The Water Resources Coordination Division conducted a training workshop on Unit II: E-flow Fundamentals from November 15-19, 2021 in Punakha, as part of the E-flow project. The Final Phase of the E-flow project titled ‘Study on Minimum Environmental Flow for Hydropower Projects in Bhutan’ is coordinated and implemented by the National Environment Commission Secretariat in collaboration with key stakeholders between November 2019 and April 2022, and is funded by the Austrian Development Agency.

Under the project, the draft E-flow module consisting of nine units ranging from E-flow fundamentals, to hydropower development, 2D hydrodynamic and habitat modeling and socio-economic assessment has been developed. 

The workshop was attended by officials from the Department of Agriculture and Department of Livestock (MoAF), Department of Hydropower and Power Systems and Department of Renewable Energy (MoEA), Department of Engineering Services (DES), Bhutan Electricity Authority, Druk Green Power Corporation Limited, Ugyen Wangchuck Institute for Conservation and Environmental Research, College of Science and Technology, College of Natural Resources and Sherubtse College.

During the workshop, training on Unit II: E-flow Fundamentals was undertaken. This included topics such as E-flow and flow regime changes, impacts of reduced E-flow, commonly applied methods for E-flow determination, the E-flow guideline methodology, and development of conservation plans.

The training workshop aimed at enabling the participants to understand the concept of E-flow, its importance and the methodology for its determination.