INBO - Newsletter

INBO Newsletter n° 27 - May 2019 28 Laos The fourth phase of a project to stren- gthen IWRM in Laos, funded by the Loire-Brittany and Rhine-Meuse Water Agencies, kicked off in early 2018. Main activities to date: l A mission of experts supported the provincial division of MoNRE (Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment) in Vientiane (Nam Ngum Basin). The aim was to update and complete action sheets describing the pilot mea- sures selected from the Action Plan in order to implement them. These action sheets define each objective, the necessary tools to achieve it, and an estimated bud- get. They were suggested to the World Bank as part of a funding request. l Finalization of a summary of the characterization report of the Nam Sa-Nam Kadan, which was pre- pared with a team from the DWR (Department of Water Resources). GIS maps were updated, and the report will be finalized in early 2019. This work carried out by the DWR team enabled direct handling of the tools and methods present in the project’s previous phases. The next step comprises various phases to develop a River Basin Management Plan. l Following hacking, the Lao Water Information System (LaoWIS) server was reset and the pro- ject financed the installation of new software (a Windows server license and an antivirus) by a specialist company to protect the server from new attacks. LaoWIS is now operational once again. l A study visit by the Lao delega- tion to France took place from 2 to 6 July in Paris and Orleans. The delegation, led by the vice-mi- nister of MoNRE, participated in the Assembly of the Loire-Brittany Water Agency Basin Committee and went on a trip to the Isle Arrault wastewater treatment plant. The sharing of experiences on technical aspects (management and prevention of floods by CNR, SANDRE tool by AFB) and insti- tutional tools (Basin Committee, Water Police) fed discussions throughout the week and could provide examples for developing new tools in Laos. Fourth phase of the Nam Ngum pilot basin project Asia India The delegation took part in the Loire-Brittany Committee River rejuvenations through participatory catchment management In the State of West Bengal in India “Ushar Mukti” program has been adopted to rejuvenate rivers of the rain fed region of the state through peo- ples’ participation. In Bengali language “Ushar Mukti”, means freedom from barrenness. This program was initiated to ensure water security in the 6 western districts of the State that regularly suffer from drought. A number of rivers and their tributaries originated from this western undulating forest-covered Chotonag- pur Plateau receives around 1100 mm average annual rainfall. Over the years the land use, land cover of the catch- ment areas of this region has changed significantly. Large scale deforestation and decaying of old water bodies has affected the groundwater recharge, which fails to maintain the base flow of the rivers in dry season. The region is covered by the sub-basins of 7 main rivers but a major part of the region falls under the sub-basins of 3 rivers namely Dwarkeshwar, Shila- bati and Kangsabati rivers. These 3 rivers and their 33 tributaries drain off about 80% of water from this region. Intervention is taking place at 2.344 micro watersheds in the catch- ment of the rivers in the 55 blocks or sub-districts. These sub-districts have been divided into 2 groups; intensive (11) and non-intensive blocks (44). The interventions are planned from ridge to valley, although there might be simultaneous activities at different levels. The program is funded from Govern- ment rural development programs like Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and Bharat Rural Livelihoods Foundation, implemented through local Govt. at village level and technical support pro- vided by group of Civil Society Organ- izations. The program measures have been designed to ensure reduction of run- off in monsoon, conservation of water for agricultural and other demand and recharging groundwater in the catch- ment areas of these rivers and streams so that stream flow during dry season continues. The GIS based online project monitor- ing system has brought transparency and efficiency in program manage- ment. The region was covered with forest few decades ago therefore special thrust on plantation has been given in the project. Sujit CHOUDHURY Integrated River Basin Management Society riverbasinsociety@gmail.com https://irbmskolkata.weebly.com The Kangsabati River