Plum, peach, and passion fruit flourish along with other agriculture produce in a village in Manipur aided by an integrated watershed management programme.
It would sound like a fairytale with the twist of social development. An integrated watershed management programme comes to a remote hill village in the northeastern state of Manipur to empower the lower class tribals, turn a new positive chapter in their relation with the environment, remove exploitative middlemen and make them a political vocal group. And it promises to keep its impact going for a long time. Tunjoy village in Paomata sub-division of Senapati district of Manipur is 60 kilometres away from the district headquarter and 120 kilometres from lmphal, Manipur’s capital.
Located in the middle ranges of a hill and surrounded by higher hills all around, Tunjoy is 20 percent reserved and private forest. In over 180 hectares of land, some 815 families eke out their living. Modernisation is yet to visit the village spread in three parts—upper, middle and lower khel. There are no dispensaries, government schools or facilities such as electricity, water supply, telephone and transportation. Villagers have to walk three kilometres to reach the nearest sub-division office. The only school in the village is St Dominic Savio School run by the diocesan fathers from the Archdiocese of Imphal. And the only marks of public cooperation are the two water tanks for domestic purpose in Upper khel, three for middle khel and three for lower khel that the local people had built. People belonging to Paomei Naga tribe living here are the most backward among all Nagas. They have no political representatives, no audible voice in governmental decision-making and all that is compounded by their primitive agricultural practices. There are no cash crops in the area and their entire farming activity is dependent on rainfall. Despite heavy rainfall the rainwater would run off the steep slopes into the streams leaving the village thirsting for water in winter. And the Turn-around The integrated watershed management was an awakening and a lifetime experience for the villagers of Tunjoy. It is for the first time that the villagers got the opportunity to execute a project by themselves, under the supervision of the parish priest. Being the sole implementers they felt the responsibility to execute the project successfully and take proper care of the project even after it was over. A sense of ownership is very visible among the villagers. As a result of the project, the villagers have enough water for domestic and irrigation needs even in winter. Area of cultivation has expanded. Different varieties of vegetables like cabbage, tomato, carrot, potato, mustard, onion, and maga onion are planted now. People have no more fear about water scarcity. With the assistance from the state government’s Public Works Department the village has built 20 water tanks. And water is available throughout the season. With the expanded and improved agricultural activity, there was something else that was happening. The villagers began to realize the need to avoid exploitative middlemen, and formed Self Help Groups (SHG) of both women and men. The women groups transport the produces to the nearby townships of Senapati and Tadubi. The men groups transport produces to distant Dimapur in large quantities. After harvest villagers bring all their produce to the group presidents’ house and in the morning the groups take it to the market. And only after they sell the produces the money is distributed among the farmers. The programme on nature conservation has made the villagers realize the importance of afforestation and their contribution towards ecological balance in society. In the second year of the project implementation, the village authority and the implementing committee met together to discuss protection of natural resources. The meeting passed some resolutions such as: • No individual will cut trees from the reserved forest • No individual will set fire in the jungle.
Geographical Details of the Watershed
Nature of Soil Soil of the watershed is mostly of black cotton type with more than 2ml soil depth in agriculture field Murrum. Light soil is found in certain patches of hill ranges. Overall it was observed that the soil type, clayey in nature, is of good quality. Soil moisture was found to be good and it had high water holding capacity. Climatic Condition The people of Tunjoy mostly experience a pleasant weather. But winter season can be very cold. Even in summer season days are pleasant with chilly nights. Cold season vegetables can be grown all through the year. Rainfall and Water Sources The average annual rainfall in the region is 2.3 meters. Due to steep slope the water rushes down to the stream, which gushes along causing severe erosion. There are several streams coming from hilltops and the big Barak River, which passes through Tunjoy village. The villagers also have eight-community water tanks used for drinking and other domestic purposes. Agricultural Practice The people of Tunjoy practice both Jhum “shifting” and wet cultivation. The main cultivation is paddy, chilly and cabbage. They also plant maize, potato, yam, millet, soya bean, creeping beans, gourds, pineapples, turmeric and ginger. The horticulture produces are peach, plum and passion fruit. Objectives of the Project • Create awareness on soil and water conservation measures, eco-farming and social forestry • Recharge groundwater and minimize soil erosion through water and soil conservation measures • Soil management through eco-farming and afforestation Implementation In spite of the turbulent situation in the state, the project was carried out braving several challenges. The overall project helped in boosting economic conditions of the poor villagers, empowering them, and generating a visible optimism among them. Successful implementation of the project was also able to create a positive impact in the neighbouring areas. PROGRAMMES 1) Construction of check dams at Japouri and Marissori streams The completion of check dams in both the streams would not have been possible without the support and cooperation of the villagers. The village elders, youth volunteers and project implementation committee carried out the work with selfless dedication. They completed the work successfully in spite of the difficulties in transporting materials, lack of road link and a prolonged 45-day economic blockade during the project implementation. 2) Minor Check Dams The construction of 120 minor boulder structures across the 15 small streams has not only helped the farmers in irrigation but also raised the overall living standards of the people. It helped expand the area of cultivation, and newly created awareness regarding organic manure has become palpable in the village. 3) Tree Plantation Marking the World Environment Day the villagers of Tunjoy took up a special programme of tree plantation. All sections of people including youth, school going children, women and village leaders took part in the programme and planted more than 20,000 trees in the village. Seeing this elders of the neighbouring village, Saranamei, also pursued their villagers to plant trees. Many people have also planted trees on their private land. 4) Vermiculture After knowing the hazards of using chemical fertilizers the villagers have constructed 15 vermicompost pits in the village. The village authorities have put in place strict regulations to deter the use of chemical fertilizers. A family found using chemical fertilizer would be fined 500 rupees. 5) Farm Ponds The villagers have constructed 100 farm ponds in the down streams of project area. They use the accumulated water for irrigation purposes. 6) Earthen Bunds The construction of earthen bunds helps maintain the soil moisture and conserve water in the fields. Such soil encourages farmers grow all types of seasonal crops now. Besides, they have sufficient water for irrigation even during dry season. 7) Kitchen Garden Maintaining a kitchen garden is a common among the tribal families. With training imparted they were able to use better methods of kitchen gardening and thus increased their output. High yielding varieties of seeds were distributed to 400 families
8) Gabion Structures The Gabion structures have reduced the velocity of the runoff water and prevented soil erosion. The harvested water is used during the dry season. Gender Application in the Programme The project also brought about a change, which for centuries the women could not even dream of in this strictly patriarchal society. All these years, the village committee, their main public representative forum, had kept women out of it. However, the project changed it all. For the implementation of the project the applicant along with church leaders and villagers sat down for a meeting to discuss the implementation. After much discussion they formed a project. Direct Benefits of the Programme During the implementation of the project the villagers got an opportunity to earn extra income. The people also learnt the importance of eco-farming and social forestry. For instance, now, the villagers are conscious of managing their waste from the fields and the kitchen. They use all the waste material for organic manure, which has a very positive impact. Most farmers have planted trees on their private land and wasteland. They are now conscious of the negative impact of deforestation. “If you cut one tree, plant two,” is the new slogan among the villagers.