Bhutan is set to efficiently and sustainably tap its abundant, yet fragile, water resources.
In accordance to the 2011 Water Act, the government is promoting integrated water resources management to strengthen resilience to current variability and anticipated impacts of future climate change. National water action plans have been formulated and implemented.
Bhutan is a country blessed with abundant water sources. A small but fast-growing economy, Bhutan’s growth at 7.5% in recent years far exceeds the average global growth of 44 %. This solid growth is backed by different industries, foremost of which is hydropower constructions. This has translated into tremendous progress in reducing extreme poverty.
While water supply in Bhutan is traditionally managed through community-based institutions and used mainly for household and farm needs, Bhutan’s growing economy and population have resulted in higher water demand for more varied uses. For instance, hydropower is now Bhutan’s biggest contributor to its national income. Currently, water generates electricity for most of Bhutan and parts of India.
Unfortunately, though abundant in some areas, water is just not accessible to many dispersed communities living on the mountain slopes. Few farms and smallholdings are located where irrigation water is plentiful. At present, rivers are mainly used to produce hydroelectricity. Socio-economic activities like agriculture and other industries are putting more pressure on current water delivery infrastructure.
Through the project Adapting to Climate Change through Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), a capacity development assistance from the ADB, with cofinancing from Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction and the Water Financing Partnership Facility, the Bhutan government created a platform for a holistic approach to water conservation as well as bolstered its agencies’ capacities to implement a nationwide strategy.
Interventions
In the face of a chronic accessibility situation, a changing climate, and growing demand in both urban and rural areas, the government recognized the urgency of a holistic and sustainable approach to managing its water.
The Bhutan Water Act identifies IWRM as the approach needed to conserve, manage, and protect Bhutan’s water resources. It prompted Bhutan’s National Environment Commission (NEC) to prepare and strengthen its institutional capacity to incorporate IWRM into a nationwide strategy. NEC is Bhutan’s highest decision-making body on matters of the environment, including water management. IWRM is the coordinated development and management of water resources without compromising its sustainability.
Through the technical assistance, ADB assisted Bhutan in strengthening its capacity to develop IWRM-based nationwide water and food security strategies. It was important for the government to take the different perspectives of its stakeholders into account. Representatives from relevant government agencies, district development councils, and water management committees were actively engaged. NEC formed a technical advisory committee composed of representatives from 15 key government stakeholders, including those from non-government organizations and civil society.
Results
The Bhutan Water Act of 2011 underscores the critical role water plays as a life-sustaining resource. With ADB’s assistance, the Royal Government developed the National Integrated Water Resource Management Plan (NIWRMP), the Wangchhu River Basin Management Plan, and the National Irrigation Master Plan. These plans work to strengthen water resources governance and management in the country.
The National Integrated Water Resource Management Plan 2016. The NIWRMP provides a holistic approach toward water security. By approaching water management from a collaborative perspective, the government was able to unify and coordinate efforts by different agencies in managing Bhutan’s water.
Wangchhu River Basin Management Plan 2016. The technical assistance also put together a water plan for a priority basin, the Wangchhu, which occupies almost 12% of Bhutan’s area. Wangchhu is also home to two major towns: Bhutan’s capital Thimphu and its main port of entry, Paro. The main thrusts of the basin plan are on improving the rural and urban drinking water supply and sanitation, rural water storage, irrigation development, and flood protection measures. The WBMP also proposes institutional arrangements for effective implementation of the plan within the overall institutional framework.
National Irrigation Master Plan 2016. Advancing toward Bhutan’s food security was the goal of one of the assistance’s outcomes, the National Irrigation Master Plan. The plan includes steps for the development of new irrigation and reconstruction of existing ones, technological interventions, and institutional arrangements. The main objective of this plan is to map out a 15-year action plan and roadmap for the development of climate adaptive irrigation systems and irrigated agriculture in the country.