Posted on February, 11 2025
11th February 2025, Sindhuli, Nepal: The Managing Watersheds for Enhanced Resilience of Communities to Climate Change in Nepal (MaWRiN) Project was officially launched in Sindhuli with Mr. Karsang Lama, Chief of the District Coordinating Committee, Sindhuli as the chairperson. The Honourable Minister of the Ministry of Forest and Environment, Bagmati Province, Krishna Prasad Silwal, attended the event as the chief guest.
The MaWRiN Project, funded by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) and implemented with technical support by WWF, is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Forest and Environment, Government of Nepal, and the Ministry of Forest and Environment, Bagmati Province. The project aims to enhance climate resilience of Indigenous people and local communities in the Marin watershed through nature-based solutions and livelihood improvement in the Marin watershed area of Sindhuli District. It will be implemented across six priority sub-watersheds of Marin Watershed i.e. Kyan Khola, Ghagar khola and Phulbari khola, Dhungajor, Jalkeni Sakhauri, and Simale to implement a series of nature base solution (NbS) interventions and community based natural resource management linking upstream and downstream problem areas in Kamalamai (ward no. 1, 4, 5), Marin (ward no. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5), Hariharpur Gadhi (ward no. 4, 5 6, 7 and 8) and Ghyanglekh (ward no. 1) municipalities. The project is set to run from August 15, 2024, to August 14, 2030.
The inception workshop provided an opportunity to introduce the project’s objectives, scope, and institutional structure to key stakeholders and gather insights for strengthening collaboration and coordination for its effective implementation.
The program, emceed by Ms. Sanu Thapa, Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning, and Communication Officer, started with a welcome address from Mr. Suresh Dahal, Project Manager. It included a briefing on the project context, introduction, open discussions, and presentations by key representatives, including Mr. Shiva Wagle, Head of the Planning, Monitoring, and Coordination Division at the Ministry of Forestry and Environment, Government of Nepal, Kathmandu, Dr. Kedar Baral, Secretary, the Ministry of Forest and Environment, Bagmati Province, Ms. Deepa Oli, Head of Development Cooperation Coordination Section, Ministry of Forest and Environment, Government of Nepal, Kathmandu, and Dr. Nabin Dhungana, Technical Team Leader of the MaWRiN Project.
The closing session featured remarks from Mr. Ajay Manandhar, Divisional Forest Officer, Division Forest Office, Marin Sindhuli; Dr. Kedar Baral, Secretary, Ministry of Forest and Environment, Bagmati Province; Hon'ble Minister Krishna Prasad Silwal; and Chairperson Karsang Lama.
The MaWRiN Project represents a crucial step in addressing climate change impacts through sustainable watershed management, aiming to enhance the resilience of indigenous and local communities and ecosystems in Nepal’s Marin watershed in Bagmati Province.