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Understanding

Karnali River Basin

Kabi Raj Khatiwada

The asymmetric, single-tower, cable-stayed bridge is the longest of its type in the world and represents a unique international collaboration, six years of hard work.

http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/yxxbk335/23757111.html

http://treasuresfromtheroad.com/karnali-river-too-slow-boat/

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https://www.flickr.com/photos/99425225@N00/albums/72157626624126842

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/inpictures/2014/09/pictures-food-crisis-hits-

nepal--20149492828515895.html

BLOG:

The Karnali Express:bumping on for 52 hours (Jumla to Surkhet)

By Dinesh Wagle

facebook/वल भ�राई/images

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Rara

-altitude of 2,990 m.a.s.l-water surface of 10.8 km2-Ramsar site-the biggest and deepest fresh water lake in the Nepal Himalayas

facebook/Jayan Manandhar/images

https://www.flickr.com/photos/heema rai

Khaptad

http://ghumante.com/magnificent-khaptad/

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• Change and dispossession in western Nepal

https://www.thethirdpole.net/2016/08/22/change-and-dispossession-in-western-nepal/

• Food Crisis in Karnali : A Historical and Politico-economic Perspective by Jagannath Adhikari

https://www.amazon.com/Food-Crisis-Karnali-Politico-economic-Perspective/dp/B004NO84SO

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Karnali River BasinWestern part of Nepal Area: 45,269 sq. km.

Rocky bare land: 11.6 %

Forest land: 39 %

Coniferous forest: 32.13%

Grassland: 24.2%

Glacier: 2%

Agriculture: 19.3%Data source: GLOBCOVER

Data source: Harmonized World Soil Database (HWSD)

(which includes the data from the SOTER )

7%

69%

2%

20%

2%

Dystric cambisols (bd)

Alkalino calcaric phaeozem (hcn)

Calcaro gleyric phaemzem (hcg)

Dystric lithosol (ld)

Orthic solonetz (so)

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• The annual average precipitation in the basin is only 1456.2 mm/year.

• 77% of rainfall occurs in monsoon whereas only 7% occurs in winter.

Fig: Average (1981-2012) monthly precipitation in

the basinFig: Spatial distribution of average (1981-

2012) annual precipitation (mm) in KRB

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Fig: Annual maximum minimum and average temperature of the basin

Fig: Temperature trend (̊C/year) in different seasons

J2000 Hydrological system

• The J2000 is a fully process-oriented distributed

hydrological model (Krause, 2002).

• Java-based modular oriented modelling

framework system JAMS (Jena Adaptable

Modelling System)

• Extended by incorporating a glacier sub-model to

account for snow and glacier process (Nepal, et al.

2014).

• Applied in the Himalayan region (Nepal et al. 2014

and Nepal 2016: Koshi, Tuitui, 2015: Marsyandi,

Shrestha, 2016: Indus)

Soil water module

RD1 (quick flow) surface runoff due to saturated access and infiltration

access runoff and sealed areas excess runoff.

RD2 (slow direct runoff) the lateral hypodermic runoff within soil zone.

RG1 (fast base flow runoff) runoff from the upper part of an aquifer,

which is more permeable due to weathering.

RG2 (slow base flow runoff) runoff at the lower zone of the aquifer.

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Topography

Soil-types

GISOverlay

HRU 1

HRU 4

HRU 2 HRU 3

HRU 5

HRU 6

Reach 1 Reach 3

Reach 2

Hydrological Response Unit (HRUs)

Land-use, land-

cover

Geology

6899 HRUs

Calibration

Year 1991-2000 2001-2007

Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (E) 0.90 0.90

Log Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (LnE) 0.91 0.89

Coefficient of determination (r2) 0.90 0.91

Relative Volume Error (pbias) -7.9 -7.6

Validation

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Water balance

Precipitation

1340 mm

Evapotranspiration

443 mm (33%)

Surface runoff

308mm (35%)

Interflow

439mm (49%)

Base flow

136 mm (15%)

Ice Runoff

94 mm

Evapotranspiration in each month in the basin

Fig: Monthly AET and PET in the basin

Average annual (1991-2007) (mm)

PET- 955

ACT- 468

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Runoff components in each month in the basin

Snow-Glacier discharge in each season

Winter… 21.2%

Pre monsoon… 63.8%

Monsoon… 22.5%

Post monsoon… 15.2%

Runoff components

Overland flow (RD1): 35%

Interflow (RD2+RG1): 49%

Base flow (RG2): 15%

Contribution in total discharge

Snowmelt 12.8%

Glacial melt 12.6%

0

50

100

150

200

250

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

(mm

)

Baseflow

Snowmelt

glacial melt

Interflow

Discharge

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THANK YOU ☺

© kabiraj