“I personally have realized that at many times conservation and development do not go together.

You see with the start of federal and local structure, people want things fast. The building of roads is the promise that every politician uses to lure voters. So now, the roads have to reach not only the wards from the Paalikas but also to each and every villages. The need for a road for a community of 200-250 households is understandable. People grow oranges here and for them to walk all day to bring those oranges, vegetables and other fruits to the market is a big workload. We need roads and transportation for accessing local products from the villages to the markets. However, the demand to dig up roads is so high even if there are only five households.

Even though there are laws, policies, procedures and guidelines to build roads, we also find that many times their provisions are ignored. The documents we submit for approval take years to be signed and there is a lot of pressure from our constituents so at many times the local level starts making roads hastily. This is when forests are destroyed, water sources are disappeared and river systems are affected.

I, as a local representative, have actively spoken with my colleagues about these concerns. I have submitted it in writing and raised my voice too. Because I understand that, we have to find a middle path where we can increase convenience for communities while conserving nature and the habitat of other beings who live around us.

The world, this village, this forest and these rivers are not only for us to take advantage of it.

When I was a young girl, I remember we all would go to the pond in Haat and swim. Now, the pond is gone. The water has dried up and people have settled on the pond itself. It is really a sad thing. You see it is not only the waters in the ponds and the water sources that are depleting but the forests are also being set on fire. The reasons are several. It is our inability to find a middle path where we can sustain human life while preserving nature. The villagers use these forests as a shortcut for their mobility. They take their animals to these forests to graze. When the leaves of the pine trees accumulate in the ground, they cover up the greens that the animals graze on. People slip and have become disabled, animals have died. People set fires in the forests. Who do this clearly know in their hearts that it is not the way to solve their problems but they are not aware of alternatives so they do what has been done for generations. This ignorance has caused irreversible damage. The loss of trees means loss of water. It is all interrelated. Loss of water means loss of fish.

Our Karnaso River that eventually joins Thuligad is shrinking. There are no fishes because the level of water has decreased. It has not rained here for the last 6 months when it used to rain at intervals. If it rains, the downpour is so heavy that it destroys most of the crops.

Taking into consideration all of this, with Paani Project’s support we promulgated Aquatic Animal and Biodiversity Conservation Act to allow sustainable use and promote conservation of aquatic biodiversity. We have banned poisoning fishes, using electric current to catch fish, using nets that do not meet mesh size as prohibited by law. Meanwhile, we are allowing fishing for a certain duration as well as formed local conservation groups and conducting regular patrolling for controlling destructive practices while implementing the act. But this work of conservation will only work if the general public takes it as their social responsibility. Representatives like us can only do so much. We need the support of the public also. I am especially worried for the communities that have lived under the structural oppressions of Nepali society. They are the ones who heavily rely on these forests and rivers. They have no other resort.

Until and unless we look at development and conservation closely and their impact on each other, we will fail at saving our environment.”

Jamuna Bohora

(Jamuna Bohora, Deputy Chairperson of Jorayal Rural Municipality is a key informant for local context, political economy, socio-economics and key issues and challenges of the area. With support from USAID’s Paani Program, she took lead on formulation and implementation of aquatic biodiversity conservation law. She also worked to regulate unsustainable rural road construction, and promoted sustainable riverbed mining.) USAID NepalPaani – पानीजमुना बोहोरा, जोरायल-३, राउतकाटे, डोटी (ठूलीगाड जलाधारक्षेत्र)“कतिपय विकास र संरक्षण एकसाथ जान सक्दैन भन्ने मेरो व्यक्तिगत बुझाई छ । देश संघियतामा गएसँगै स्थानिय तहहरू बनेपछि त झन् हेर्नुस्, मान्छेहरूलाई जे पनि छिटो छिटो चाहिएको छ । जनतासँग भोट माग्नलाई हरेक नेताहरूले गाउँमा बाटो ल्याउँछु भनेर आश्वासन बाँडेकाछन् । त्यहि भएर त अब पालिकाको वडासम्म मात्रै बाटो आएर भएन, हरेक गाउँगाउँमा पुग्नेपर्ने जस्तो भइसक्यो । २००-२५० घरधुरी भएको गाउँमा बाटो पुर्र्याउनुसम्म त ठीकै हो ।जहाँ मान्छेहरूले सुन्तला खेती गर्छन्, त्यहाँ सुन्तला, तरकारी र अन्य फलफूलहरू बजारसम्म ढुवानी गर्न गाह्रै हुन्छ । त्यस्ता ठाउँमा गाउँको लोकल उत्पादनलाई बजारसम्म पुर्र्याउन बाटो र यातायातको सहजता हुन जरूरी नै हुन्छ । तर यहाँ त ५ वटा घरधुरी भएको ठाउँमा पनि बाटो खन्नैपर्ने माग पो गर्छन् त ।बाटो बनाउने नीति, नियम, प्रक्रिया र कार्यविधीहरू त छन् नि । तर त्यस्ता कुराहरूलाई धेरैजसो बेवास्ता गरिएको पाइएको छ। कतिपय बेला कागजातहरू बनाएर माथिल्लो निकायमा स्वीकृतीका लागि पेश गरिन्छ । तर स्वीकृत भएर आउनै धेरै वर्ष लाग्छ । त्यहि भएर हाम्रा क्षेत्रहरूबाट धेरै दबाबहरू आउँछन् अनि पालिकाहरूले हतारमा बाटो खन्न थाल्छन् । अनि जंगल मासिन्छ, पानीको स्रोत हराउँछ र खोलानालामा पनि असर पर्छ ।म स्थानिय जनप्रतिनिधी भएको नाताले मेरा सहकर्महरूसँग यस विषयमा सक्रियरूपमा कुरा राख्छु । मैले आवाज मात्रै उठाएको हैन, लिखित पनि पेश गरेकोछु । किनकी मलाई राम्रोसँग थाह छ, हाम्रो वरिपरी बस्ने जीवजन्तु र वातावरणको रक्षा गर्दै समुदायलाई पनि सुबिधा दिनको लागि बीचको बाटो खोज्नुपर्छ ।यो पृथ्वी, यो गाउँ, यो जंगल अनि खोलानाला हाम्रो मात्रै फाइदाको लागि होइन ।म सानो छँदा मलाई सम्झना छ हामी हाटको पोखरीमा पौडी खेल्न जान्थ्यौँ । अहिले त पोखरी नै छैन । पानी सुकेपछि मान्छेहरूले पहिले त्यही पोखरी नै भएको ठाउँमा घर बनाए । साह्रै दुःख लाग्छ । हेर्नुस् त, पोखरी र नदीनालामा पानी मात्रै घटेको कहाँ हो र, मान्छेहरूले जंगलमा पनि डढेलो लाउँछन् । कारणहरू धेरै छन् । वातावरण जोगाउँदै हाम्रो मानवजीवनलाई अघि बढाउने बीचको बाटो फेला पार्न नसक्नु नै हाम्रो कमजोरी हो । आवतजावत गर्न मान्छेहरूले जंगलको छोटो बाटो प्रयोग गर्छन् । गाईवस्तुहरूलाई जंगलमै चराउन ल्याउँछन् । सल्लाको पात भुइँमा झरेर वस्तुहरू चर्न आउँने जमिन छोप्छ । मान्छेहरू त्यहिँ चिप्लिन्छन् र अङ्गभङ्ग हुन्छ, वस्तु मर्छन् । अनि मान्छेहरूले जंगलमा आगो लाउँछन् । समस्या समाधान गर्न यो राम्रो उपाय हैन भन्ने कसैको मनमा छैन । तर बिकल्प के भन्ने पनि त थाह छैन । अनि बाउबाजेले जे गर्‍यो, त्यहि गर्छन् । यहि अज्ञानताले अपुरणिय क्षति भइरहेकोछ । रूखहरू सकिनु भनेको पानी पनि सकिनु हो । पानी सकिनु भनेको माछा सकिनु पनि हो । सबै कुरा अन्तर्सम्बन्धित हुन्छन् ।ठूलीगाडमा मिसिने हाम्रो कर्नासो खोला विस्तारै खुम्चिँदै गएको छ । पानीको सतह घटेकाले त्यहाँ माछा पाइन छाडेको छ । पहिले पहिले नियमित पानी पर्थ्यो । तर अहिले विगत ६ महिना देखि पानी परेको छैन । यदि पानी परिहाल्यो भने यस्तो भिषण वर्षा हुन्छ कि वालीनाली सबै सखाप पारिदिन्छ ।यहि कुरालाई ध्यानमा राखेर जलिय जैविक विविधताको संरक्षण गर्दै यसको दिगो प्रयोगमा सहजता ल्याउनको लागि पानी परियोजनाको सहयोगमा हामीले जलचर तथा जैविक विविधता संरक्षण ऐन पारित गरेकाछौँ । विष हालेर, करेन्ट लाएर अनि कानुनले तोकेको भन्दा सानो दुलो भएको जाल प्रयोग गरेर माछा मार्न हामीले प्रतिबन्ध लगाएकाछौँ । त्यसैगरी, माछा मार्न निश्चत समय तोकिएको छ । स्थानिय स्तरमा संरक्षण समुहहरू बनाएकाछौँ जसले अनाधिकृत काम रोक्न र ऐनको पालना गराउन नियमित गस्ती पनि गर्ने गर्छ । तर यो संरक्षण कार्यले तब मात्रै राम्रोसँग काम गर्छ जब जनताहरूले यसलाई आफ्नो सामाजिक दायित्वको रूपमा आत्मसाथ गर्छन् । हामी जनप्रतिनिधीहरूले गर्ने त यत्ति नै हो । हाम्रो नेपाली समाजमा उत्पिडनमा परेका समुदायहरू प्रति म विशेष चिन्तित छु । जंगल र नदीनालामा तिनीहरू नै बढि निर्भर छन् । तिनीहरूको जाने ठाउँ अन्त कतै छैन ।जबसम्म हामीले बिकास र संरक्षणलाई सँगसँगै हेर्दैनौँ र एकअर्कालाई यसले पार्ने प्रभावलाई मध्यनजर गर्दैनौँ तबसम्म वातावरण जोगाउन हामी सँधै असफल हुनेछौँ ।”(जोरायल गाउँपालिकाका उपप्रमुख जमुना बोहोरा यहाँको स्थानिय परिवेश, आर्थिक सामाजिक राजनीति र यस ठाउँको अवस्था र चुनौतीबारे राम्रो जानकार हुनुहुन्छ । युएस्एडको पानी परियोजनाको सहयोगमा उहाँले जलचर जैविक विविधता संरक्षण ऐनको तर्जुमा तथा कार्यान्वयनमा नेतृत्वदायी भूमिका खेल्नुभएको छ । अस्थिर ग्रामिण खडक निर्माण र नदितट दोहनको नियमनमा पनि उहाँको संलग्नता रहेकोछ ।)