Doti– The conservation of ponds has been started in Dipayal Silgadhi Municipality and Syal Rural Municipality of Doti district in the far-western region of Nepal.
Locals have started filling the ponds with water by removing garbage and stones after they found that the ponds are getting polluted due to garbage, mud, stones and glass. Locals said they have started using the water of ponds for irrigation of vegetables.
According to Ganga Bogati of Silgadhi Municipality of Dipayal, plastic pipes have been installed to take the water collected in the ponds to the farms. As a result, there is no leakage of water.“ Earlier, ponds used to be dirty. Water was contaminated,” she said, adding, “Now, the ponds have been cleaned and pipes have been installed to take the water to the vegetable farms.”
She said they used to take the water for irrigating the vegetables through cannels. Bogati has cultivated wheat in 15 ropani of land along with vegetable farming. Bogati, who has been doing commercial vegetable farming, said she earns more than Rs 30,000 in a season.
The ponds made up of mud and stones are being protected in coordination with locals and International Water Management Institute and with the help of USAID. The Punetola Pond of the area has been reconstructed after carrying out cleaning activities. With the conservation of the pond, locals along with Bogati have been able to do irrigation of vegetables easily.
Similarly, locals of Syal Rural Municipality have also conserved three ponds with the help of the same institution. They have protected Rokayanara, Budhaijar and Rani Forest ponds. Sharma Devi Rokaya of Syal Rural Municipality-6 said that they have started cultivating green vegetables after they succeed in taking the water of Rokaya Pond to the farm.
“We used to cultivate green vegetables only in the season. Now, it has become easier for off-season farming with the irrigation facility,” he said. Local Kishan Amar Khadka said the conservation of pond has made them easier for the irrigation. The International Water Management Institute said it has reconstructed three ponds and constructed a new pond. The Institute has helped to install plastic pipes in two villages and also installed HDPE pipes to take the water from the pond to the farm in Melekh.
