South and South-East Asia - Nepal
This two-year project strengthened urban planning, GIS systems and financial management capabilities of four Nepali municipalities – the cities of Dharan, Janakpur, Nepalgunj, and Siddharthanagar – to improve their urban service delivery and ensure the sustainability of future infrastructure investments. Cowater worked directly with local experts on three main components: (i) strengthening urban planning through the preparation of building and zoning bylaws and enforcement mechanisms; (ii) developing/supporting GIS-based mapping systems and capabilities to improve the delivery and management of municipal infrastructure and urban services, including in the sectors of urban transport, solid waste management and water supply and sanitation; and (iii) improving financial management systems, including internal auditing, budgeting, accounting and own-source revenue enhancement. Cowater’s team provided technical advice on the preparation and amendment of applicable municipal bylaws to incorporate the critical aspects of the National Building Code as it relates to mitigating the impact of earthquakes on buildings and adopting the principals of Risk Sensitive Land Use Planning to identify risk sensitive lands (flood plains, unstable slopes etc.) for restricting development. The team also reviewed existing building bylaws and codes, proposing amendments in accordance with urban development plans and preparing action plans for the implementation and enforcement of building bylaws (ordinances) and national building codes; customized GIS software to establish links with municipal tax systems and real estate asset inventories, providing detailed operations and training manuals to the municipal staff for GIS-based map utilization. Cowater worked closely and effectively with all four local governments as well as with the Ministry of Local Development and the Ministry of Physical Planning and Works.
