Between July and August 2025, researchers from the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) explored a range of complex water and climate resilience challenges, from studies on hydropower development in the upper Indus basin to gender representation in water policies across the Global South. Read on to discover highlights from recent IWMI publications, representative of the diverse topics and regions researchers explore. Click the links to read the full open-access articles.
From theory to practice: lessons from transformative learning through a net-zero design competition
Net-zero designs offer a sustainable approach to the built environment, incorporating renewable energy production and novel engineering — and young practitioners are positioned to take a lead on climate-responsive housing. IWMI author Abdur Rehman Cheema and co-authors examine an international design competition where students and young professionals developed affordable, energy-efficient house designs in teams. Designs focused on housing in South Asia, the Middle East and North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa, where housing challenges are particularly acute. Through workshops, skill-building sessions and expert jury feedback, the competition provided experiential education for the participants and fostered interdisciplinary collaboration across the fields of spatial planning, engineering and architecture. The competition challenged emerging professionals to address real-world sustainability challenges and respond to gaps in energy efficiency and affordability in existing housing policy. This competition could serve as a template for higher education institutions around the world.
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From theory to practice: lessons from transformative learning through a net-zero design competition
Panta Rhei: a decade of progress in research on change in hydrology and society
Over the past decade, hydrologists from around the world collaborated to understand the increasing human impact on the water cycle. The International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS) is a non-profit organization supporting hydrology and related sciences worldwide. Since 2003, it has organized “Scientific Decades” to set collaborative research agendas for the global hydrology community to engage in a specific hydrological problem. For their second Scientific Decade, spanning 2013 to 2022, IAHS took inspiration from Greek philosopher Heraclitus with the title “Panta Rhei — Everything Flows,” referencing a world that is constantly in flux. IWMI’s Moctar Dembélé and colleagues reflect on the decade and its accomplishments.
With a community-based, bottom-up approach, over 30 IAHS working groups gathered to produce studies, papers, conferences and workshops centered around the interactions between hydrological and societal systems. Organizing around three domains — socio-hydrology, integrated water resources management and predictions under change. Highlights included the formation of a diverse community of scientists — researchers examined topics such as citizen science, changes in land use and stakeholders, and new socio-hydrological model approaches. The newly formed IAHS International Commission on Human-Water Feedbacks will guide future research on water and societies.
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Panta Rhei: a decade of progress in research on change in hydrology and society
From theoretical to sustainable potential for run-of-river hydropower development in the upper Indus basin
Over the past two decades, interest in hydropower has increased in the mountains of the Indus basin. Hydropower is viewed as a more sustainable solution to meet the increasing electricity demands of both India and Pakistan. However, there is a lack of localized assessments of its potential as a driver of development. IWMI researcher Saurav Pradhananga and co-authors propose a new framework in this paper to fill this gap. They assess hydropower potential against real-world limits such as costs, hazards and competing water needs, finding that a mix of plants of different sizes and designs offers the most efficient and sustainable option. By identifying potential sites for cost-optimal hydropower, they lay the groundwork for Indus basin communities to tailor the assessments based on their suitability to local energy needs. Rather than solely considering political and financial interests, hydropower resource potential should be determined with both energy justice and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in mind.
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Beyond the banks: paving the way for environmental flows in Nepal
Despite Nepal’s substantial hydropower potential, the integration of environmental flows within the country’s hydropower sector remains severely limited. IWMI scientists Santosh Nepal and Nishadi Eriyagama, together with their colleagues, led the first major study on stakeholder awareness of e-flows in Nepal’s hydropower sector, highlighting key challenges to their wider adoption. Only half the respondents demonstrated familiarity with environmental flow concepts, while an overwhelming 80% acknowledged that existing hydropower projects have failed to adequately implement these flows. The survey captured perspectives from government agencies, water resource developers, user groups, practitioners, researchers and academics who identified critical implementation challenges. These findings offer policymakers essential guidance for advancing sustainable water resource development while minimizing the ecological footprint of hydropower projects.
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Beyond the banks: paving the way for environmental flows in Nepal
Inferring the impacts of climate extremes in the Kabul River Basin
Unusual and severe weather conditions, known as climate extremes, are threatening vital sectors in the Himalayan region, including health, agriculture and water resources. Seasonal precipitation analysis suggests that annual mean temperatures in the Kabul River Basin (KRB) could rise by 3 to 5°C, while winter and pre-monsoon rainfall are projected to decline. IWMI researchers Saurav Pradhananga and Santosh Nepal, with co-author Kabi Raj Khatiwada, applied advanced climate models and 10 measures of extreme climate events to assess the future risks in the KRB. Their results indicate a sharp increase in heat-related extremes, alongside a decline in cold-weather and heavy-precipitation events. This highlights the urgent need to increase resilience and protect livelihoods in KRB in response to escalating climate challenges.
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Inferring the impacts of climate extremes in the Kabul River Basin
Measuring how water‐related policies of the Global South consider gender: insights from trialing a new policy gender index in Nepal
Across the Global South, water policies do not sufficiently consider gender, preventing more concrete efforts to give women adequate representation. Particularly in Southeast Asia and Africa, many women bear the burden of water collection for their families and communities, and some face an increasing labor burden as more women engage in smallholder farming. Despite women being integral to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and agriculture and water resources management (WRM) sectors, they are rarely represented in decision-making processes on these issues. IWMI researcher Sanju Koirala and colleagues assess gender considerations in water-related policies with their Multi-Dimensional Index of Gender in Water Policy (MDI-GWP). The index was trialed in Nepal, where agriculture and WASH policy have seen improvements in gender equity, though they found gender-blind decision-making in WRM policy. This can disadvantage women by leaving their challenges and lack of representation unaddressed. The simplicity of MDI-GWP makes it easily applicable across countries in the Global South to identify gender representation in water policy.
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Effect of alternating canal and marginal groundwater irrigation on banana yield, water use efficiency and soil salinity under furrow plantation
Banana production represents a critical cash crop in Pakistan; however, the industry faces mounting challenges from dwindling freshwater supplies. While groundwater quality in the region ranges from marginal to saline, it has the potential to serve as a supplementary resource to scarce freshwater. Recognizing this opportunity, scientists are evaluating how combining marginal-quality groundwater with canal water could address water shortages while maintaining crop productivity. IWMI researcher Muhammad Ashraf and colleagues experimented with the Dwarf Cavendish banana variety, testing alternating irrigation strategies that combined canal water and marginal groundwater against conventional farmer practices. Their findings revealed that soil salinity levels remained within acceptable thresholds across all treatment methods. The research demonstrates that bananas can thrive under irrigation systems that alternate between canal water and marginal groundwater at optimal ratios, presenting a viable and sustainable approach to banana cultivation in water-constrained regions.
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What does a climate-resilient rural water supply system look like? An interdisciplinary approach to climate resilience mapping in Nepal
Three in four rural water supply systems in western Nepal are vulnerable to climate change. Through their study of 180 water systems, IWMI researcher Santosh Nepal and co-scientists measured the climate resilience of Nepal’s rural water supply. They found that 76% of these systems had very low to medium resilience, leaving communities at risk of water and sanitation disruptions. Their findings underscore the need to increase investments in building rural water supply resilience to climate disruptions. Community capital was identified as the strongest domain of these systems, while institutional support and governance were found to be the weakest points. The findings point to priority areas for strengthening WASH services in protecting rural communities from climate change.
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