Role of ICIMOD
The Evolving Role of ICIMOD
in the Development of Water
Storage Capacity
Andreas Schild, Director General, ICIMOD, aschild@icimod.org
Ramesh Ananda Vaidya, Integrated Water and Hazard Management, ICIMOD, rvaidya@icimod.org
I
CIMOD, in collaboration with its knowledge When the consequences of climate change are
partners, plans to build on its areas of expertise superimposed on the high degree of variability in
to become a recognised regional knowledge rainfall over the year, then it is clear that the threat
centre for water: a centre with credible information, of water scarcity could pose a serious challenge to
appropriate technology, and integrated approaches, the approximately 1.3 billion people living in the ten
all aimed at contributing to the sustainable river basins that have their origins in the region. A
development of water resources. Water scarcity is a critical issue, then, is how to store massive quantities
growing problem in the Hindu Kush-Himalaya (HKH) of rainfall in very short periods so that it can be used
region, exacerbated by climate change. over the entire year. To this end, ICIMOD is working
Glaciers and glacial lakes store enormous amounts of water, Khumbu, Nepal
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