Nepal Embraces Opportunity to Advance Sustainable Hydropower
Environmental and social experts, with the support of the Australian and U.S. governments and IFC, continue to build knowledge on how Nepal’s waterways can be developed sustainably, while protecting aquatic biodiversity and lowering social impacts. “We’re aiming for hydropower without hydrophobia,” said Dipak Gyawali, former Minister of Water Resources and Pragya, Nepal Academy of Science and Technology. “Instead of no dams, we should try for no bad dams.”Gyawali was the keynote speaker at the launch of the Sustainable Hydropower Workshop Series in Kathmandu in April. High-level officials from the Nepalese, U.S. and Australian governments, representatives from IFC, MIGA, and the World Bank, industry professionals, and NGOs gathered at this event to discuss the urgent need to achieve sustainable hydropower in Nepal and how the workshop series could contribute to this.