Due to the lack of irrigation, the deserted deep canals are now green. After the management of irrigation, Budhiganga Municipality-4 Banegaon of Bajura is now not only green, local women are busy in commercial agricultural production by forming farmers' groups.
In Banegaon, where there is also a problem of drinking water, water has been brought from the Barjugad river, which is about one and a half kilometers away, through a lift. Chairman of Lift Irrigation Consumer Committee Kalak Katuwal said that 47 families of Banegaon are irrigating by installing meters.
'Farmlands that were deserted due to drought have now become green when irrigated with water from the same elevator,' said Katuwal, chairman of the consumer committee. One thousand liters of water has been given in one unit. "Those engaged in commercial vegetable farming use up to 30 units of water per month," said Katuwal, chairman of the consumer committee. The water brought from Barjugadh is collected in a 60,000 liter capacity irrigation tank built above the village.
It is distributed to the farmers from the same tank. Sakuntladevi Katuwal, president of Hariyali Farmers Group, said that after the irrigation facility, most of the women of Banegaon have turned to commercial vegetable farming.
'There has been a wave of selling vegetables at home,' Sakuntala said, 'We never thought that there would be such a facility.' In partnership with the renewable energy project for agri-food system and Budhiganga municipality, lift irrigation projects have been built in remote villages of Triveni municipality and Budhiganga municipality. Irrigation scheme has been completed in Banegaon at a cost of 73 lakh 18 thousand of the
project, 65 lakh 86 thousand (90 percent) and 731 thousand (10 percent) of the municipality. Similarly, Kalapani Lift Irrigation Project has been constructed at a total cost of 54 lakh 88 thousand in Triveni 8 Jhalgaon with 49 lakh 37 thousand and 5 lakh 48 thousand in Webeni municipality.
Sita Thapa, a local, said that after the irrigation facility reached Jhalgaon, she was earning up to 25,000 per month by selling unseasonal vegetables. "They earn income by selling vegetables from 20,000 to 200,000 per month," she said. He says that the garden has different types of greens, zucchini and vegetables including tomatoes and cucumbers.
Under the Renewable Energy for Agri-Food System (RERAS) project of UNDP with the financial support of the Norwegian government, partner organizations are working for the upgrade of lift irrigation and small hydropower projects through the Alternative Energy Promotion Center, ISMOD, LIBERD and WFP.
Vishal Paudel, the head of Reras Project Bajura Cluster, said that they are working for the upgrading of 16 small hydropower projects in Bajura, including Khatyad in Mugu.
