The Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation and the National Planning Commission held extensive discussions on post-disaster recovery, integrated development, and making hydropower projects and infrastructure climate-resilient. A high-level meeting was held at the Ministry of Energy on Thursday to address the damage caused by the flooding of the Bhotekoshi River in Rasuwa and recent water-related disasters, with a focus on making reconstruction safer, more resilient and sustainable in the long term.
The meeting was attended by Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha, National Planning Commission Vice-Chairman Dr. Gunakar Bhatta and members of the commission, Electricity Regulatory Commission Chief Commissioner Dr. Ram Prasad Dhital, Ministry Secretary Sarita Dawadi, division chiefs, the minister’s advisers and members of the secretariat team. During the discussions, an understanding was reached to develop integrated models for overall development and reconstruction by combining the technical expertise of sectoral ministries with the policy leadership of the National Planning Commission.
The meeting discussed the damage caused by water-related disasters, the rescue and relief efforts undertaken so far, and future strategies to address the situation.
According to Sunil Poudel, chief of the Energy Division, the ministry will make its technical expertise fully available to the National Planning Commission for the preliminary damage assessment and the subsequent recovery plan. The ministry will also facilitate efforts to resolve challenges in collecting damage details from private-sector hydropower projects. In coordination with the Water and Energy Commission Secretariat (WECS), the process of forming a technical committee and carrying out technical mapping of the river corridors by experts has also been initiated.
The National Planning Commission informed the meeting that it was preparing a methodology for damage assessment and plans to deploy teams to the field from next week. Commission member Dr. Sudhan Jha emphasized the collection of scientific baseline evidence, strengthening early warning systems, re-engineering of resettlement plans and data standardization. He said infrastructure must be strengthened to ensure continuity of trade and supply chains.
The advisory team to Minister Shrestha argued that new plans should be developed after reviewing the successes and shortcomings of integrated settlement development programs implemented following the 2015 earthquake. The ministry stressed that damage to local culture must also be taken into account and that resettlement plans should be formulated only after direct consultation and agreement with local residents.
During the discussion, Energy Minister Shrestha said future development strategies would provide for appropriate budgetary and resource management because making hydropower projects, roads and other infrastructure climate-resilient would involve additional costs. According to Minister Shrestha, the ministry will provide technical assistance to the Ministry of Home Affairs and the National Planning Commission to develop an integrated development plan extending from the northern border areas to the river corridors in the south.
To prevent duplication among government agencies, the National Planning Commission will prepare an integrated framework, while the main responsibility for implementation will remain with the federal sectoral ministries in coordination with provincial and local governments. Minister Shrestha said the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) would clearly define the roles of all stakeholders and that the recovery effort would proceed on the basis of shared responsibility.
Minister Shrestha said the recent floods had affected hundreds of kilometres of downstream areas and that large-scale projects and corridor-based integrated plans would therefore be developed, taking into account the possibility of increased risks in the future. He also said the Investment Board Nepal, Hydroelectricity Investment and Development Company and other relevant agencies would be mobilized in an integrated manner under the reconstruction plan.
“Where restoration and resettlement are required in high-risk areas, local communities must be placed at the centre of the decision-making process. Restoration and resettlement plans should be advanced only after meaningful consultation with local residents, while respecting local needs, social relationships, religious and cultural values, historical identity and the community’s way of life,” he said.
Minister Shrestha said a scientific “energy mix” concept would be implemented to ensure the country’s basic energy supply under any disaster scenario. He also said that a modern early warning system would be established through the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology.
