Nepalgunj – Rajapur Municipality has started homestay businesses to improve the livelihood of Sonaha, a minority fishing community, after their traditional occupation started dying. The homestay service was started at Murgaha, Rajapur Municipality-1 as it was becoming harder for the people of Sonaha community to sustain their livelihoods by fishing and collecting raw gold by filtering sand in the bank of river.
Speaking at the Paani discussion under the Paani Project organized by Nepal Forum of Environmental Journalists (Nefej) with the financial assistance of USAID, Shanti Sonaha, Chairperson of Sohana Development Community, said they were facing a big problem after Bardiya National Park restricted them from collecting sand and catching fishes from the river. “And we have started homestay service as an alternative occupation to resolve this problem,” she added.
“Most of the tourists do not stay at homestay due to lack of toilets,” she said. Sonaha communities are mostly found in far-western Nepal, mainly in Kailali, Kanchanpur and Bardiya. According to a study carried out in 2018, there are 1,172 households of Sonaha community. It has been learnt that there are 57 households in Murgahawa, Rajapur Municipality-1 and 92 households in various wards of Geruwa Rural Municipality.
During the program, Samjhana Sonaha said the officials of Bardiya National Park confiscate their fishing and other equipment when they go to the river for fishing and collecting raw gold. “Our occupation is at risk. We need other job to sustain our life. We have been deprived of our rights,” said Samjhana. She also urged the local authority to resolve the problem.
Bishnu Prasad Chaudhary, Chairman of Rajapur Municipality-1, said that three out of 11 water resources are at stake. Budi Kala falls under the Rajapur Irrigation Project. Tapara, Manau and Khairichandpur are the main sources.
Apart from that, Tharu and Sonaha, living around the bank of Karnali River, have not been able to use their own land after the Bardiya National Park confiscated the western part of Karnali River claiming it land belonged it.
Shiva Prasad Chaudhary, Chief at the Rajapur Municipality, Bishnu Prasad Khanal, Chairman of ward-3, Bishnu Prasad Chaudhary, Chairman of ward-9, Bharati BK, elected Dalit member of ward-1 and Hema Kumari Chaudhary, Vice-Chairperson of Geruwa Rural Municipality responded to the questions raised by local participants during the Paani discussion.
Geruwa Rural Municipality Vice-Chairperson Hema Kumari Chaudhary said they are constructing a model settlement at Geruwa Rural Municipality-1 incorporating 23 households of Sonaha and Tharu communities to make model Sonaha settlement of Nepal.
She said that they are constructing the model settlement in coordination with Gerauwa Rural Municipality and federal government under the Janata Awas program. Saying that the life of Sonaha are at high risk, Chaudhary said that they should not limit themselves to fishing and collecting raw gold, instead they should choose other occupation as well.
Also speaking at the program, Rajapur Municipality Chief Shiva Prasad Chaudhary said, “We are not against conservation but there should be alternative.” Chaudhary said that they have given top priority for conservation and promotion of their skills and culture of Sonaha community—a marginalized community of Nepal.
Rajapur Municipality has provided one-month training to 15 persons to earn money for direct benefit under the targeted group program. The municipality had allocated Rs 250,000 to provide training related to poultry farming to Dalit, poor, indigenous and Sonaha communities and to distribute fowls in the fiscal year 2019/20 under the same program.
The Municipality Chief said that this will protect the culture and tradition of Sonaha and will help to sustain their lives. “We have not been able to address the demands of Sonaha as we have limited resource but we have kept some of their demands on priority,” he said.
Meanwhile, embankments have been constructed in various places under the Karnali River Management Project to minimize the erosion of Karnali River.
Rajapur Municipality has allocated Rs 3 million for the maintenance of Budi Kula to manage the river. Likewise, trees have been plated and bio embankments have been constructed in various wards through the Prime Minister Employment Program.
Speaking at the program, Bupendra Shahi, team leader of Karnali River Basin of Paani Project, said that they will help to formulate the law to conserve the aquatic biodiversity with the help of Paani Project at the request of Rajapur Municipality.
Hence, it has been found that Rajapur Municipality and Geruwa Rural Municipality have taken the projects ahead by seeing the opportunities and possibilities to promote the traditional occupation of Sonaha community.
The rural municipality is also planning to take various programs ahead in coordination with governmental and non-governmental organizations to develop the capacity of the people.
Chief of Rajapur Municipality, Vice-Chairperson of Gerauwa Rural Municipality, ward chairmen, elected people’s representatives and local journalists, among others, were present in the program.
More than 30 persons had participated in the discussion. The program had endorsed a four-point commitment for developing the capacity the Sonaha and help them earn the money through alternative sources.
Commitments
- To accord top priority to the Sonaha community in every programs held in local level.
- To take initiative to equally manage the flow of the river in Geruwa and Shattighat.
- To stop fishing at Karnali River during the reproduction time.
- Geruwa Rural Municipality and Rajapur Municipality will help to establish good relationship between Bardiya National Park and locals.
