The Nepal National Water and Weather Week (NNWWW), on the occasion of World Water Day (22 March) and World Meteorological Day (23 March), has been celebrated in Nepal with a weeklong program starting from 17 March 2017 to 23 March 2017. More than three dozen organizations including governmental agencies, I/NGOs, private sectors, academia, media houses participated in the program under an umbrella network of NNWWW-2017. Similarly, more than one thousand people including students, academia, policy planners and development workers, private sectors and media persons directly participated in the various events organized on this occasion.

Since 2008, to commemorate these two very special days, WWD and WMD, the consortium led by the Water and Energy Commission Secretariat (WECS), the Government of Nepal, has been organizing several program to share and discuss on various issues related to water and weather in a single and common platform of NNWWW. In this this context, this year also, a week-long program from 17 March to 23 March, were organized under the umbrella network of NNWWW-2017, chaired by Mr. Madhusudhan Adhikari, Secretary of WECS.

World Water Day is celebrated annually on 22 March for taking action on water crisis. This international day was recommended at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). The United Nations General Assembly responded by designating 22 March 1993 as the first World Water Day. Each year, World Water Day highlights a specific aspect of freshwater. This year UN-Water had dedicated World Water Day 2017 to the theme Wastewater to raise awareness on wastewater and giving emphasis on reducing and reusing wastewater as an important backup resource. Likewise each year, on 23 March, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the worldwide meteorological community celebrate World Meteorological Day (WMD) around a chosen theme. The theme of the World Meteorological Day for 2017 was “Understanding Clouds”.

This year too, with the aim of raising awareness on wastewater, and also highlight the water related issues; various events were organized in different parts of Nepal on the occasion of World Water Day. Formal opening program of the week-long activities of NNWWW-2017 was organized at Seminar Hall of Department of Irrigation (DoI) at Jawalakhel, Lalitpur on 17th March. A cycle rally and walkathon were separately organized in the morning which was later conversed at DoI, Jawalakhel, Lalitpur, and followed by formal inauguration ceremony of NNWWW-2017. Honorable Minister, Ministry of Energy, Mr. Janardan Sharma, as the Chief Guest of the ceremony, inaugurated the week-long program by watering the flower plant.

Throughout the week, various program were organized that includes participation in the Bagmati cleanup campaign, students visit to waste water treatment plants at Guheshwori, national groundwater symposium, river basin research sharing colloquium, workshop and high level panel on WASH and Sustainable Development Goals, and Stakeholders Consultation on Hydro- Meteorological Services in Nepal. On 23 March, a formal program was organized to felicitate the organizations that contributed to NNWWW events and closing ceremony of the week-long events. NNWWW-2017 was able to bring various organizations working in water sector in Nepal in a single platform and discuss on the water issues, including research and problems on groundwater related issues to river basin level research status and outcomes in Nepal.

(The details of the week-long program is available here)