World Bank Ganges Strategic Basin Assessment
- Page status
- Working page
- Updated
- 2026-05-11
Summary
Regional-scale analysis of the Ganges basin covering water storage, flood management, and transboundary dynamics. Provides the valley-shape storage paradox that Public source review highlighted.
Key Data Points
- Aswan High Dam (Egypt, 111m): 162 BCM storage — flat terrain allows massive reservoir
- Proposed Andhi Khola Dam (Nepal, 110m): only 0.9 BCM — steep V-shaped Himalayan valley
- Karnali Chisapani proposed gross storage: 28.2 BCM, usable live capacity only 16.2 BCM
- Nepal's annual water flow through territory: 175–225 BCM
Relevance to Project
The valley-shape paradox (same dam height, 180x less storage) is one of the most powerful visualizations for explaining why Nepal's geography simultaneously enables hydropower and prevents easy storage. Central to Storage Deficit and Storage Capacity Comparison.
Limitations
- 2014 publication. Pre-dates the 2015 earthquake, post-earthquake hydrological assessments, and the 2021 Melamchi flood. Basin conditions, sedimentation rates, and infrastructure assumptions may have shifted.
- Regional focus, not Nepal-specific. The assessment covers the entire Ganges basin across four countries; Nepal-specific storage figures are extracted from a broader regional frame and may lack the granularity of a Nepal-only study.
- Karnali Chisapani figures are study-era estimates. The 28.2 BCM gross / 16.2 BCM live figures predate the most recent project feasibility iterations.