Infographics

While both women and men interact heavily with water on a daily basis, their involvement in water management decisions is not equal. In the Koshi River basin and across the Hindu Kush Himalayan region, there is a great need to adopt a gender-sensitive and responsive approach to water management.

Women and men often experience water differently. While men use water for irrigation and large livestock, women use it for household, heatlh, and small livestock.

Despite their inherent responsibilities surrounding water, women’s involvement in local water institutions is usually low, passive, and non-technical.

Women's limited participation is rooted in gender norms. These contribute to lack of awareness regarding government provisions requiring 33% women's participation in water user committees, and women's lack of land ownership, which is often a criteria for membership in water institution.

Water resource management is most effective when there is active participation of both men and women in making decisions.

Upon receiving the information needed to be communicated, i focused on presenting the data factually. The idea was to let the viewer follow through the facts and read through the information while keeping one interested visually. The final design was printed as a poster and a flyer. Later, also translated in Nepali for rural reach.

Infographic © ICIMOD