Integrated Management of Water and Other Natural Resources in Himalayan Watersheds: Case of Begnas Lake, Nepal
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Integrated Management of Water and Other Natural Resources in Himalayan Watersheds: Case of Begnas Lake, Nepal Jalsrot Vikas Sanstha (JVS), Nepal GWP Nepal December, 2011 Integrated Management of Water and Other Natural Resources in Himalayan Watersheds: Case of Begnas Lake, Nepal Jalsrot Vikas Sanstha (JVS), Nepal GWP Nepal December, 2011 Acknowledgement Jalsrot Vikas Sanstha (JVS)/GWP Nepal would like to acknowledge this action research which was originally commissioned by International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Stockholm Environmental Institute (SEI) and Institute of Water and Human Resources Development-Nepal (IWHRD-Nepal). The original report of the action research contained the findings in Begnas Lake Watershed. As these findings required to be given a complete report shape from an IWRM perspective, JVS/GWP Nepal has taken the initiative for doing the same without making any alteration on the findings and their organization in the original action research. We are thankful to our members Dr. Khem Raj Sharma, Dr. Dhruba Raj Pant and Prof. Ashutosh Shukla for undertaking the needed editorial tasks to bring the action research work to the publication stage. Jalsrot Vikas Sanstha (JVS), Nepal GWP Nepal Contents Page No. Chapter 1 Integrated Management of Natural Resources: Genesis of an Action Research in Begnas Lake Watershed- Dhruba Pant 1 Chapter 2 Physical and Socio-Economic Settings of Begnas Lake and Its Watershed- Khem Raj Sharma 6 Chapter 3 Watershed Based Natural Resources and their Uses in Begnas Lake- Umesh Nath Parajuli 15 Chapter 4 Forest Resources and their Management in Begnas Watershed- Binod Bhatta 28 Chapter 5 Assessment of Livelihoods Assets in Begnas Basin- Sabita Thapa and John Soussan 35 Chapter 6 Institutions and Management of Natural Resources in Begnas Watershed- Dhruba Pant and Pratima Shrestha 62 Chapter 7 Policy, Legislations and Institutional Provisions in Natural Resources Management in Nepal- Khem Raj Sharma, Binod Bhatta and Om Prakash Dev 76 Chapter 8 Conclusion and Ways Forward- Ashutosh Shukla and Khem Raj Sharma 108 Bibliography 119 List of Figures Figure 2.1 Map of Rupa-Begnas watershed areas 6 Figure 2.2 Social Map of the study area in the upper watershed 8 Figure 2.3 Distribution of food sufficiency 13 Figure 3.1 Time series reservoir level 17 Figure 3.2 Layout of the canal network of BIS and the traditional canals 19 Figure 3.3 Incoming flow into the BIS 20 Figure 3.4 Flow per unit area – total incoming, to BC1, and to the Old Areas (BC2, 2 &4) 20 Figure 3.5 Time series flows delivered to head, middle and tail end of the sana ghari mul kulo 22 Figure 3.6 Water availability in DWS during winter and spring seasons 23 Figure 3.7 Numbers of DWS that were built in the valley floor areas of the Lekhnath Municipality 23 Figure 3.8 Land use – Land cover, 1958 25 Figure 5.1 Mental Map of the three villages in the upper watershed of Begnas Basin 36 Figure 5.2 Livelihood activities in upstream villages 38 Figure 5.3 Percentage of population engaged in market and non-market income activities 38 Figure 5.4 Food sufficiency in the upstream of Begnas basin 40 Figure 5.5 Land ownership in Thapa Gaon 43 Figure 5.6 Community managed drinking water supply system in Thapa Gaon 45 Figure 5.7 The use of foreign remittances 47 Figure 5.8 Categories of Households in valley floor in Begnas basin 50 Figure 5.9 Land Use in Downstream 51 Figure 5.10 Income Sources of Lower Stream 53 Figure 5.11 Use of Foreign remittances in Lower Stream 54 Figure 6.1 IWRM Implementation Framework Adopted by NWP 69 List of Tables Table 2.1 Male- Female ratio and family size 7 Table 2.2 Age distribution of population 8 Table 2.3 Major occupation in the project area 9 Table 2.4 Distribution of Literacy and education in the study area 10 Table 2.5 Percentage of households having cultivated/ cropped areas 10 Table 2.6 Cropping pattern in the study area 11 Table 2.7 Crop productivity in the watershed area (t/ha) 12 Table 3.1 Land use pattern in the Begnas Basin 15 Table 3.2 Mean monthly average rainfall in the upper watershed of Begnas area 16 Table 3.3 Flows per unit area in head, middle and tail stretch of sanaghari mul kulo 21 Table 3.4 Land use in 1958 24 Table 3.5 Land use in 1996 24 Table 3.6 Land area change of water bodies 25 Table 4.1 Major events of the Begnas basin 34 Table 5.1 Characteristics of three villages in the upstream of Begnas basin 37 Table 5.2 Upstream communities’ perception of challenges and opportunities to livelihoods 39 Table 5.3 Food sufficiency levels in the upstream villages of Begnas basin 40 Table 5.4 Land tenure in upstream villages of Begnas basin 41 Table 5.5 Forest User Groups in the upstream watershed 42 Table 5.6 An assessment of land possession by households in Thapa Gaon 43 Table 5.7 Ownership of Bari and Khet lands in upper watershed 44 Table 5.8 Youth migration from the upstream Begnas basin 46 Table 5.9 Instances of community’s payments to common funds to fulfill their community and environmental services 48 Table 5.10 Site attributes of lower Stream 49 Table 5.11 Total Population in sampled households 49 Table 5.12 Food sufficiency in the valley floor areas of Begnas basin 50 Table 5.13 Detail of CFUGs in Valley floor 52 Table 5.14 Instances of community’s payments to common funds to fulfill their community and environmental services 55 Table 5.15 Trend and change analysis of environmental, social, economic and political 57 Table 5.16 Management actions and their consequences for livelihoods 59 Table 5.17 People’s perceived interlinkages and value of environmental services in the watershed 60 Table 6.1 Institutions of Begnas Watershed 67 Table 8.1 Land Use in Upstream Watershed Competing and/or Complementing Water Storage in Begnas Tal 114 Acronyms and Abbreviations ADO Agricultural Development Office AEC ad hoc Executive Committee AMIS Agency Managed Irrigation System BBM Begnas Basin Management BC Branch Canal BIS Begnas Irrigation System BOOT Build, Own, Operate and Transfer BTRTIWMP Begnastal Rupatal Integrated Water Management Project CBINRM Community-based Integrated Natural Resource Management CBNRM Community-based Natural Resource Management CBO Community Based Organization CBS Central Bureau of Statistics CDMA Code Division Multiple Access CDO Chief District Officer CF Community Forest CFDP Community Forest Development Project CFUG Community Forest Users Group CGIAR Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research CPWF Challenge Program on Water and Food DAO District Administration Office DADO District Agriculture Development Office DDC District Development Committee DFFU District Federation of Forest Users DFO District Forest Office DIDOs Divisional Irrigation Offices DSCWM Department of Soil Conservation and Watershed Management DFSMP District Forest Sector Management Plans DOI Department of Irrigation DWRC District Water Resources Committee DWS Drinking Water Systems ESF Environmental Service Fee EUS Epizootic Ulcerative Syndrome FAO Food and Agriculture Organization FDRC Fish Development and Research Centre FMIS Farmer Managed Irrigation System FUG Forest User Group GA General Assembly GIS Geographic Information System ha Hectare HH Household HYV High Yielding Variety IAP Interim Action Plan ILWIS Integrated Land and Water Information System INRM integrated Natural Resources Management INGO International Non Governmental Organization ISF Irrigation Service Fee IWMI International Water Management Institute IWRM Integrated Water Resources Management LPG Liquefied Petroleum Gas LSGA/R Local Self-Governance Act and Regulations MAP Medicinal and Aromatic Plants MOLD Ministry of Local Development MOWR Ministry of Water Resources MOFSC Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation MPFS Master Plan for the Forestry Sector MSP Multi-stakeholder Platform MUS Multiple Use Scheme NARC Nepal Agricultural Research Council NGO Non Governmental organization NPC National Planning Commission NRs Nepali Rupees NTFP Non-timber forest products NWP National Water Plan NWRS National Water Resources Strategy O & M Operation and Maintenance PESTLE Political, Environmental, Social, Technological and Economic PRA Participatory Rural Appraisal PF Panchayat Forest PPF Panchayat Protected Forest RBC River Basin Committee SEI Stockholm Environment Institute SLC School Leaving Certificate TKDWS Thak Khola Drinking Water System TOR Terms of Reference UG Users Group UNDP United Nations Development Program VDC Village Development Office WECS Water and Energy Commission Secretariat WRA Water Resources Act WUA Water Users Association WUG Water users Group Chapter-1 Integrated Management of Natural Resources: Genesis of an Action Research in Begnas Lake Watershed Dhruba Pant Background Poor rural women and men face critical food security and livelihoods challenges, particularly in marginal upper catchments of the Nepal and Indian Himalayas. Restricted access to often- degraded water, land, and forest resources combined with low productivity of open-access resources invariably result in seasonal or permanent out-migration and the loss of traditional knowledge, labor for management and community solidarity to address resource degradation. The result is insecure livelihoods and vulnerability to a range of environmental and other hazards. There are a number of successful examples of innovations in community-based natural resource management (CBNRM)—often led by poor women who directly face the brunt of resource degradation and migration—that have led to significant improvements in food security and livelihoods sustainability, and have stemmed migration (Pant et al, 2003) due to increased employment in agriculture through increased availability of irrigation water and through utilisation of forest products. The Community Forestry Policy in Nepal is example of successful replication of CBNRM over large areas. Functioning models of CBNRM seem to work for a single critical resource, e.g., forest. Examples of more integrated approaches tend to be found only at a small scale, in one or just a few communities.