The hills and the mountains of Nepal cover over 68 percent of the total landmass whereas the plains only cover 17 percent. The mid hills which range from Sikkim to Shimla in India, and mostly passes through Nepal, depend on spring sources for potable water as well as for irrigation in their terraces. These are ultimately fed by springs. The steep slopes, remoteness and unforgiving climatic conditions provide for strenuous land management.The sloping hills hinder the mechanization of agriculture, unlike in the plains, thus manual labor is indispensable, but also less productive. Additionally, during monsoon, special care must be taken to prevent run-offs caused by incessant rainfall and regular soil erosions. The total arable land in Nepal is only 28.8 percent, thus for a least developed country food security has always been a major challenge.
According to the latest figures from the Ministry of Labor and Employment (2014), between 2008 and 2014 the contribution of remittance to GDP has been almost 30 percent of GDP, up from just 1.7 percent of GDP in 1996. Further, as per the survey conducted by the Ministry of Labor and Employment in 2011, of the total population, 30 percent is largely or fully reliant on remittance for their basic survival. The trigger factor for out-migration in the earlier days was the Maoist insurgency. In search of a safe haven, many and stable income source youths would run away to foreign countries, to the Gulf region in particular. With the arrival of mobile communication, the dream to travel abroad for financial security of family was realized.
In the past decade Nepal has been one of the highest remittance receiving countries in the world. Remittance is not only changing the consumption and investment patterns at a household level but also transmuting the underlying forces of the overall economy. Due to the increasing reliance on remittance inflow—especially in rural areas—the women have had to take additional responsibilities in agriculture sector. This occurrence has been termed as the feminization of the agriculture system in Nepal, whereby there is an imbalance in the roles undertaken by women and men.
Along with able-bodied men, the youth are also deciding to travel abroad. In their absence, women have to bear an additional burden of not only taking care of their family members (including their in-laws) but also of tending their agriculture fields. Since traditionally the agriculture system has been male-dominant, these changes in the status quo has led to women abandoning some agriculture practices for less strenuous workload.
Due to lack of time and social pressure women have relinquished skill development and with their reliance on remittance for basic necessities, women have chosen agriculture practices even with low wages. This will hamper Nepal's capacity to meet the objective of food security in forthcoming decades. Besides the greater role of women in agriculture due to out-migration of men, women also have to deal with the undercurrents of climate change and physical infrastructure development projects.
The springs are vulnerable to geological activities, as was evident after the recent Gorkha earthquake, when many springs dried up. But most significant for the drying up of these springs is road construction in mid hills. The use of heavy equipment, without any geological understanding of the hills, has disrupted the water channels.
In the recent times more and more PVC pipes and pumps are withdrawing from spring sources. The current local challenge of drying springs has also been intensified with land grabbing. Instead of resuscitating traditional local ponds for local water management, they are now being used to build various government buildings and schools. Most of these ponds are on ideal flat lands and have the potential to supply water to the aquifers below.
The springs are showing alarming signs of decline, putting hill agriculture in jeopardy. Springs, which are ultimately fed by groundwater within the 'water towers'—which are available in the snow-less middle hills—are recharged mostly by monsoon rains and supplemented before the dry season by winter westerlies. A good monsoon and adequate winter rains mean good groundwater storage in the hill, which in turn means adequate water for agriculture.
Additionally, these springs could have been used for rural electrification via Micro-Hydro Plants (MHP) or Pico Hydro. But its disappearance has also contributed to load shedding in mid hills and high mountains. A Pico Hydro has a capacity to produce 10KW and an MHP produces 100KW which can provide electricity to 100 homes, with each home able to install 40W to 60W light bulbs along with operating radio, television and desktop computers.
Further research and development is required to completely understand the impact of ponds construction to the community, local environment and the economy. Again, for Nepal to successfully meet the Sustainable Development Goal 6, understanding the role of ponds is vital.
The author is a water expert
nirendrabasnett@outlook.com
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