Adaptation to Climate Change in the Hydroelectricity Sector in Nepal

The document identifies that while future climate change impacts in Nepal are uncertain, the sector faces immediate risks from climate variability and climate-induced hazards such as glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) and high sediment loads. It argues that adaptation must be plant-specific rather than 'one size fits all,' recommending a mix of low-regret technical and non-technical options. At the national level, the study finds the current power mix is inefficient and suggests increasing the share of storage-type reservoir projects to better manage supply and demand under changing climatic conditions.

• Current climate and hydrological variability pose a significant immediate challenge to Nepal's hydropower sector, particularly for smaller run-of-river (RoR) projects, leading to high system-wide vulnerability and economic impacts.

APA

Basnyat, D. B., & Watkiss, P. (2017). Adaptation to Climate Change in the Hydroelectricity Sector in Nepal. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/hydroelectricity-in-Nepal-final-WEB.pdf

Chicago

Basnyat, Divas B., and Paul Watkiss. Adaptation to Climate Change in the Hydroelectricity Sector in Nepal. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2017. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/hydroelectricity-in-Nepal-final-WEB.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Basnyat |first1=Divas B. |last2=Watkiss |first2=Paul |title=Adaptation to Climate Change in the Hydroelectricity Sector in Nepal |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=May 2017 |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/hydroelectricity-in-Nepal-final-WEB.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{basnyat2017adaptation, author = {Basnyat, Divas B. and Watkiss, Paul}, title = {{Adaptation to Climate Change in the Hydroelectricity Sector in Nepal}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2017}, month = may, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/hydroelectricity-in-Nepal-final-WEB.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }