Planning for a democratising river basin: methods to support analytic deliberation

We report on the innovative design, and progress to date, of a stakeholder-formulated water resources development strategy for the Kamala river basin in Nepal, the first such initiative in the country’s experience since 2015 as a federal democratic republic. In the Kamala basin (pop. 610,000), authority over water resources and watershed management is allocated among 15 municipalities, three provincial governments, and the federal government. Our design consisted of an sequence of participatory analytic techniques based on a deliberative approach to planning. To formulate strategic advice, we used: (i) multi-criteria analysis (MCA) of four major water supply options; (ii) scenario-based assessment of the viability of those options; and (iii) participatory institutional analysis of prioritized options, with (i) and (ii) supported by river system hydrological modelling. We designed and delivered each component in the sequence to elicit the development aspirations and practical knowledge of state and non-state actors at the three levels of governance, in a participatory and co-productive manner. The application of interdisciplinary and co-productive methodologies requires sensitivity to the diverse interests, capabilities, and power of stakeholder-participants. Specifically, it requires designs, methods and techniques which diversify problem and solution framing, while reducing power asymmetries. The talk reflects on the contribution our methodology (i.e. our specific techniques, and the sequence of techniques), made to formulating the Kamala basin’s first water resources development strategy.