Water Resources Management in Bhutan

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Water Resources Management in Bhutan
G.Karma Chhopel
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Introduction

• Area 38,394km2
• Population 634,982 (2005)

• Altitude range from 100mabove 7500m above msl

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State of Environment

• High-level political commitment
• 60 forest cover for all times
• Pristine Environment
• 72.5 forest cover
• 9 biological corridor
• 50 protected area

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• High bio-diversity concentration

• Conservation jewel of the Eastern Himalayas
• Flora and fauna
• 7500 vascular plants (82 are endemic)
• gt300 medicinal plants,
• 50 species rhododendron,
• gt40 species of orchids
• 770 sps of Birds (14 IUCN)
• 167 sps mammals (26 IUCN)

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Biodiveristy - invertebrates

• Rich biodiversity
• Historical reasons N-Thailand, N-Myanmar, Yunan,
  Assam, etc.
• Rhyacophila 34 sps, 32 in Nepal
• Glossosomatidae 16 sps,
• 14 in Nepal

Epiophlebia laidlawi
Hydraena karmai
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Water Resources

• Bhutan is endowed with rich perennial water
  resources due to its head water source fed with
  permanent glaciers associated glacier lakes,
  vast forest coverage recurrence monsoon
• Four major river basins are
• Amochhu, Wangchhu, Punatsangchhu Manas
• Major rivers flows North to South culminating
  into Indian plains
• 3 transboundary rivers Amochhu, Kurichhu Gamri

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Major River Systems
Wangchhu
Punatsangchhu
Amochhu
Manas
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Water Resources

• Most promising hydropower potential sites are
  located deep steep river reach in narrow valleys
  (30,000 MW)
• All most all the hydropower projects are
  run-of-the-schemes except few storage schemes in
  the foot hills
• Natural rivers/streams water quality is reported
  as excellent conditions expect at localized urban
  areas
• Deep groundwater is virtually unused in Bhutan
  hydro-geological science is still at infancy

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Water Resources in Bhutan
Characteristic National Features Value/Description
Long-term mean annual flow for entire country 2,325 m3/s73,000 million m3/year
Per capita mean annual flow availability 109,000 m3
Per capita minimum flow availability 20,000 m3
98 urban and 88 rural population has access
to safe drinking water
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Middle Path National Environment Strategy
3 avenues to sustainable development

• Agriculture Intensification
• Hydropower
• Industrialization

All the above are major users of water
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Water Act Guiding Elements
7th Session of the Parliament, 31 May 2011

• Ensure conservation protection sustainable
  management of Water Resources
• Grant equity in water allocation and use
• Respect traditional water rights if based on
  equity and social justice
• Ensure licensing of water for commercial uses
• Be supported by secondary legislations
• Uphold international legal norms and conventions

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Water Act 20117th Session of the Parliament, 31
May 2011

• Coordinate national IWRM
• Conduct inventory on water resources
• River Basin Management Plan (River basin
  committees and WUAs)
• Set WQ standards
• Set minimum environmental flow

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Challenges and consequences

• Unpredictable seasonality
• Accelerated melting of glaciers
• Extreme Climate Higher incidence of flooding and
  dry spells
• Reduction in over all river flows water
  shortages
• Drying of water sources rivers

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Challenges and consequences

• Increasing demand from increasing populations
• Unsustainable development of hydropower
• Extinction of plant and animal species
• GLOF is another
• serious threat

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Adaptation measures

• Investing in alternative sources of energy
  (solar, wind, biogas)
• Establish flood weather forecasting and advance
  warning systems
• Build check-dams water reservoirs using natural
  contours of riverbeds
• Promote rainwater harvesting WSUD

Green Roof
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Adaptation measures (contd..)

• Adopt drought resistant varieties of crops
  livestock
• Place more areas under parks and protected areas
• Protect watersheds and wetlands

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Regional National initiatives

• Bhutan Climate Summit for the Eastern Himalayas
  Southern watershed
• Establish strong upstream-downstream economic
  linkages (cost-benefit sharing)
• Establish an effective networking system for
  information, data and technology
• Focal institutes for glaciology, hydrology,
  energy, food security etc.
• Conduct inventory of water resources

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Regional National initiative

• Conservation of wetlands
• Improvement of irrigation systems
• Promoting rational use of irrigation water
• Control the spread of impervious ground cover
  that impedes the recharging of ground water
  resources

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International support

• Funds and technology for mitigation and
  adaptation measures
• Funds to develop sectoral rules and regulations
• Technology/ knowledge transfer from institutions
  such as MRC
• Support research monitoring programmes

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Conclusion

• Events in HKH have global consequences (social,
  economy, ecology)
• Strong evidence of climate change
• Need to act now rather
• than later
• Investing for the world

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