Breve descripción de la práctica óptima
Pani-kholsi is a degraded micro-catchment of foot hills of the Chure region. Due to loss of vegetation and fragile geological condition of the catchment a huge quantity of soil were being eroded to the downstream annually. The settlements in the upstream were highly vulnerable due to gully and landslides and downstream communities were vulnerable by flash flood, river/stream bed rising, and sedimentation, that affected the agricultural land, settlement and infrastructure. Most of cultivated land areas along the river/stream were converted to the unproductive and sandy area due to stream bank cutting and debris deposition by the stream.
The District Soil Conservation Office under the Department of Soil Conservation and Watershed Management in partnership with local community has designed the technology for the rehabilitation of land since 1995. The activities implemented were;
•Series of gabion and dry-stone check dams construction in highly risky area
•Contour ditches and trenches all over the degraded area
•Forest and fruit tree plantation based on the site condition
•Bamboo, Fodder and grass plantation.
•Bamboo shaft witling and cutting plantation
•Construction of proper and safe drainage system
•Thinning and pruning in time to time
•A watch man for the take care of conservation works
After 10 years of rehabilitation works, the area of micro-catchment became protected and more than 1000 households of upstream and down-stream of this catchment were saved from the hazard of landslides, gully and flash floods. Presently the user group are actively managing the catchment and utilizing the forest products systematic manner.
Lugar
Panikholsi, Bardibans VDC-4, Mahottari District, Nepal
Breve descripción del entorno natural en el lugar especificado
Sub tropical climate with maximum temperature is 370C and minimum temperature is 2.60C and average annual rainfall nearby this location is 1841.1 mm
Chure hill is formed by the classic fluvial and terrestrial sedimentary rocks and varies from clay stone, sandstone to conglomerates with the soils of sandy-clay, silts and pebbles. The geological units of Pani kholsi Micro-catchment is falls under the middle Siwalik.
Located in the bottom of Chure hills with the slopes of 10-20 percent. Panikholsi micro-catchment is directed to south west aspect with the altitude ranges from 410 - 500 meter from mean sea level.
Condiciones socioeconómicas imperantes de los habitantes del lugar o las proximidades
The income level of this community is below the national average due to traditional rain fed agricultural practices and subsistence livestock farming.
The total number of household in this Pani-kholsi micro-catchment is 415 and average size of the family is 6 people per family with a total population of 2492 (Census 2001). The main occupations of these families are agriculture and only few do business as shop keeper. The literacy rate of the residents is only 66 percent. Presently the secondar
An average land holding of each family is 0.5ha, with the private ownerships and land use right.
Agriculture is the main sources of income for the majority of farmers in this micro-catchment area. Except the agriculture, they are getting the income from cash crops i.e. vegetable, fruits and forest product.
¿En base de qué criterios o indicadores (no relacionados con la Estrategia) se ha considerado la práctica propuesta y la tecnología correspondiente como ‘óptima’?
Panikholsi micro-catchment rehabilitation is a best practice for the degraded catchment rehabilitation because it rehabilitated the land and converted highly degraded land into the dense forest within the period of 12 years. This best practice also created oncome for local community by selling forest products and livestock raising due to increased biomass production. At the same time, the level of confidence on technology and the level of awareness on people have been increased for the replication of technology in the locality.
