NEW DELHI, Nov 30: Amid the cacophony of the economy taking a hit in Meghalaya in the wake of the coal mining ban, a section of villagers in the hill state are reviving natural resources like sacred forest groves and village ponds, and even making money out of it!
Villagers in Mawphlang first revived the adjoining forests by planting local species of trees.
“Over a period of time, the trees regenerated and enriched water bodies reducing soil erosion, thereby lowering sedimentation of ponds, which is a big problem in Northeast,” Partha J. Das of Aaranyak, an organisation working for biodiversity research and conservation in the Northeast, told the media.
The traditional village ponds have been shrinking because of polluted water and new human settlements close to the ponds.
“Local people have revived small ponds in Mawphlang and villagers of as many as 70 villages are now able get water from them despite having piped water supply,” said Tambor Lyngdoh, who is leading the project.
There is also a governmental initiative which implemented the Khasi Hills Community REDD+ project, a UN project for forest conservation and sustainable management aimed at protecting sacred groves and watersheds and replanting degraded land. It was India’s first community-based REDD+ project.
“From 2013 onwards, the villagers received enough funds through carbon sales and carbon trading, which is a market-based system to reduce greenhouse emissions contributing towards global warming, particularly carbon dioxide. Countries and companies that earn carbon credits by cutting down their emissions, can earn money by selling those credits,” Lyngdoh said
“Between 2013 to 2019-20, we have sold 280,000 tonnes of carbon at 5 USD (US dollars) to 9 USD per tonne, and still have an unsold stock of 66,000 tonnes,” Lyngdoh ,who was awarded the NatWest Earth Hero “ year said.
The NatWest Group Awards are conferred on outstanding individuals and institutions who have gone beyond their ‘call of duty’ to make a demonstrable difference to biodiversity and climate.
“In turn, these funds helped initiate a community movement of planting trees near the water bodies, cleaning them at regular intervals and spreading awareness about refraining from fishing during the breeding season. Some of the effects of these actions were visible as the roots of the trees helped prevent erosion of soil, particularly during heavy rain in the monsoons, thereby reducing clogging of the ponds,” Lyngdoh said.
With the saplings taking root and growing taller, the villagers felt it was safer to use the pond water, “because the roots were now aiding in filtration of the wastewater that seeped into the ground from the houses.”
“It was not a sudden change that was visible. But over time, people could see that the aquatic life began thriving once again in their local ponds,” Lyngdoh said.
Even a variety of migratory birds were seen and with fishing being avoided during the breeding season, life returned to the ponds.
“The water has become cooler, cleaner, and once again, people have started going to the ponds every morning to collect water for household purposes,” he said.
This was of particular significance to people in the smaller, more interior villages where piped water supply was sometimes erratic owing to pump breakdown. The pond water was the source that they would then often turn to.
Like an interlinked chain, a thriving wetland helps in maintaining the socio-economic health of the rural community.
“Not only is it (pond/wetland) a source of water, but also nourishes the community with food like fish, and aquatic fauna which they can even sell,” he added.
“In Meghalaya, we have 215 such sacred forests which are protected by social fencing,” Lyngdoh said.
“The Mawphlang Sacred Grove is 700 years old; it is therefore an ancient genetic pool,” he added.
Most of the sacred groves have several water bodies — Mawphlang has 20 ponds, said Lyngdoh — from where the villagers can take water for drinking and cooking.
“The rule is that water from the sacred groves must not be sold or used for commercial purposes,” he said.