WATER MANAGEMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Network : TOT Program on “Trans-boundary water management” in River basin of Koshi: India and Nepal for Elected Women Representatives and Women Representatives of Political units
Duration : 2015-2018
Intervention in : Saharsa and Supaul
Supported By : The Asia Foundation and CSR
Background
In India, Kosi River is known as ‘Sorrow of Bihar’ as it has caused severe human sufferings in past due to annual occurrence of floods. Kosi River is a Trans-boundary River which passes through the political borders of China-Nepal-India. Major Trans-Boundary issues are linked to regional geo-politics since it involves two or more countries which are unequal in size and power; differ in socio-economic and cultural aspects.
In collaboration with The Asia Foundation and CSR, GENVP initiated a project on “Trans- boundary water management and climate change to focus on the trans-boundary issues in India (Bihar). Supaul and Saharsa districts of Bihar are selected to be part of our program and implementation. The inception visit was further conducted in intervene districts to explore the prevailing situation and different components of Trans-Boundary specific to these areas to formulate appropriate strategies for successful management of them across border.
- Conduct intensive trainings for elected EWRs in Bihar based on the training materials and methodology used in previous year.
- Create trans-boundary committees in intervene districts of EWRs in Bihar. The purpose is to coordinate effective trans-boundary institutional models for climate resilience.
- Joint capacity building events for the trans-boundary committees.
- Multi-stakeholder meetings to link the trans-boundary committees to flood relief agencies, donors, government disaster management agencies, district officials, local media.
- Coordinate with flood management processes initiated by Bihar government.
Achievement
- TOT of EWRs
The two consecutively training was organized in the month of April 2017 to enhance the knowledge of EWRs of intervene districts of Bihar on flood management. Total 78 Elected Women representatives were trained.
- Formation of Community level Water management committees
Four hand holding meetings in each panchayat were conducted by the trained elected women Representatives (EWR) to ensure adequate coverage and detailed dialogue and planning with the community. The whole meetings covered 11 panchayats (Six in Saharsa and five in Supaul district of Bihar). The meetings steered the formation of Community Level Water management committees. Apart from this total 2332 participants were sensitized with such hand holding meetings
- Enhancing leadership capacity
The Three Days Joint Dialogue (TOT) was organized which build the leadership capacity and enhance knowledge on disaster management , addressing during and post disaster context and issues and Gender and legal issues in context with disaster and provisions for women of forty elected women representatives (Twenty women representatives each from Bihar and Nepal).
- Review and Impact Assessment
In the month of September 2017, CSR has done impact assessment to receive feedback from the trained participants on their learning’s and challenges during the training from trainers. The assessment witnessed the enhanced capacity of elected women representatives. EWRs have taken active role in disaster management particularly in preparedness of flood management and relief work.
- District Trans-boundary Committees
The several meetings was organized with EWRs of Saharsa and Supaul Districts of Bihar lead to identify and select 10 potential EWRs (5 from each intervene district of Bihar) for the District level trans- boundary committees. Further these committees will trained along with political women representatives of Nepal for the formation of Trans-boundary committee.