Channels to progress in Nepal
18 May 2007
Guptipur
is a small village in the Mid-Western province of Nepal, an area badly affected
by the country's recent decade-long conflict.
As well as living with daily concerns about their security (some of the younger members of the village have been taken by force to fight with Maoist insurgents), the villagers face a host of other, less violent but no less significant threats to their livelihoods.
Obtaining a reliable water supply to nourish their crops is one of these. So,
after finding out about DFID’s
Community
Support Programme (CSP), the villagers formed an action group to apply for
money that would bring an irrigation system to Guptipur.
A healthier life
"Without irrigation we could only grow one crop of maize every year," explains local villager Sabitra Basyal. "This gave us enough food to feed ourselves for two months, but after that we had to buy everything. This was very difficult and our children were often sick."
"The women also had to walk two and a half hours every day to collect water. We then had to wait our turn in the queue, and the water was dirty."
When irrigation came to the village, however, life changed significantly. Sabitra and her neighbours are now able to grow three crops every year, even producing surplus amounts of rice and vegetables. "Our children are healthier because they are drinking clean water and eating a good diet," Sabrita says. To ensure that the newly installed facilities are managed effectively, the community selects which farmer will draw water from the irrigation channel on which day.
Meeting the challenges that remain
However,
despite the assistance provided by CSP, life remains difficult, particularly for
the women of the village. With over 90% of the village's men working elsewhere
for eleven months of the year to make money to send home, it is the women who must take
on the extra work of planting and harvesting the two extra crops that irrigation
has made possible. The women also face an increased risk of catching HIV/AIDS from their husbands, who
have often travelled to work in India, where the disease is rife.
But the women of Guptipur know what they are doing and what they need. "We are using drip irrigation techniques, which means that the water isn’t wasted and we can earn as much money as possible from our crops," says one villager. "We use any spare money to send our children to school. We would like to build good toilets in the future."
In Guptipur as in other areas of Nepal, DFID's Community Support Programme is allowing local communities to access the facilities and resources they need to raise their productivity, protect their health and so improve the quality of their lives.
Key facts
- Access to safe and clean water is enjoyed by 81% of the general population of Nepal, but only 39% have access to sanitation.
- Recent statistics show that an estimated 30% of Nepalese live in extreme poverty, with a daily income of less than $1(US).
- An estimated 70,000 Nepalis are infected with HIV, which is about 0.3% of the population.
- CSP operates in over half over Nepal’s districts, with a budget of £15 million between 2004 and 2008. It has supported over 3,000 projects targeting poor and excluded communities. It supports activities including the building of schools, the teaching of new trades, irrigation development, and enabling people to return to their homes post-conflict.
