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Development
in Nepal: Tourism
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Nepal Development |
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Livelihood Recovery Development Programmes
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Restoring livelihood at the heart of epicenter (Sindhupalchowk district)
Life already on the edge due to high poverty and lack of basic services, the 2015 earthquake was a hammer blow to most people in Sindhupalchowk and several other mountain districts of Nepal. For subsistent farmers of Sipapokhare village in Sindhupalchowk, the lifeline of their livelihood: Shoramure Ripini Irrigation canal was badly damaged.
"The earthquake destroyed our vital irrigation canal in April last year, just ahead of the plantation season and we were deeply hurt. At a time we had lost everything in the disaster, it was unlikely we could rebuild it any time soon and grow crops," said Bhabilal BK, a local farmer.
In less than a year, smile is back on the face of Bhabilal and his neighbors. With assistance from the Government of Mauritius, UNDP's Community Infrastructure and Livelihood Recovery Programme (LRP) joined hands with a local NGO, Community Development and Environmental Conservation Forum (CDECF) to facilitate the reconstruction of vital community infrastructures damaged by the earthquakes. The farmers chose irrigation canals, drinking water systems, and cooperative buildings to restart their dairy business and establishment of seed banks for the future as their foremost priorities.
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Talking to a monitoring team from UNDP Nepal, another User Committee member, Baburam Shrestha, who lost his seventh grade daughter, house and all his 3 cattle, said he has only a small patch of land, the size of a tennis court. Nevertheless, he brimmed and said, "How would we have planted Chaite Dhaan (paddy planted in April) if you had not been so quick to assist us with the reconstruction of Ripini irrigation dam and canals that supply water to Sipapokhare and Badegaon villages?"
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The reconstruction of this irrigation canal has now made it possible for 74 households to reap paddy, their main staple crop, twice a year and grow winter vegetables as well.
The beauty of reconstruction in all projects is co-funding between UNDP and the User Committees. While UNDP provided the assistance of NRs 402,885 the local community made a labour contribution worth NRs 95,498. |
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The User Committee has also made it mandatory for every beneficiary to make a small cash contribution every month for repair and maintenance fund.
Field irrigated with Ripini Irrigation system
This is one of the 81 productive community infrastructures reconstructed and 54 livelihood promotion activities implemented within eight months of the earthquake through UNDP/LRP in the worst earthquake-affected districts of Sindhupalchowk, Dolakha and Kavre which have benefitted a total of 20,032 households affected by the disaster.
"The destruction from the earthquake is heavy and our road to recovery is long and hard. We see good production as a way to rebuild our fallen houses and move towards normalcy," said Bhabilal BK.
| Source: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), May 2016 |
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