Local responses to too much and too little water in the greater Himalayan region
or abandon their occupation, or move from a water Infrastructure development – Road building on mountain
scarce area to a place where water is available. They sides can damage springs. Bus stations, public
also gradually shift their livelihoods from farming to the buildings, or sports fields often encroach on the flattest
service sector or trades. Continued water problems ground available – the traditional ponds near villages.
force many people without these alternatives to leave the The lasting impact of roads on water springs is only
village. evident when erosion of the roadside slope causes
the water channels to crumble. Villagers find it difficult
to demand that road construction not destroy springs
Factors Influencing Local Responses
because the immediate benefits of a road seem to
Various factors influence the choices people make to
outweigh the loss of a spring. In the long term, the loss
cope with water stresses. They include mobility and
of the spring adds to local water stress while the road
access to information, markets, services of institutions,
improves mobility, helping villagers to avail of alternative
technical support, technology, and tools and equipment.
livelihoods.
Support systems – Electricity and communication
External factors – The study site communities are
facilities are available in the study areas. Access to
affected by the larger global and national context; they
both has helped local trade, including the use of cold
face the negative impacts of rising oil prices, which
storage facilities and the operation of small businesses.
increases the transportation costs of trading goods.
Farmers use cooperatives and other agricultural
Frequent strikes and road closures prevent farmers from
and livestock services to improve production and
transporting their products to market, which is making
sell milk and vegetables in local markets. All three
many farmers wary of investing in agriculture.
sites in Sankhuwasabha and Dhankuta districts have
educational establishments and health centres. These
Political instability – Political stability is often a
facilities and cash income, from the sale of farm
prerequisite for individual or community responses to
products, has helped people obtain their immediate
succeed. During the decade long insurgency, many
needs.
people left their villages because the remittance money
and even salaries had to be shared with rebels. Other
Mobility, transportation, and communication – The
people left because they did not want to be pulled
ability to move in and out of an area allows people
directly into the conflict. The educated and those with
to respond to stress successfully. For example, the shift
some economic base and influence in the village were
to tea and cardamom would not have been possible
asked to leave. In such circumstances, people had few
without access to roads that allowed local producers to
incentives to grow more food.
secure inputs and reach the markets. Making a decision
to move requires family support, initial investments,
Changing demography – As a consequence of
access to information, and the liberty to leave home for
migration, the absence of able-bodied men in the
long periods and to take risks. Such strategies help a
villages has changed peoples’ perception of life and
family shift from farming to a non-agricultural source of
farming. So many men must seek alternatives that
income outside the area, and to diversify the household’s
the local economic systems have weakened. The
income basket.
opportunities provided by improved mobility and access
to information then become irrelevant as strategies to
Services – Various services; such as transportation,
adapt to the emerging water stresses.
markets, communications, and technical backup for
agriculture and livestock are important for enhancing
Notion of ‘development’ – In Nepal, development has
local resilience, so the absence of these services and
always been equated with the availability of electricity,
their unreliability can make local adaptive responses
roads, and telephone services. Yet, even when these
very difficult. For example, the chemical fertilisers and
services are available and reliable, people are still
pulse and vegetable seeds that are available in local
moving from their homes and traditional livelihoods
markets are often of inferior quality because there are no
because these services do not help them to adapt to
institutions to regulate and ensure quality. They are also
water stresses. This question requires much deeper
often not available when farmers need them during the
inquiry.
cropping season.
30
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76