The “Building Capabilities for Green, Climate-resilient, and Inclusive Development in the Lower Koshi River Basin (HI-GRID)” project is being implemented by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) with funding from Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) for the period of May 2023 to April 2027. The HI-GRID project focuses on mitigating risk related to ‘Too Much and Too Little’ (TMTL) water, through capacity building and developing innovative solutions, in Nepal’s Lower Koshi River Basin (LKRB) across 28 municipalities which are distributed over Nibuwa-Tankhuwa (Dhankuta district), Ratu (Mahottari and Dhanusha districts), Lal Bakaiya (Rautahat district) and Khando (Saptari district) watersheds. Its key areas focus on disaster risk reduction (DRR), nature-based solutions (NbS), pro-poor value chain and green enterprises, responsible tourism, and Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI), among others. The project is being implemented in collaboration with local municipal governments, communities, and civil society organizations. 

The Water and Climate Program at NDRI is conducting the mid-term evaluation (MTE) of the HI-GRID project covering the period of May 2023 to April 2025. The MTE aims to (i) assess HI-GRID project’s progress against planned outputs and outcomes, identifying achievements, and areas requiring improvement; and (ii) identify key learnings to enhance project implementation, strategy, and sustainability.

Team Members:

Dr. Shankar Shrestha (Lead / Water and Climate Expert / M&E Expert)
Dr. Shikha Thapa Magar (Co-Lead / GEDSI and Value-chain Expert
Prof. Dr. Tara Nidhi Bhattarai (DRR Expert / Advisor)
Ram Prasad Devkota (Field Coordinator)
Binita Shahi (Research Associate)
Dr. Divas B. Basnyat (Water and Climate Expert / Advisor)