Water resources and Bio-diversity

Water Resources in Nepal

Nepal conjures up thoughts of the Himalaya, calm, and abundant flowing water, which, when used to generate hydropower for export, offers the consolation of simple income. The study of water in Nepal continues to be a fundamental addition to the understanding of the complexity of Himalayan waterways. Water is crucial for the survival of all living things, including humans, animals, and plants. It is also necessary for a variety of other uses, including drinking, industry, and agriculture. The water in the atmosphere enters the earth's surface as precipitation and exits the earth's surface as evaporation and transpiration. As a result, nature maintains a constant flow of water from the earth to the atmosphere and vice versa. It is known as the water cycle. The transdisciplinary percept is unaffected by conventional water discourses. Total water on earth is estimated to be 1.46 x 109 cubic kilometers. Water makes up roughly 90% of the ocean, 4.1% of the planet, 2.0% of glaciers, and 0.052% of lakes and rivers. The most crucial element in our ecology is water. It is a necessary component of several other activities, including photosynthesis. Water makes up 100 pounds of our body. The chemical action is encouraged. The abundance of water in Nepal has recently started to draw attention from around the world as a resource of exceptional quality.In fact, Nepal's rivers carry the promise of abundant electricity that very few places in the world can match, with a theoretical hydroelectric potential estimated at 83,000 MW and an existing inventory of practicable sites representing around one-third of Nepal's rivers. From the perspective of pure engineering, the possibility of irrigating one of the world's most fertile regions, the northern plains, for second and third crops can be overwhelming when added to this electrical windfall. Initial aspirations for Nepal's water supplies were based on a physicist's analysis of dropping water, which then fueled both political and public expectations for the country's future. Later, the complexity of the issues involved in utilizing the Himalaya's cascading streams started to raise questions about the practicality of rapid expansion. Physical ambiguities existed with regard to the amount and composition of water in Nepal. The riverbeds and hills on which enormous engineering structures were to be built were mostly unknown, and what was learned was often unfriendly to massive structures. Additionally, there were discrepancies between the full-scale development of water resources and more general social realities. These issues have dampened Nepal's water's romantic thrill and caused an uneasy lull in the public discourse on this material resource. The goal of this monograph is to take a step back and reevaluate the situation. It is an interdisciplinary attempt to reframe the entirety of Nepal and its water resources and to bring together the different social and environmental issues that are relevant to Nepali water. Although there is a need and opportunity for extremely specific studies of the many manifestations of water, it does not offer a thorough examination of any one element related to water. In fact, the coverage of their favorite subject in this monograph may seem incredibly superficial and almost cruel to specialists in the many disciplines. It's because the objective at hand is to isolate each element's essence and examine how it interacts with the rest of the fabric.

Bio Diversity

The most diversified ecosystem on Earth is found in Nepal, which has unique geographical, geomorphological, and climatic conditions. In the many physiographic zones of the country, there are 118 different ecosystems that make up the biodiversity: there are 23 in the lowlands, 52 in the mid-hills, 28 in the mountains, and 5 in regions that are found in more than one of the aforementioned physiographic zones. Nepal contains roughly 2.7 percent (5,586) plant species, 3 percent (ferns-ed. ), and 6 percent bryophytes while having only 0.1 percent of the earth's total land (plants which do not have vascular systems and it reproduce through the means of spores-ed.). More than 9.3% percent of the world's bird species and 4.5 percent of its mammal species are found in Nepal. It also includes 1% of the fresh fish species, 1% of the amphibian species, 4.2 % of the butterfly species, and 1.6 % of the reptile species from the report. Nepal is known as the showroom of the world's flora and wildlife and contains Food, Water, and Health for All (ICIMOD - International Center for Integrated Mountain Development-ed.) people. Biodiversity is the foundation for humankind's existence and the growth of human civilization. Agriculture, medicine, forestry, and other industries all play a crucial part in the creation and development of the world's many different plant and animal species. Due to a lack of understanding among humans regarding the importance of biodiversity and different ecosystems for maintaining essential ecological processes and life-supporting systems, many plants and species are disappearing from their native habitats. When time-sensitive interventions are not taken, biodiversity is threatened. The Nepali government created a 20-year master plan for the forestry industry in 1988.

Biodiversity Status of Nepal

The forest sector master plan was created with the protection of limited and special regions as its main focus in order to conserve ecosystem and genetic resources. By taking into account both the development process and the people, conservation is made. People have been given the power to conserve and sustainably use such resources thanks to the authority given to the Community Forestry Program's proper priority and the development of following programs for covering a crucial portion of renewable natural resources. The Nepal Agricultural Perspective Plan also acknowledged the importance of agro-biodiversity and foresaw connections between the agricultural and forestry industries. The preparation and implementation of the National Biodiversity Strategy, which addresses all aspects of biodiversity conservation, sustainable use, and fair and equitable sharing of the benefits from conservation efforts, are prioritized in the Tenth Five-Year Plan (2002-2007), which builds on the programs that have been in place previously. The World Trade Organization (WTO) membership of Nepal in 2003 has made it more difficult for the country to protect its priceless biodiversity. Without patent protection, Nepal could lose a range of agricultural goods, therapeutic plants, and other priceless biodiversity-related commodities.

According to the Nepal Biodiversity Strategy from 2002, the following are the main risks to Nepal's biodiversity: habitat degradation and encroachment/fragmentation, the unlawful trafficking in important wild animals and plants, Unsustainable use of common resources, the spread of invasive alien plant species, conflicts between people and wildlife, changes in the local climate (direct effects), overgrazing by cattle, fire, flood, and landslides, pollution of aquatic environments, changes in river flows, and rapid infrastructure development. While the aforementioned concerns are direct ones, there are a variety of indirect factors and underlying causes that interact in complex ways to lead to changes in biodiversity that are caused by humans. Unfair access to forested areas, lack of financial options, population expansion, and cultural and religious issues all have an indirect impact on neighborhood communities' behavior, which in turn has an impact on biodiversity. Additionally, the effects of climate change on people and the environment are expanding, and in some cases, they are aggravating indirect causes of biodiversity loss.

References

forestrynepal.org/notes/biodiversity/status/Nepal

Flippo, Edwin B. Personnel Management. London: Oxford Press, 1980.

Gynwal, Ram Prasad. Know Nepal. Kathmandu: Bhundipuran Prakashan, 2012.

Hamilton, Francis B. An Account of the Kingdom of Nepal. New Delhi: Manjushri Publishing House, 1971.

Heywood, Andrew. Politics. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2002.

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