Nepal Water Conservation Foundation for Academic Research

01/04/2026

08/03/2026

Celebrating the amazing women on our team today. Thank you for your hard work, passion, and the energy you bring every day. Sending our sincere appreciation this Women's Day!

27/02/2026

From Risk to Resilience: The Syangja Model

In the mid-hills of Syangja, we are shifting from high-cost engineering to nature-based water governance. Our SNGP Project Phase II has proven that community-led, nature-based interventions are 60–75% more cost-effective than traditional methods.
By training 20+ local champions—with women and persons with disabilities leading the charge—we have restored 10 recharge ponds and secured a blueprint for province-wide water resilience.
Read our full February update:

26/02/2026

What happens when we look at large dams not just as concrete structures, but as tools of power and colonial legacy?
At our 91st Pani Satsang, Dr. Atal Ahmedzai led a compelling discourse on "The Political Ecology of Large Dams and Ecological Interventions." The session challenged the "techno-bureaucratic paradigm" that often silences indigenous knowledge in favour of economic calculations. Key Takeaways: We traced the colonial roots of dam-building, which began as a British "land laboratory" to maximise revenue. The session highlighted a striking knowledge paradox: how modern science often silences traditional, local wisdom to favour economic gain. We also examined the "production of discourse"—why the negative impacts of large dams are often suppressed by powerful market actors and elite circles.
Moving forward, we must ask: Who truly benefits, and whose knowledge is being sidelined?

09/02/2026

We are delighted to invite you to the 91st Pani Satsang for a critical discussion: "The Political Ecology of the Large Modern Dam."
In this session, we will explore how large dams function not just as physical structures, but as political tools that shape power, control, and ecology across time—from colonial-era oppression to today’s neoliberal market-driven coercion. We’ll examine their legacy and present-day impacts on society and nature.

Join us to unpack this urgent topic.
Registration: https://forms.gle/X3kVA587W437SBvh9

🗓️ Date: 13th December
⏰ Time: 2:00 PM onwards
📍 Venue: NWCF Office, Chundevi, Kathmandu

31/12/2025

🌧️ Op-Ed by our Program Officer, Ms Anu Dahal 🌧️
She presents a crucial perspective on water scarcity that moves beyond the surface:
"पानी हराएको होइन, पानी जम्न नपाएको हो।
यो संकटको मूल कारण पानीको अभाव होइन, पानी भरण हुन नसक्नु हो।"
("We have not lost water; the water has just not been able to percolate and be stored. The root cause of this crisis is not a lack of water, but the inability for it to recharge.")
She explains how unplanned rural roads, bulldozer-based construction, and haphazard expansion of settlements have fragmented our natural recharge zones. Rainwater on hillsides now runs off violently, causing erosion and loss, instead of seeping into the ground to nourish our springs and aquifers.
This is a call to rethink development. The solution lies in protecting our watersheds and building with a water-conscious approach.

अब पहाडलाई भौगोलिक विकटताको दोष दिने होइन। पहाडमा पोखरी बनाई अस्थायी राहत होइन, स्थायी समृद्धिको बाटो रोज्ने समय...

24/12/2025

17/12/2025

The 90th Paani Satsang tackled the deep contradictions of South Asia's water crisis, inspired by Cheryl Colopy's book Dirty, Sacred Rivers. We explored the paradox: how can a river be both sacred and treated as a resource, both revered and degraded?

Joined by experts, the dialogue moved beyond engineering solutions to confront the core disconnect. Using examples from Nepal's hydropower, California's wildfires, and Brazil's energy projects, we discussed the critical trade-offs between development and ecology.

A central takeaway is the urgent need to reimagine rivers as living entities with legal and cultural rights. True sustainability lies at the intersection of rigorous science and deep cultural wisdom—integrating modern data with traditional systems like Dhungedhara and creating inclusive, participatory governance.

The path forward is complex but clear: honouring our rivers, empowering our communities, and building holistic solutions rooted in justice.

13/12/2025

We are delighted to invite you to the 90th edition of our Pani Satsang, in partnership with WAFON, featuring Cheryl Colopy, author of the book "Dirty, Sacred River: Confronting South Asia’s Water Crisis".

This session is designed to discuss Dirty, Sacred Rivers: Confronting South Asia’s Water Crisis (Oxford University Press, 2012). She researched and wrote the book during seven years of travel and residence in South Asia. She undertook her exploration of the looming catastrophes in the greater Ganges watershed—spanning India, Nepal, and Bangladesh — with the help of a Fulbright fellowship.
Link to Register: https://forms.gle/G5KyBBHna7MtQR12A
Event Details:
Date: 16th December
Time: 2:00 PM onwards
Venue: NWCF Office, Chundevi, Kathmandu