Plastic ponds remedy water shortages in rural Nepal

KUBHINDE, Nepal – On a sultry and overcast afternoon in Kubhinde village, Beda Maya Nepal clears out the twigs and branches lying in her pond. She then takes out a bucketful of water and pours it over her vegetable garden.

Although there is no shortage of ponds during the rainy season, hers is no ordinary water reservoir: it is made of plastic.

In this region of central Nepal where prolonged dry spells threaten crop production, farmers are building plastic ponds to collect rainwater and wastewater during the monsoon.

The plastic stores the water more efficiently than traditional earthen ponds, which absorb most water into the ground. The water is then used to irrigate gardens and other facilities in dry periods.

"The ponds allow us to collect and use water that could have gone to waste,” Nepal said.

World Neighbors, a non-governmental organisation, has jumped on the plastic pond bandwagon and helped villagers build 55 ponds since 2014, which typically conserve 2,000 litres of water at a time.

The organisation teaches communities to build and maintain the ponds – for example by showing them not to mix soapy water with normal wastewater –  and provides them with the plastic material to do so.

The improved access to irrigation allows villagers to double the length of their harvesting season – to seven-eight months (May-December) a year. The extended harvest fetches them an additional income of around 8,000 rupees ($75) on average each year.

OFF-SEASON VEGETABLES

A year after a deadly earthquake flattened cities and villages in the region, killing over 8,000 people and injuring many more, families are struggling to make ends meet after losing their houses, land and cattle.

To boost local farmers’ income, World Neighbours also facilitated the creation of savings groups in Kubhinde and nearby villages.

Members deposit 100 rupees (just under one dollar) each to the group's bank account every month and can take out loans when needed. Once per month, they meet to share their hardships and experiences, and discuss potential solutions.

Srijana Thapa, the organisation’s regional director for South Asia, said the groups aim to empower communities to achieve change themselves. “Improved farming techniques and access to finance are just a few ways they can participate in their own development.”

For example, group members have been cultivating “off-season” vegetables – vegetables that are grown beyond their normal harvesting season.

Bina Devi Gautam, a group member dressed in a flowery pink dress, said she didn't use to buy seeds or grow vegetables beyond their normal season. “We’ve learned to preserve the seeds and use them during the off-season – I am now growing tomatoes and chili pepper,” she explained, pointing to her vegetable garden.

Vegetable farming has not only helped farmers in the region provide more food for their families, it has also become an additional source of income, helping to pay for children’s education, among other things.

"When my son asked me for money to cover his schooling fees, I just gave him onions and told to him to sell them and take the money," said Gautam jubilantly.

Thapa added that “being able to cultivate vegetables almost all year round brings more diversity to diets, thus improving people’s health.”

GAINING INDEPENDENCE

To some villagers, especially the “untouchable” castes in South Asia called the “Dalits”, growing vegetables has meant breaking away from a tradition of relying on others. Superstition dictates that Dalits should not grow vegetables, as their touch would destroy the harvest.

"We never thought we could cultivate vegetables ourselves,” said Sukumaya Bishwakarma, a farmer plucking weeds in her field of chili peppers.

Training provided by World Neighbors on vegetable farming encouraged Bishwakarma and fellow Dalit farmers to overcome their fear and adopt new farming techniques.

These include cultivating grass on fallow land, saving hours that used to be spent gathering fodder for cattle – a task rendered increasingly difficult by growing deforestation.

"We would normally spend a whole morning just looking for grass for our cattle,” said Rammaya Lama, whose husband has polio, leaving her to manage all household and farming tasks alone. “Now it takes me an hour.”

In the past year, World Neighbors has intervened in 11 villages across Nepal, helping 1,555 people, most of them women.

The project’s biggest achievement, however, is helping people lift themselves out of poverty, said Kate Schecter, the organisation’s chief executive. “They are gaining confidence and a sense of their own potential,” she added.