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Hydropower for the people - but who pay the price?
by Peter Quist Thomsen
Nepal's huge water potential has resulted in the establishment of
a series of hydropower and irrigation facilities. The aim is clear
-- hydropower and irrigation for the development of the people!
The only question is who pay the price? In this case it is the
poor and marginalized who have been deprived of their fundamentals
of living.
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The Kali-Gandaki Hydropower Dam |
For
the Bote communities life is all about fish. No fish no life. So
simple is that! Years back Botes, one of the ethnic groups of
Nepal, were given the rights to fish in the rivers of Nepal. Owing
land has never been important, because of the fishing right, and
because catchable fish from the rivers were sufficient to provide
a resonable income. But things have changed after the advent of
big prejects like Kali Gandaki Hydropower. Now, there are very few
fish left to catch, and a substantial part of their income has
disappered. This has left the Bote people in despair, and they are
uncertain what future will bring them.
Nepal's high potential for hydropower and irrigation facilities
have in the recent years resulted in a large number of hydropower
and irrigation project. The Kali Gandaki Hydropower Project is one
of thebiggest projects with an output of 144 MW. Hydropower and
irrigation projects need dams for storing water, and the dams are
exactly the problem! Dams do restrict the free movement of fish.
That is why the Botes now are lacking fish to catch. As a
consequence the younger Bote fishermen have started fleeing their
communities in search for an alternative job in urban areas of
Nepal or to India. This leaves the women, elderly and children in
an even more difficult situation.
Generally, the Bote communities have been neglected in the
development process of Nepal not only by the ruling higher casts
but also by the development agencies. However there seems to be a
change on the way!
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Bote fishermen explaining their problems |
Representatives from the Bote communities in cooperation with
MS-Nepal, Directorate of Fisheries Development (DOFD) and other
interested GOs and NGOs organised a workshop concerning the issues
on how to uplift the marginalised fishermen communities living
around the Kali Gandaki Hydropower Project. The workshop
especially focused on how the communities can continue living on
fish; how their rights can be protected; and how future dam
projects can prevent the same mistakes as in the Kali Gandaki
area. At the same workshop a new program was decided. The
partnership program will try to equip the Bote fishermen with some
skills to keep their occupation as fishermen, that is use of
sustainable fishing methods, fish farming and post harvest. One
alternative income for the fishermen will be cage culture in the
hydropower dam.
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Cage culture in hydropower dam (Khulekhani) |
The
program is also expected to improve the capacity of the government
office DOFD to deal with damming problems in the future and also
to strengthen the mitigation activities, especially for improving
the fish productivity of the rivers by restocking and by including
fishing ways in the hydropower and irrigation projects.
MS-Nepal will for the next two years support the Bote communities
and DOFD in these new activities with special emphasis on helping
the Bote communities to be better prepared in fighting for their
rights as the original fishermen of Nepal.
Peter
works as Fisheries Development Advisor in Syangja (West). Prior to
this he was working with FDC, Kailali(Far West) in the same
capacity.
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