Background

Until today no appropriate river monitoring system is installed in Kathmandu-Lalitpur that could scientifically and technically show the impact of uncontrolled discharge of wastewater and solid waste into the rivers on the different user groups.

The DED provided initial equipment and technical support concerning the organization of water quality monitoring. The long term objective was to produce a water quality index map of Nepal that states the physical, chemical and biological parameters. The cooperation between DHM and DED ended in 2002. A water quality index map was not produced.

The main reason for the bad situation is the lack of financial and technical resources as well as the inadequate number of trained manpower ? especially against the background of monitoring the whole country. Kathmandu Participatory River Monitoring (KAPRIMO) is taking into account the various reasons for the insufficient operation of this monitoring system and is following thereby the recommendations of the Nepal Water Resource Strategy 2002. Basing on the work done from the German Development Service, the project will initially strengthen the river monitoring system in Kathmandu-Lalitpur, in order to make it more reliable and sustainable. In two urban river segments sampling frequency and parameters will be increased and adapted. Moreover water quality data will be related to water discharge and meteorological data, in order to facilitate future environmental planning. A decentralization process and thus a relief of DHM will be initiated by integrating the competent local municipalities (KMC & LSMC) into the monitoring process. Volunteer teams will partly take over the responsibilities for sampling and analyzing activities in the chosen river segments. DHM will continue to be the overall coordination unit of the monitoring system. In addition to the management of the laboratory, DHM will also coordinate the regular works with the municipalities and the volunteer teams as well as the data publication on internet-basis. Additional sustainability of the project will be achieved by building-up a remuneration system for the various monitoring services of DHM. Later on the other municipalities of Kathmandu valley - namely Kritipur municipality, Bhaktapur municipality and Thimi municipality - will be integrated in this system, in order to establish it as a self-sustaining and basin-wide monitoring system.

Legal situation with regard to river monitoring, conservation and rehabilitation

KAPRIMO has been found to be absolutely coherent with Nepal's legal and policy provisions such as with the spirit of the Constitutions, relevant laws (Local Self Governance Act, Water Resources Act, Environment Protection Act and respective regulations, policies and guidelines) and various past and present development plans. KAPRIMO is basically following the Water Resource Strategy (WRS) of Nepal that was published in January 2002. But in contrary to the WRS, KAPRIMO is not only strengthening DHM as the leading agency for the monitoring system, but recommends to enforcing the MOEST as leading ministry for all environmental issues.

There is an equal number of nongovernmental organizations (NGO) that has claimed to be accountable and responsible for cleaning-up and conserving water bodies like rivers, streams, lake and ponds. The main reason for the continuous degradation of river ecology in Nepal is lack of awareness and willingness to preserve and conserve the natural heritage for the sake of personal benefit rather than for national and community benefits. But often a lack of adequate resources (trained manpower, technical infrastructure, finances etc) makes the responsible institutions quasi helpless. Moreover missing commitment due to unclear and overlapping responsibilities among governmental bodies is worsening the situation. There are several international, national and regional conventions, treaties and laws directly and indirectly linked with the right to have clear water and adequate sanitation. Some of them have clear provisions regarding river monitoring, conservation and protection. For example the article 18 and 26 of the Constitution of Nepal has the clear provision of cultural preservation as well as environment protection and prevention of further damage by increasing awareness on environmental issues among the Nepalese people.

Water Resource Act 1992 even in its preamble deals about provision of making timely legal arrangement for determining beneficial uses of water resources, preventing environmental and other hazardous effects thereof and keeping water resources free from pollution. Article 19 of the Water Resource Act contains several clauses like water resources not to be polluted, provision of developing water quality standard, and no one shall pollute water resources by way of using or putting any litter, industrial wastes, poison, chemical or toxicant to the effect that the pollution tolerance limit of the water resources as prescribed, examine to determine as to whether or not the water resource has been polluted or the quality standard as prescribed etc. Moreover, Environment Protection Act (EPA 1997) and Environment Protection Regulation (EPR 1997) have also a number of provisions to address the environmental pollution including river pollution. The objective of the EPA is to recognize the interdependence between development activities and the environment and maintain a clean and healthy environment by minimizing the impacts of environment degradation on people, animal, plant species and their physical surroundings. The Act obliges the proponents to undertake an Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study of proposed plans, programs or projects which may cause changes in existing environmental conditions by physical activity, development activity or change in land use (Article 3, 4, 5, 6 of EPA and Chaper 2, EPR, rule 3 to 14). Article 7 of EPA called for Prevention and Control of Pollution through making a provision that states as "Nobody shall create pollution in such a manner as to cause significant adverse impacts on the environment or likely to be hazardous to public life and people's health, or dispose or cause to be disposed sound, heat radioactive rays and wastes from any mechanical devices, industrial enterprises, or other places contrary to the prescribed standards". Article 8 even gives the mandate of monitoring all pollution related problems to so called environmental inspectors (point 1, 2a, b, c, d) under the MOEST. Article 13 has provision of set up an environment fund to be used for heritage conservation. Chapter 2 (Rule 15 to 19) of the EPR deals with the provision related pollution control and prevention from different sources through various approaches. As per the rule 16 of the EPR, there is a necessity to receive a pollution control certificate of about 55 different categories of industries with the aim of controlling environment pollution including river pollution. There are sufficient legal provisions in Nepal concerning river monitoring, conservation and rehabilitation, but they usually are ineffectively implemented. Duplications as well as overlapping of roles, responsibilities and priorities are of common occurrence. The MOEST is the prime agency to regulate environment monitoring including river monitoring (Environmental standard, monitoring and pollution control section). In addition the MOLD is equally responsible for preserving the heritage and controlling river pollution. There is an urgent need to:

• adopt a river basin approach under Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM)

• make an institutional level reform

• prepare an integrated water resources management policy

• harmonize and amend conflicting laws and regulations

• improve and enforce legal provisions through initiation of an independent / third party
  monitoring program and work in collaboration with all stakeholders etc.

Aims and objectives

The key objective of KAPRIMO is clearly defined as a regular availability of river quality data of the two targeted river segments meeting established Nepalese standards. Furthermore the monitoring process will set goals for improving the water quality of the rivers - which will lead into at least two follow-up project proposals for improvement measures on the river segments. As the project is designed in a manner to be replicated on a regional, national or even international level, it is expected that KAPRIMO is a catalyst for basin-wide, or even country- wide river monitoring and planning. The different monitoring objectives in detail:

1.) Strengthen existing monitoring system of DHM by municipality-led river segment teams, increased frequency of sampling & analysis Decentralization in collecting the data (by volunteer teams) Building-up of a remuneration system for monitoring services, in order to facilitate enlargement to other areas

2.) River quality and hydrological data are more regular and more reliable, providing easy access to river quality information Provision of basic information on river quality (data bank system in responsible authorities), adaptation of analyzed parameters (more focus group orientated) Identification of the baseline conditions in the defined river segments Detection of any water bodies or river stretches in the water-course system that do not meet the desired water quality standards Estimation of the pollution load carried by the water course system or subsystem

3.) Networking among authorities - No boundaries between administrations

4.) Foundation for segment-wise development projects (GIS data-bases) and basin-wide pollution control programs Formulating plans, setting priorities for water quality management Providing a scientific basis for local and basin-wide planning (goal setting)

5.) Networking approach, create interest among people, transparency, motivate people Making the dangers of insufficient river quality more transparent to local citizens High level of stakeholder participation and involvement in conservation activities Pilot initiative as model for other municipalities

The KAPRIMO approach - Set Up

Two “river segment teams” will be constituted, each taking over responsibility for one river segment with regard to water sampling and analysis activities. Each team will comprise twelve members being representatives of relevant municipalities (Kathmandu Metropolitan City and Lalitpur Sub-Metropolitan City) as well as all relevant stakeholder groups of the targeted segments (ward offices, neighborhood committees, local industries, local schools, local NGOs, University students, women groups etc.).

Participants from DHM and MOEST in cooperation with other participating (water) bodies will be responsible for GIS & other database applications and will take over the overall co-ordination of the monitoring system in the post-project phase.

Scheme of KAPRIMO

Hence, the project therefore not only brings together authorities, local population and stakeholders, but also liaise different authorities and all agencies on regional and national level. The utilization of local knowledge together with the respect of existing administrative structures will increase consensus on project goals, objectives and activities. The involvement of all relevant stakeholders in developing and implementing the river monitoring system increases identification, creates ownership and therefore guarantees sustainability.

The role of participating institutions

The KAPRIMO river monitoring system will be built upon the existing monitoring system of the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology under the responsibility of the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology and thereby strengthen the existing human and technical capacities within the department.

Collaboration of different institutions within KAPRIMO

Two river segment teams (Bagmati, Bishnumati) will be responsible for water discharge measurement, water sampling and analysis by handheld meters in their respective river segment (12 times per year). Those parameters that can not be analyzed in situ (BOD, COD, heavy metals etc.), will be transferred by the teams to the laboratory of DHM and/or to external laboratories (cross-checking).

Other sampling spots in Kathmandu Valley not enclosed in the defined river segments and where sampling and analysis activities have already been covered by DHM staff in former times, will still be under the responsibility of DHM field and lab staff.

Both participating municipalities will finally process the obtained data from the river segment teams in GIS (ILWIS) and create suitable GIS maps which support environmental planning in the concerned area (Simple statistical analysis will be directly made in common data base programmes).

The management staff of the municipalities will intensively exchange views and knowledge, in order to equalize the data structures and learn from each other. The finalized GIS files will be regularly (once a month) transferred to DHM. The municipalities will also play a crucial role of environmental planning in their river segment/ wards. Together with DHM, river segment teams, ward and development committees as well as other relevant water bodies, solutions for the improvement of the water quality/ environmental situation will be identified, discussed and funded.

It is recommended (compare legal analysis report) that the most important tasks of the department should be on the one hand the organization of round tables for goal setting and environmental planning for river basin. On the other hand the department should lay the foundation for a future enlargement of the river monitoring system within Kathmandu Valley and other areas in Nepal. Associated with this task is the development of an adequate remuneration system for the various services offered within the monitoring process. This will help to assign costs directly to the beneficiaries of the monitoring system, namely municipalities DDCs or VDCs. The local project partner ECCA will set up a back-up system of the various monitoring data and maps. Moreover ECCA is permanent partner at every stage of the project - and even beyond - for assistance roundabout KAPRIMO. The numerous experts and counselors of ECCA will participate in the river segment teams, will assist in the laboratory if necessary and support the participating municipalities, DHM and other during the implementation of the monitoring system. The different tasks and duties within KAPRIMO have been fixed in a collaboration agreement that was signed by the participating key institutions/authorities (DHM, KMC, LSMC, ECCA).