The government of Nepal started hydrological and meteorological activities in an organized way in 1962. The activities were initiated as a section under the Department of Electricity. The section was subsequently transferred to the Department of Irrigation and Department Irrigation, Hydrology and Meteorology was formed. Later on, in 1988, a separate department of Hydrology and Meteorology was established.
The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM) is an organization under the Ministry of Environment, Government of Nepal. The department with headquarter in Kathmandu has three basin offices under Hydrological Network Section namely Karnali Basin Office in Nepalganj, Narayani Basin Office in Narayanghat and Kosi Basin Office in Biratnagar and three regional offices under Meteorological Network Division namely Mid and Far Western Regional Office at Surkhet, Western Regional Office at Pokhara and Eastern Regional Office at Dharan. DHM has a mandate from the Government of Nepal to monitor all the hydrological and meteorological activities in Nepal. No agency is entitled to carry out such activities without a proper liaison with DHM. The scope of work includes the monitoring of river hydrology, climate, agro-meteorology, sediment, air quality, water quality, limnology, snow hydrology, glaciology, wind, and solar energy. DHM provides general and aviation weather forecasts, forecasting and early warning of hydro-meteorological hazards; and contributes to the global exchange of meteorological data on a regular basis as a member of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
