18 Jan 2004 Dang Valley, Nepal, Indian Sub-continent
The project looks at the negative impact in the rivers and streams as a result of the tendency of ethnic indigenous communities' involved in fishing to use pesticides, herbal poisons and electric currents.
The project will cover the sites that are being ruined by the use of poison. Rivers and streams of Dang valley (largest valley of Asia) are the targeted sites. The Rapti River, Babai River and Sano Nadi are the major rivers whereas Arjun Khola (Khola- stream), Katua Khola, Gwar Khola, Pantu Khola, Gurje Khola, Chauwa Khola, Sewar Khola and Sisne Khola are the major tributaries and streams located as major sites. In the targeted sites and its surrounding areas, our project plans to conduct awareness campaigns. School level awareness programs, community level demonstrations and awareness campaigns with the involvement of the local people are the main strategies of creating awareness about the hazards of poisons. Whereas data collection of the most used poisons and the most affected species, legal actions for those who do not stop using poisons, access for the local people to the extra and alternative source of income and rehabilitation of many minimized species in the rivers are the main active strategies for the restoration of healthy aquatic eco-system.
Setting hoarding boards in and around the sites with the information and notice of the water poisoning being banned with many relative pictures and statistical diagrams is another strategy for checking the anti-environmental practice.
Collaboration with the national and regional radios (AM FM) for the message of multi-aspectual hazards of the poison fishing, information on newspapers, and distribution of routinely bulletin may be regarded as the way of spreading awareness and environmental consciousness in the communities.
Holding regional workshops involving the retailers of pesticides, government level representatives from the Ministry of Environment and population, local people, municipality level planners and policy makers, professional organizations and their leaders, representatives from agricultural department and participants from the community forest user group is the long term effective strategy of our project that will help all the participants from every related aspects to know about the devastating situation. This will naturally help in finding out solutions for this kind of problems.
Finally the dissemination of the prepared report will assist everyone in solving such problems who are engaged in environmental activism.