Women and tribals in water recharge

According to the policy of one language, one religion, the state has adopted a policy of one language, one religion. Today, the access of tribals to fertile land for farming, capital and technology for business, government employment, knowledge acquisition sector (education) etc. is less in proportion to the total population. Therefore, tribal people are on average economically disadvantaged. While the men of the family go to work somewhere for their livelihood, the women go to the forest to cook food, collect firewood and collect grass for the domesticated animals. Due to the increase in population, forest destruction is more frequent especially in Chure area. As a result, water sources are drying up.

Poor families are unable to pay for drinking water. Hence, hours are spent fetching water for cooking. According to the information published in Census 2078, 26 thousand 643 families use river or stream water for drinking and cooking. The number of families using wells is 244 thousand 92. Apart from the Kathmandu valley, wells are not very common in the Chure and Mahabharata mountain ranges. Therefore, there are many who depend on wells in those areas. On the other hand, as wells or wetlands dry up in the Chure region due to drought, the Chure ecosystem continues to deteriorate. It has a negative impact on people and biodiversity.

stolen water source

As we have seen, water flows throughout the twelve months in the Himalayan region, the Mahabharata mountain range and the rivers originating in the Terai. The water of the rivers originating in the Himalayas and Mahabharata ranges flows through the Chure region and reaches the Terai. However, most of the 48 rivers originating in the Chure region flow only during the monsoon and do not produce water in other seasons. The water there is absorbed inside and grows in the plains. The reason for this is the geographical structure of the Chure region. According to the geological theory, there was water in most parts of this region until one and a half million years ago. The Himalayas and the Mahabharata region were rising rapidly during that period. In the process, the stone, Gegrian soil, moved downwards from the north and reached waterlogged areas. Similarly, the material brought by the river was added and became the current Chure area.

48 rivers have originated in Chure region, but when the water that grows in them flows down in the dry season, it is absorbed into the ground without reaching the plains. Similarly, in the areas other than the river, the water-holding trees, butan and grass are decreasing, and the water storage on the upper surface of the land is decreasing, and it is becoming drier than before. On the other hand, as forest cover decreases, temperatures rise and water sources dry up. Therefore, the previously existing wetlands in Chure area are merging.

Under the joint project of the Government of Nepal and the United Nations, the Food and Agriculture Organization of Nepal, the Chure uplifting project is being run in 11 districts of central and eastern Nepal. The project running from 077/078 to 084/085 is carrying out 15 programs of different nature. One of them is the Water Replenishment Program. For this purpose, if there are dry ponds, lakes, streams or water reservoirs, they are being repaired or reconstructed according to the location and need. New conservation ponds and water storage ponds are being constructed where there are none. When water is collected in this way, the surrounding forest becomes moist. Water rises again in dry wells. Moisture helps plants grow. The agricultural land below the pond is irrigated with water. Chure uplifting project under the water replenishment program, a total of 129 checks

Construction of a dam/water recharge pond has started. This will help to preserve the biological diversity of Chure area. The local population, though few, will benefit from the wetting of the land. Another thing, Chure uplifting project is involving women, tribal tribes, Dalits, disadvantaged communities in many activities in order to get economic benefits.

some example

Magurmari Forest is in Buddhashanti Rural Municipality of Jhapa District. To the east of this forest is the Timai and to the west the Handia river. About half a dozen community forests are active in the said forest. Among them, the forest area of ​​Navajyoti Community Forest User Group in the southeastern part is 251 hectares. There are 69.23 percent women in the Forest Consumer Committee including Secretary Vimala Rai. There used to be a place called Kumbhikhal which was like a wetland, but not much water was visible. The construction of a 300 meter long and 40 meter wide pond has been completed with the financial and technical support of the Chure Uplifting Project. Earlier, the statue of Srijanga, the inventor of the Limbu language script, was replaced there. Nowadays domestic tourism has started there. A place of worship of Pathibhara Mata has also been built nearby.

Thus, the erstwhile Kumbhikhal has today turned into a religious tourist spot for Kirats and Hindus. It has become a place for wild animals to drink and play. Wild animals go to drink water during dry season. Waterfowl have started to be seen there in considerable numbers. From last March to June, elephants played in the same pond many times at night. After the construction of this pond, it has become easier to farm further south. Farmers who are suffering due to lack of water have felt relief after the amount of water has increased, even though it is little.

Progressive community forest user group located in Urlabari municipality-2 of Morang dug a pond in the grassland with fresh water in 2081 with the financial and technical support of Chure Uplifting Project. The goal is to raise fish in the pond, conduct tourism. Elephants come to stay in the pond during the dry season at night. Out of 15 people in the consumer group committee, there are 8 (53.335) women including Secretary Bindia Danuwar.

Belkha Napa-3 of Udaipur is located on the southeastern border of the district. It joins the border of Sunsari district towards the south and east of the ward. Ward 6 is under the same municipality on the north side of Ward No. 3. Its northern boundary is up to Dudhkoshi. In the forest of Ward 6, trees of Sal, Sanjha, Jamuna, Faddi, Karam, Boddhamero, Tantari species are densely present. The 325 hectares of forest area of ​​Ward 6 is being consumed and managed by the residents of Ward 3 through Joginipakha Community Forest User Group. There are 4 (36,365) women in the committee of the 11-member group including secretary and treasurer women and one Dalit and one other bahoon/regional member.

According to Tej Bahadur Magar, president of Joginipakha Community Forest User Group, the group has built a 53 meter long, 44 meter wide and 6 feet deep pond with the financial support of the Chure Uplifting Project. There is an inclusive park around 4 bighas of land. Its main purpose is tourism. In the northern part, wild animals are not fenced for drinking water, apart from that they are fenced with bamboo. On the south side of the pond, 2-300 households do farming. There used to be a well for water. After the pond was built, the water in the pond has increased.

Women and tribes

About 60,000 years ago, there was a stone weapon factory in Dang-Deukhuri, operated by people of the Stone Age. It belongs to Chure area. Similarly, in 1990, German archaeologist Gudrun Karvinus discovered another stone weapon factory operated by Stone Age people in Ratukhola, north of Bardibas in Mahottari, between 6,000 and 8,000 years ago. It has not yet been found that there are any weapons factory sites operating in the Himalayas, Mahabharata mountain range and Terai-Madhesh of Nepal. Therefore, people have been living in the Chure area since ancient times. Some of the communities that now live in the area may have come at that time. However, tribal tribes are not only aware of how to use the natural resources of a particular place, they are also dependent on those resources.

Therefore, women and tribals are special stakeholders in natural resource management. They are getting involved in water recharge, soil management and forest conservation which are in vogue all over the world today. It is evident from the above example that they are more diligent and enthusiastic than other communities in such activities. Women and tribal people are more interested in such activities because of the impact on livelihoods from water and forest.

The involvement of women and tribal communities in the water recharge work carried out by the Chure Upliftment Project is included in 2 out of the 3 discussed above. Bringing women and tribal people to the leadership in water forest conservation and regeneration work including water recharge, they will be happily involved. Due to lack of access to other areas, they are actively involved in water and forest conservation. This also confirms that especially the tribal tribes want to live interdependently with water and forest.

– Rana is a gender expert at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.