Designing Water Resource Use for Poverty Reduction in the HKH Region: Institutional and Policy Perspectives

The Hindu Kush-Himalayan (HKH) region covers over 4 million km2 (about 2.9%) of the global land area and approximately 18% of the mountain area. These mountains are headwaters of ten major river systems that provide livelihood to 210 million people living there, and indirectly provide goods and services to 1.3 billion people downstream. Despite local people being safeguards of this valuable water resource, many inhabitants are amongst the poorest of the poor, many being marginalized subsistence farmers of diverse ethnic groups and minorities, not benefiting from these vast resources. Available water resources in the HKH could be used for economic prosperity in the region by maximizing the benefits of this renewable resource. This chapter reviews the water resource use for poverty reduction, and pertinent institutional arrangements and policy provisions amidst sustainable development agendas, underlining the needs of international cooperation, institutional framework, and regional thinking.