Dasharath Ghimire Deupur, Lamahi 6, Dang
“I started journalism from Radio Swargadwari in Dang, the first community radio of western region of Nepal. I remember doing my first reporting related to issues pertaining to the environment. During those days, mosquitoes had wreaked havoc. Although there were cleanliness campaigns to contain their spread it was a difficult time for everybody. Until then I was just a rookie. I didn’t have an idea of proper reporting. But I made a report and sent it to the radio. Since I did not have access to Radio Nepal’s national transmission, the community radio was our last resort for news. That report I made although very amateur was aired, surprisingly, which encouraged me as they revealed my name as well. After reporting a couple of more times, I was popular in my community. As a result, I was gradually inclined to the field of journalism. I also continued my studies simultaneously. When my first report was aired, I hadn’t even completed my School Leaving Certificate. Currently, I’m doing my master degree as well, giving a full time to journalism. I started journalism on the radio. Eventually, local newspapers also showed up. I started writing for Rapti News weekly, which is currently closed. And then I reported for Butwal Today daily, which is still in publication. There is a network of community forest and coordination committees here in Dang which regularly conducts programs to raise the issue of the forest and environment. Community people used to leave their cattle for open grazing in the naked hills of Chure. We used to notice them even from far, as there were no trees in the hills and hence no conservation. Gradually the mandate of conservation was given to community forest and then the open grazing was controlled.
Regarding reporting on conservation issues, even before the Paani program, WWF and community forest groups did several capacity building programs for journalists. Attending such programs, I was interested in conservation endeavours. And then I started reporting every event of poaching precious trees like Khayar and Saal. Bordered with India, the lower Chure region was rich in such trees which was illegally smuggled. As we raised those issues, we had to face several challenges. After the news, forest authorities raided the community. Almost every household had illegal timber stored hidden in their houses. Of course, people had one or the other obligation as the new settlement would require woods for constructing houses. However, they didn’t have legal papers for those hidden planks. When found red-handed one or the other in the community gets caught and their name is made public. They would eventually return to the community after serving the sentence and when they return, they take it as an ego issue. Since we are always in the profession, they behave with us differently, when we meet them in our own walks of life, though they don’t express it directly. Some of them are currently serving as a representative in local government.
I honed my capacity of reporting through my experience, though I never studied journalism as a university course. Although I had always wanted to pursue my formal education related to it, I had my obligations. Being the only son in the family, I could not leave them and go to Ghorahi or Kathmandu. I was lucky I got well-paid jobs in radio and newspaper in my own locality. And in time I had become well experienced with the ways of reporting. Had I not had opportunities here, I might not have been in this field now.
Conservation issues are very critical in this area of the Dang district. There’s a scarcity of water in Ghorahi and is very dry. People are building artificial ponds to address it. Ghorahi municipality authorities with the support of the provincial government have built several recharge ponds to conserve water, which can be a role model throughout the country in water conservation. However, several people have died in it out of carelessness. There were no signboards or fences in those ponds. People would go swimming recklessly and drown in the ponds which were meant for other purposes of water conservation and irrigation.On the other hand, this Deupur area of ours doesn’t have such problems of water scarcity probably because of the Rapti river. But we have other problems of unsustainable mining of riverbeds for sands and gravel. There used to be very few crusher industries in the past. There was probably some change in government policy that allowed more to come, leasing private lands. People used to manually load tractors with shovels. But as the number of excavators increased, there’s increased depletion. Rapti river comes under the jurisdiction of President Chure Conservation Program. We would spread awareness not to use such machines in protected areas. So, when an excavator gets entry into the river, people would report us and we would make it news. But now JCB and excavators are so normalized that it is contributing to the destruction of nature in the name of development. You see, Lamahi river road project was a big project of this area, financially supported by India. The 34.5km road project was completed in 3.5 years using all the materials from the Rapti river. That’s the story of just one project. There are several crusher industries between Amelia to Bhalubang along the river. Even local governments are competing to award contracts for such riverbed mining.
Some people argue that these sands and gravels are valuable unexploited resources that have to be used as they would be swept away if not mined in time. Without considering its adverse implications, they try to normalize in that way. There’s no research on the amount of water available for us. See, it has already been 6-7 months since it hasn’t rained. This year only there was a huge forest fire, probably the largest of its kind in whole Nepal. It isn’t doused yet in some places. We don’t have the means to stop it. It’s probably because of our own attitude and behaviour.I’ve done a story on the risks of unsustainable use of underground water with the fellowship support from the Nepal Forum of Environment Journalists. There are ancient wells in the Koilabash area. As the water in the Koilabash river had shrunken, there’s no water in those wells. Despite digging 175meter, it’s hard to get water as the underground water has depleted because of unsustainable mining of river beds and no recharge systems. There are big drinking water projects in operation which rely on underground water using the deep boring system. Although they provide water 24 hours they don’t have a clear plan to replenish the underground water. In near future, we may face an acute shortage of water again.
With the support of the Paani project, many conservation groups are formed. But the major focus of such groups is the conservation of fish and aquatic biodiversity. Their chief concern is to stop unsustainable fishing practices like poisoning and electrocuting. But their advocacy in major issues like unsustainable mining of rivers by unmanaged crushers is very feeble, probably because of local political issues. They have been campaigning for it, but the circle of such a campaign is very small and their voices are seldom heard. People are attached to the river with various motives. They initially raise the issue of river conservation but they gradually divert from it as those motives are gained.
Despite awareness and conservation campaigns, the mining of riverbeds hasn’t stopped. People are constructing houses and other concrete structures. Where do you think the materials come from?Every single day I take my newspaper home and give it to mom. She reads it every day. Recently, she asked me, “What change did your writing bring?” I couldn’t give a convincing answer to her. But I believe, somewhere some people are reading it and are even watching it. My job as a journalist is to write. I’m neither police nor a court or politician to stop these activities.
Many would ask me what difference did I create by writing. Here’s an example, once I did a story on a house construction near a river that comes under the jurisdiction of the forest. I started writing right from the day when they laid the foundation of the house. As I wrote, they stop for few days and again they restarted. I wouldn’t stop writing. This cycle continued and still, the house isn’t complete. That’s the power of my pen.
Living with the community, pressures would be mounted on me to not write as it has nothing to do with me personally. Some even comment that I wrote that story with an intention of undue monetary benefit. But I don’t care. I would remain impartial while using my pen. It isn’t my nature to close my eyes and ears when wicked things are happening around me.
Conservation works have to be connected with the media. People should be well-informed about any good or bad happening with the environment. The media should give news and views related to it.We are doing our job as a watchdog; we don’t have the power to punish. But when the people with executive power doesn’t react, we don’t feel good.
(Dasharath Ghimire, Deupur, Lamahi 6, Dang)
