainwater harvesting for enhanced water security and climate resilience” is set to kick start at Himalaya Hotel in Lalitpur, Nepal on March 18, 2024 coinciding with World Water Day. The two day regional conference is being organized at the initiative of Smart Wash Solutions in collaboration with Department of Water Supply and Management and Nepal Rainwater Harvesting Alliance.

All preparations have been complete for the conference, that will attract around 150 sanitation experts, government representatives, entrepreneurs and students from Nepal and South Asian countries, according to the organizers.

The conference aims to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals of rainwater harvesting, and reduce the impacts of climate change and water crisis, remarked Ramdip Sah, chairperson of Smart Wash, who also leads the organizing committee.

Creating awareness about the importance of water, advocating for an appropriate related policy, and providing water-related knowledge and appropriate new technology are the agenda on the table, he pointed out.

For the conference to conduct at the best, an organizing committee under Sah comprising representatives of the organizers and supporting organizations has been formed.

Similarly, a technical committee led by former Vice-Chancellor of the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology Sunil Babu Shrestha has also been constituted.

The conference will carry out 16 working papers to be presented by thematic experts on the occasion. Participants from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and other South Asian countries will take part in the conference.

Around 5.7 billion people in the planet will face water scarcity by the year 2050, according to former Minister for Environment and Science Er. Ganesh Shah adding “that can be lowered if appropriate measures are taken from now.” Rainwater harvest is one of the sustainable solution to the crisis, he pointed out.

Both anthropogenic and climatic drivers are resulting in water scarcity in many countries across the region. Climate-induced impacts such as more erratic nature of precipitation, high intensity low duration rainfall and delays in the onset of monsoon are further compounding water stresses on the farm lands, pointed out experts.

Enhancing access to water at households and farmlands by means of diverting water from rivers are hindered by economic challenges. In this context, rainwater harvesting (RWH) and safe storage offers a solution to up to 6% of the world population as a regular supply or as a supplement according to them.