On August 1, 2024, the Birendranagar Municipality Office in Surkhet, Nepal, hosted the kickoff meeting for the “Integrated Municipal Information System (IMIS) Implementation” project. The meeting brought together key stakeholders, including Mayor Mohanmaya Dhakal, Deputy Mayor Nilkantha Khanal, municipal council members, ward chairpersons from 16 wards, department/unit chiefs, the Project Manager of PIU from the Water Sector Governance and Infrastructure Support Project (WaSGISP), and representatives from private sanitation service providers.
Dr. Bhushan Raj Shrestha from Innovative Solution Pvt. Ltd. (ISPL), representing the AIT Global Water & Sanitation Center (GWSC), introduced the IMIS project. In his presentation, Dr. Shrestha outlined the project’s specific goals, overall objectives, and the various phase-wise activities, highlighting the integration of IMIS with other municipal functions. The project is a collaborative effort between Birendranagar Municipality, WaSGISP/DWSSM/GoN, and GWSC-AIT to enhance the sub-national public data system and promote data-driven monitoring and planning in the municipality. This initiative, led by ISPL experts, marks the beginning of the project activities and a significant step toward strengthening Nepal’s public data system.