Maximizing benefits from hydropower: A Nepal case

Hydropower development is the only development activity that yields multiple benefits and, in many cases, can be an effective agent for poverty alleviation. Apart from being a source of renewable and clean energy, to stabilize the supply of electricity, it helps provide year round irrigation resulting in the increase in the cropping intensity and changing cropping pattern, and it reduces both deforestation and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Nepal has adopted a policy of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), by which hydropower projects are developed in conjunction with irrigation..