Responding to climate change impacts: Constraints and potential adaptations options in the Koshi basin

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1 Responding to climate change impacts: Constraints and potential adaptations options in the Koshi basin Ram Bastakoti International Water Management Institute Water-livelihoods-gender nexus to advance Koshi Basin Management, March, 2016, Lalitpur, Nepal

different parts of Koshi Basin Examine the existing adaptation

2 Objectives Analyze adaptation options to deal with climate change impacts, especially changing water availability situation in different parts of Koshi Basin Examine the existing adaptation options Factors constraining adaptation practices, and Potential adaptation options 2

Field Survey Case Study districts Sankhuwasabha and Bhojpur from hills [upland] Saptari from plains [floodplain areas] Supaul Bihar (floodaffected] Focus

3 Field Survey Case Study districts Sankhuwasabha and Bhojpur from hills [upland] Saptari from plains [floodplain areas] Supaul Bihar (floodaffected] Focus Group Discussions and Household Survey Sankhuwasabha 2 FGD; 40 HH survey Bhojpur - 2 FGD; 40 HH survey Saptari 5 FGD; 80 HH survey Supaul- 2FGD, 91HH survey 3

4 Agricultural trend and changes in practices Decline in cultivated area in different parts of the basin Decline in cultivated area in case study districts except Sankhuwasabha 4

study areas Decline in cropped area Shifts to other

5 Agricultural trend and changes in practices More changes in cropping pattern in Bihar than in Nepal study areas Decline in cropped area Shifts to other farming activities Shifts to non-agricultural activities 5

Koshi floodplains, overall decline in water availability for

6 Perceived changes in water availability Majority of the respondents reported experiencing climatic variability In Koshi floodplains, overall decline in water availability for agricultural use Climatic variability affected the water availability 6

7 Perceived impacts - Drought In Koshi basin, drought as a problem 7

8 Perceived impacts - Flooding In Koshi basin floodplains, flooding as main problem 8

9 Existing adaptation practices to drought Adaptation measures Hill communities in Nepal Floodplains in Nepal Terai Flood-affected areas in Bihar S sabha Bhojpur Upstream of Barrage Downstream of Barrage Inside embankment Structural measures Along East Main Canal Built/renovate surface canal No Yes (20.0) Yes (5.0) Yes (10.0) No Yes (8.3) Install tube wells No No Yes (2.5) Yes (35.0) Yes (25.6) Yes (47.9) Renovate community ponds Yes (2.5) No No No No Yes (2.1) Technical measures Use drought-tolerant varieties No Yes (5.0) No No No Yes (2.1) Shift to new crop varieties No Yes (5.0) No No No Yes (4.2) Adopt new mode of irrigation Yes (2.5) Yes (7.5) No No No Yes (2.1) Management related measures Crop diversification Yes (17.5) Yes (5.0) No Yes (22.5) Yes (4.7) Yes (8.3) Water users group formation Yes (45.0) No No Yes (20.0) No No On-farm water management No No No Yes (7.5) No Yes (2.1) Economic measures Crop insurance No No No No No No Seasonal migration Yes (30.0) Yes (37.5) Yes (10.0) Yes (32.5) Yes (25.6) Yes (16.7) Livelihood diversification Yes (17.5) Yes (22.5) Yes (12.5) Yes (25.0) Yes (25.6) Yes (16.7) Regulatory measures Define land use No No No No No No 9

10 Existing adaptation practices to floods Adaptation measures Hill communities in Nepal Floodplains in Nepal Terai Flood-affected areas in Bihar S sabha Bhojpur Upstream of Barrage Downstream of Barrage Inside embankment Along East Main Canal Structural measures Build flood-dykes No Yes (2.5) Yes (52.5) Yes (70.0) Yes (9.3) Yes (27.1) Weirs to divert flood water No No Yes (50.0) Yes (37.5) Yes (2.3) Yes (22.9) Other drainage structures No No Yes (10.0) Yes (35.0) Yes (2.3) Yes (10.4) Land reclamation No No No No Yes (2.3) Yes (10.4) Technical measures Flood forecasting system No No Yes (7.5) Yes (27.5) Yes (14.0) Yes (8.3) Use flood-tolerant varieties No No No Yes (20.0) Yes (7.0) Yes (2.1) Management related measures Set-up flood committee No No No Yes (75.0) Yes (16.3) Yes (2.1) Develop community capacity No No No Yes (60.0) Yes (7.0) Yes (10.4) Institutional arrangements No No No Yes (40.0) Yes (7.0) Yes (12.5) Economic measures Crop insurance No No No No No Yes (2.1) Livestock insurance No No No Yes (2.5) No Yes (2.1) Insurance for other damages No No No No Yes (4.7) Yes (2.1) Seasonal migration No No No No Yes (9.3) Yes (14.6) Regulatory measures Floodplain zoning No No No 10

11 Factors constraining adaptation practices Several factors constrain adaption practices: Financial, Technical knowledge, Lack of awareness, Lack of collective action, Property rights, and Ineffective role of state agencies Lack of investment capacity of community: affects in adopting structural measures, such as community infrastructure Lack of investment capacity of household: for example, smallholders find it difficult to install STWs; not able to cover insurance premium 11

12 Factors constraining adaptation practices (2) Low level of technical knowledge of community people new methods of cultivation - less efforts of concerned authorities Lack of awareness about available options such as availability of either drought-tolerant or flood-tolerant crop varieties or types; insurance for crop failure Lack of collective action among beneficiaries poor management of community infrastructure Property rights issue who has use right of common pool resource such as community pond Ineffective role of state agencies to facilitate adoption of adaptation measures 12

13 Potential adaptation options Potential adaptation options could be: Crop diversification Improved on-farm water management Livelihood diversification Capacity building including collective action, and Improved access to credit and market facilities Crop diversification: multiple cropping is better than monocropping make farming system resilient to total crop failure; focus on perennial crops On-farm water management: reduce long fallow period utilize residual soil moisture using mulching; on-farm water harvesting, or non-conventional irrigation techniques 13

14 Potential adaptation options (2) Livelihood diversification: adopt alternate livelihood options such as seasonal migration; small-scale off-farm income generation activities Capacity building to facilitate collective action: sensitization of community people on importance of collective action through capacity building trainings increase the effectiveness of community level measures Credit and market facilities: easy access to institutional credit facilities with low interest rate help adopt small-scale adaptation measures 14

15 Concluding remarks Local institutions could play crucial roles through: initiating unique adaptation options suitable to local context act as catalyst facilitating adoption of adaptation options through technical and material support, and act as bridge between local people and external agencies. Source: Bastakoti et al. 2014)

16 Acknowledgements: KBP/ICIMOD, CCAFS/CGIAR, WLE/CGIAR 16

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