Nepal Forum of Environmental Journalists (NEFEJ) has launched a communication campaign for Paani Program amidst a special function on February 17.
Under the campaign, NEFEJ launched a weekly television program “Paani”, a weekly radio program, also titled “Paani” and a news portal – hakahaki.org.
The campaign is part of the Paani Program funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Paani Program aims to help improve the management of watersheds in Karnali, Mahakali and Rapti rivers and help improve the livelihoods of people living in and around the watersheds of these three river basins.
The newly-appointed Minister for Population and Environment, Lal Babu Pandit, launched the television program. The 30-minute television show began its broadcast on Avenues Television the same. It will now be aired every Saturday at 6:30 pm.
Similarly, Joint Secretary at the Water and Energy Commission Secretariat (WECS) Madhav Belbase kicked off the radio program Paani by switching on its promo at the function while former Minister for Irrigation and member of federal parliament Sanjay Gautam launched hakahaki.org, an integrated multi-media news portal of NEFEJ.
Speaking at the function, Minister Pandit vowed to work towards preserving the environment by undertaking various activities. “I’ve just been appointed as the minister and I need to understand the goings-on in the ministry first,” he told an august gathering of experts in the field and journalists from various media.
He requested journalists to keep raising the issues of environmental conservation and alert him of any wrong-doings in the sector. “I’ll do my best to improve the environmental condition of the country.”
Peter Malnak, the Mission Director at USAID Nepal, said the organization has funded the Paani Program to improve the livelihoods of people living in mid and far west Nepal.
Saying that NEFEJ has been actively raising various environmental issues to generate awareness on them, Malnak expressed his satisfaction in joining hands with NEFEJ to work further on creating awareness on water issues in the region.
He said the USAID wants the local people in the mid and far west to engage in the proper management of water resources and that it should be the topic of debate for national interests. According to him, this Program was launched in close consultation with the policymakers.
He said the healthy watersheds are the basis for proper management and conservation of the river basins. “The management of water resources has been the challenging subject in many countries, for they depend on the limited resources,” he added and said that the management of watersheds is not possible without raising awareness at the ground level. “We are focusing on how to increase the participation of locals in the management of these water resources.
Madhav Belbase said that water problems occurred as they were not managed properly despite the availability of huge water resources in the country. Saying that Nepal has approximately 7,000 cubic meters of water per person, Belbase highlighted the rainfall patterns in the country and added that management of water resources is a major problem. “It is important to pay attention to three things – nutrition, law and its physical structure together,” he further said. “However, it is sad that the state is not interested in the proper management of water resources and even the Constitution is silent on managing the water resources.”
Parliamentarian Gautam said the water resources are connected to the human lives. He said that the programs to improve the livelihoods of millions of people living in and around the three river basins in Karnali, Mahakali and Rapti will ultimately help improve the understanding of the local community on the watershed management. He also said that preservation of Chure region is key to proper management of water resources in the region.
NEFEJ general secretary Ramesh Prasad Bhushal, in his welcome remarks, said the group has been playing a significant role in raising awareness on environmental conservation and sustainable development. Saying that one cannot imagine life without water, he emphasized on paying due attention to preserve the water sources and proper utilization of water.
NEFEJ president Arjun Dhakal chaired the program.
