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In the Koshi River basin, extreme weather events upstream lead to disasters downstream, affecting millions of people, destroying infrastructure, and disrupting development
. These upstream-downstream linkages and shared disaster risk can form the basis for cooperation and provide opportunities for disaster risk reduction (DRR) and resilient livelihoods in the basin. Effective cooperation can be achieved by sharing knowledge and fostering practices that address the transboundary nature and scale of disaster. The Koshi DRR Knowledge Hub is a platform that aims to foster regional cooperation by encouraging the sharing of knowledge and information on transboundary issues related to water. These issues range from water-induced disasters to research and policy on water and the potential shared benefits of such work. Through the hub, stakeholders can collaborate at the interface of research, policy, and practice. Such informed decision making will help improve the overall management of the Koshi basin
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Two dynamic global vegetation models (DGVMs), IBIS and LPJ, were used to assess the projected impacts of climate change on forests in terms of the shifts in vegetation types and changes in NPP (net primary productivity) in the mid Brahmaputra, Koshi, and upper Indus river basins
. Changes were assessed for the mid-term (2021–2050) and longterm (2071–2100) periods with respect to the baseline (1961–1990) under the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios using precipitation and temperature as the key climate variables. The DGVMs were driven by the ensemble mean climate projections from five CMIP5 climate models. While both DGVMs projected vegetation shifts in the forest areas of the basins, there were differences in the area projected to be affected by the shifts. This can be attributed mainly to differences in the representation of land surface processes and in the number of vegetation types (plant functional types) defined and simulated in the two models. There was some agreement in the changes in NPP projected by the two models under the high emission RCP8.5 scenario, but with differences in degree
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The impacts of future climate change could be significantly reduced if people were better able to cope with present climate risks
. The role of human mobility, particularly labor migration and remittances, has received little attention in the adaptation policies in Nepal. Instead, migration is perceived as a challenge to development and adaptation goals. This is partly due to the lack of empirical evidence on the relationship between migration, environmental stressors, and CCA. This chapter examines the role of remittances in building farm assets such as farm size, livestock, irrigation, and farm mechanization, which are an important component of a rural household’s adaptive capacity. Circular migration in search of employment and higher earnings has for long been a defining feature of the livelihoods of many households in the Sagarmatha Transect of Koshi sub-basin of Nepal. Remittances are an important component of recipient household income. A major share of remittances is spent on food, healthcare, loan repayment, education, and consumer goods. There is little investment of remittances in measures pertaining to disaster preparedness (e.g. insurance). Common household responses during floods and the immediate aftermath are reactive and short-term in nature, and those between two flood events include some low-cost structural measures. A significant positive association between remittance recipient status of a household and farm size is observed. However, the longer duration for which a household receives remittances is more likely to reduce the size of its farm holding
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Koshi River basin, which lies in the Central Himalayas with an area of 71,500 km2, is an important trans-boundary river basin shared by China, Nepal and India
. Yet, landslide-prone areas are all located in China and Nepal, imposing alarming risks of widespread damages to property and loss of human life in both countries. Against this backdrop, this research, by utilizing remote sensing images and topographic maps, has identified a total number of 6877 landslides for the past 23 years and further examined their distribution, characteristics and causes. Analysis shows that the two-step topography in the Himalayan region has a considerable effect on the distribution of landslides in this area. Dense distribution of landslides falls into two regions: the Lesser Himalaya (mostly small and medium size landslides in east-west direction) and the Transition Belt (mostly large and medium size landslides along the river in north-south direction). Landslides decrease against the elevation while the southern slopes of the Himalayas have more landslides than its northern side. Change analysis was carried out by comparing landslide distribution data of 1992, 2010 and 2015 in the Koshi River basin. The rainfall-induced landslides, usually small and shallow and occurring more frequently in regions with an elevation lower than 1000m, are common in the south and south-east slopes due to heavy precipitation in the region, and are more prone to the slope gradient of 20°~30°. Most of them are distributed in Proterozoic stratum (Pt3e, Pt3 and Pt2-3) and Quaternary stratum. While for earthquake-induced landslides, they are more prone to higher elevations (2000~3000 m) and steeper slopes (40°~50°)
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This report provides valuable insights into the relationships between river flow, wetlands and floodplains, climate and water‐dependent ecosystems in Nepal
. It considers the relationships between the physical aspects of water and how this relates to livelihoods of the population, particularly women and the poor and landless people in the regions. Understanding the strong relationship between water, ecology and livelihoods is a significant step towards more sustainable management of the water resources of Nepal
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This paper analyses the climate projections over the Koshi river basin obtained by applying the delta method to eight CMIP5 GCMs for the RCP4
.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios. The GCMs were selected to cover the full envelope of possible future ranges from dry and cold to wet and warm projections. The selected coarse resolution GCM outputs were statistically downscaled to the resolution of the historical climate datasets. The scenarios were developed based on the anomaly between the present reference period (1961-1990) and the future period (2021-2050) to generate transient climate change scenarios for the eight GCMs. The analyses were carried out for the whole basin and three physiographic zones: the trans-Himalaya, high-Himalaya and middle mountains, and southern plains. Future projections show a 14% increase in rainfall during the summer monsoon season by 2050. The increase in rainfall is higher over the mountains than the plains. The meagre amount of rainfall in the winter season is projected to further decrease over both the mountain and southern plains areas of the basin for both RCPs. The basin is likely to experience warming throughout the year, although the increase in winter is likely to be higher. The highest increase in temperature is projected to be over the high Himalayan and middle mountain area, with lower increases over the trans-Himalayan and southern plains areas
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The Regional Programme on river basins focuses on multidisciplinary resource management approaches that address climate change and variability; cryosphere dynamics; the hydrological regime and water availability; water-related risk management; mountain community water management; and vulnerability and adaptation
. The programme emphasizes improved understanding of upstream-downstream linkages and the links between natural resources and livelihoods. The current focus is on developing programmes for the Koshi and Indus river basins, with more to be developed in the future. Key outcomes will include improved estimates of future water availability and its impact, and adaptive water management strategies at basin and community levels
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