Parivartan Nepal

Hetauda-5, Nepal

An Overview Of Our Solution

Parivartan Nepal has initiated community based riverbank conservation in the river system of central Nepal. It aimed to conserve fertile farm land from flash flood and landslide and increase food security. We followed environment friendly approach that is economical and easy to do. It is community led & owned initiative. It resulted at multi denominational impacts on people and their environment. It contributed in increase in bio-diversity and habitat for wild animals. Water table is increased. Increased to access with fodder and fuel wood. It is being spontaneously replicated in other similar geographical domain within the country. Local community is maintain it on their own after phasing out the project. We found this is only one appropriate approach to secure farmland of riverbank from flash flood.

Who is this solution impacting?

Community Type

Rural

Organization type

Sin fines de lucro/No Gubernamental

Ecosystem (select all that apply)

Grasslands

Population impacted

12949 HHs i.e.64,745 population

Size of agricultural area

6570 ha

Production quantity

13140 MT.

People employed

Around 400

Describe your solution

Parivartan Nepal has been working in central Nepal particularly in the Siwalik range including it’s foothill aiming to reduce the vulnerability of the people living in the areas and to secure their lives and properties through conservation. The conservation initiative was first started from Sindhuli district and further scaled-up the proven approach in Makawanpur and Sarlahi districts as a learning gain from the USC Canada funded project working for the conservation of Kamala river basin in the past. PN has taken a lead role to replicate this learning and experiences for the conservation of riverbanks of Sarlahi and Makawanpur district since 2007. Following are the key interventions made and approaches followed for the conservation of flood prone area. Approaches and mechanism adapted: • Intensive Social mobilization for empowerment and awareness raising of the participants • Community participation taken as a core principle: Conservation groups as an entry point to increase ownership of the development initiatives • Intervention focused both on upstream and downstream of the catchment • Poor and most vulnerable households focused • Multi-Stakeholders involvement: For leveraging resources, experiences & knowledge • Ensure the Sustainability: Priority to use local resources, technology, knowledge and experiences • Participatory and Bottom up: Involved beneficiaries and Stakeholders in all phase of project cycle: Planning, Implementation & Monitoring

Describe your implementation

Intervention: • Groups Formation: Organised beneficiaries house holds into a conservation groups • Capacity building of the beneficiaries and their group leaders including the stakeholders through series of training and exposure • Awareness campaign to the community people, local leaders, mother groups, youth clubs including teachers & students • Mass awareness through documentary show • Hording board at the cross road for communication and information dissemination • Institutional support to the conservation groups • Facilitate to prepare group by-laws and conservation plan and its implementation • Economic and social empowerment for the poor, women and disadvantaged groups • Conservation education for the beneficiaries & stakeholders • Observation: Exposure visit for the beneficiaries and Stakeholders • Skills development training for the beneficiaries i.e. weaving the bamboo basket, bamboo check dam, spur construction using both engineering and bio-engineering technique, (setting of bamboo barriers ) • Stone filled bamboo check dams construction in riverbanks • Bamboo barriers setting up at upstream to control soil erosion • Enhance the skills of local people on nursery management, seedlings production and plantation technique • Plantation of fodder trees, grass and bamboos in the barren land • Direct seed sowing of riverine species to the both banks of the river • Restriction on open grazing system and adopted stall feeding for Livestock: promoting natural regeneration and restoring biodiversity • Distribution of the diversity kits and conservation of local varieties seeds for restoring agro-biodiversity.

External connections

Following are the key partners involved in the process: • The USC Canada: a Ottawa based INGO is a development partner and provided funding support to execute the activities. • Local Government i.e. District Development Committee (DDC) and Village Development Committee (VDC) for planning, monitoring & coordination. • District Forest Office (DFO) for the deceleration of free grazing restriction area, provide training for the users on Nursery Management, Tree seedlings production and plantation, monitoring and coordination • District Soil Conservation Office(DSCO): for functional collaboration and partnership in activity delivery. • District Livestock Service Office (DLSO): for availability of high value or nutritious forage/grass seeds and seedlings. • The conservation committee (formed from beneficiaries): Overall responsibility to lead the project activities • Local CBOs (Community forest users groups, local youth clubs, women's group and mothers' group : Actively participated in open grazing free zone deceleration process. • Parivartan Nepal (NGO): Strategy formulation, Facilitation with technical and financial support to accomplished the project and achieve the desire results on time.

What is the environmental or ecological challenge you are targeting with your solution?

Nepal has 5 physiographic regions with 73 (low land) to 8848 M. the Mt. Everest. It has about 6000 rivers & rivulets. Agriculture main livelihoods option of the people but many of farmers are not getting food for year round. There is intensive rainfall in short period of time as a climate change impacts. It results to flash flood & landslide in the fragile Siwalik range that affect people living in the downstream. The deposition of boulders, stones & sand that comes along with the flash flood leads riverbed rises & width widen resulted harming the settlements & scour farm lands. It is estimated that 24 million Cu.M. of top soil washed away every year. Farming on steep topography, deforestation, open/over grazing, is main driver of flash flood & landslide. Open grazing in riverbanks and forest areas completely destroys the vegetative cover and stop regeneration of forest species which accelerates erosion and landslides in up hills and increase river bank cutting in down.

Describe the context in which you are operating

The people living in foot hills of Chure/siwalik and mountain are suffering every year from flash flood or water induced hazards during the monsoon (Mid Jun to Mid September) and drought during winter. People were quite poor, vulnerable and have very less resilient capacity to cope with these hazards. They were not sleep even in the night due to the fear of flood/landslide. The major problems of the local people residing along the riverbanks were alarming situations created by flash floods and landslide during monsoon become a regular phenomenon. Loss of lives, assets, farmland and infrastructures become usual during the monsoon of the every year. It contributed for riverbank cutting, siltation over the farm land and turning of the productive area into barren land, heavy deposition of sand, stone and boulders in productive agriculture field. In addition to that it resulted at scarcity of fodder, forage and grass for the cattle. The malnutrition not only for the human being but also for the livestock as well. Furthermore these problems has lead to food insecurity in most households and have increased poverty. According to the study, the estimated annual sedimentation only in the Lakhandehi river was 178000 m3 per year (JICA,1999) . About 1500 households were affected directly due to riverbank cuttings in Lakhandehi and Kalinjor river systems in Sarlahi district . Riverbank cuttings of around 3-7 Ha. per year was recorded in Parwanipur and Pattharkot Villages.

How did you impact natural resource use and greenhouse gas emissions?

A. Increased in awareness and positive changes in land use pattern. Started to plant perennial crops like Mango, Litchi, Banana, Jackfruit that gives more income than cereals. Planted nutritious grass like Mendola, Molasses Napier and producing its seeds which selling through local cooperative. B. The riverbank has stabilized. Total 6750 ha. area (including 100 ha. public land) conserved and protected. Natural regeneration of riverine species, grass, fodder and other vegetation and improved degraded land. Restored more than 1000 Ha. degraded agriculture land after having the plantation of more than 500,000 saplings. Total 7580 HHs directly and 5369 indirectly benefiting. C. Increased in bio-diversity & biomass. There were 72 plants species regenerated and appears birds and wildlife along the riverside of restored forest land. The biomass increased up 28.65 ton/ha in conserved riverbank. Native grasses like Tiger Grass, Digitariaspp & Imperatacylindricalare, Typhaangustifloia regenerated & used for fodder, rituals & roofing materials. Similarly, riverine species i.e. Dalbergiasissoo & Acacia catechu that have high value also regenerated. The degraded public land converted into community forest. Increased in access to fuel wood, fodder and grass to the users. D. River width reduced. Kamala river's avg. width in Dudhauli was found 1.5 K.M. before the intervention now reduced by 50% is only 700 M. E. Increased in security feeling.

Language(s)

Nepali language is common for all the people living in the area. In addition to that Maithali, Tamang and Magar language also have spoken in the respective community.

Water

It contributed in increasing infiltration of rain water into ground. It resulted at increased in water table and increased diversity of fishes. Also increased in water flow in the river in dry season.

Food Security/Nutrition

It impacts in increased in food grain production and productivity as farmers feel more secure their farm land from flash flood and improved farm management with intensive manuring..

Economic/Sustainable Development

It also impacts at improving economic situation of the farmers that lives in the riverbank.

Climate

Lately scientist around the world are concerned with the global issue of climate change and its impacts on livelihood. Effects of climate change is being observed in different parts of the world and Nepal is not an exception. Due to climate change, Nepal is facing irregularities in rainfall pattern and its intensity which has lead to several environmental problems. Which are susceptible to landslides and flash floods. So we should have a bit longer time facilitation support needs to provide to c

Sustainability

This is community led approach and most economical in terms of cost. Most of cost involves in education, training, facilitation, social mobilization. Once community are ready for carry over and have direct benefits from the initiative, they themselves carry over sustainable manner. However, external actors' support is needed at the beginning stage. we lot of experiences that adjacent communities are carrying on their own without having any external support. We hope wherever we have successfully carried out this initiative the communities are able to carry it forward. It is not such initiative that always needs external funding and stopped with out having external support.

Return on investment

So far we have invested around 100,000 US$ to get above mentioned results. However its return could not be calculated in monetary value. As it has multi dimensional impacts on people, their livelihood, environment, social aspects, regeneration of wild animals and plant species etc. We can just say that its returns is many more times in comparison to investment. Just for example if we calculate just value of agriculture land that reclaimed it would be more than 60 million US$.

Entrant Image

How could we successfully replicate this solution elsewhere?

We can simply replicate this solution elsewhere in similar geographical domain. Yes, as we mentioned in previous paragraphs, it is replicated in other two districts where similar problem are existed. As we already mentioned, at the initial stage it required external support which ultimately costs. Budget depends upon its scale of geographical coverage. we suggest to work on river system. Training to local farmers, leaders, social activists is needed. Exposure is most effective means for creating awareness and realization towards problems and its impacts to local leaders. Strong social mobilization another necessary tools for organizing community. Without having organized community, this solution could not be succeeded. Major stake holders might include local CBOs, Youth and women's organizations, Government relevant agencies like department of forest, department of agriculture etc.

YouTube URL

Living and Learning with the River

Overview