An approach creating resilient communities
Chiranjibi Rijal - Livelihood Program Coordinator – Earthquake Recovery Programme
“Build back better” or “building resilience” has been the most discussed about topics post-earthquake. However the challenge still remains as to our strategy to make sure that this happens. Currently DCA is implementing different recovery projects aiming to reinforce resilience mainly by restoring lives and livelihood of the communities. This entails bringing affected communities back to the situation they were in before the earthquake and gradually strengthening their capacity for a better life. This has been supported through different components that have enabled DCA and its local partners to address some of the basic needs in the poor communities where we are working.
For this, we are supporting water schemes to increase access to clean and safe water along with improved access to decent latrines at homes so that people do not fall sick. We are also supporting School WASH activities so that students have adequate water and toilets in schools. Promotion of hygiene behavior for good hygiene practices stays as an integral component. Livelihood activities are supporting to increase income of the most vulnerables either by supporting household level business plan or imparting knowledge on improved technologies or input support. Community based psycho-social support through community mediators and awareness in the schools through trained teachers to prepare for the future disasters, shocks and stresses is mainstreamed into each programme component. The project is also supporting to develop skilled masons by providing skills and knowledge on construction of earthquake resilient structures.
Although DCA has been responding through a multi-sector approach to meet multiple needs of the earthquake affected communities, at times it has been felt that the integration between the sectors or working in tandem has been a persistent challenge. We have been continuously trying to systematically bring together the different components for increased impact on people’s lives. During our different field trips and interactions with many people from different ages, gender with different occupations, castes and ethnicities in Gorkha and Dhading, the major issues that we were consistently hearing had revolved around water access and uses among others.
It was mainly about difficult access to water for domestic uses or for cattle or watering their garden or farms. Many communities did mention about dried spring sources after the earthquake probably due to ground movement. The results or the consequence from having limited access to water were clear to us. Communities reported that there were increased incidences of diarrhea, disease outbreaks and increased prevalence of malnourished children after the earthquake. These practical challenges triggered us to come up with a concept that we named as “Healthy Garden Healthy Home” (HGHH). It is about bringing various components together such as water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), nutrition, income generation, food security, disaster risk reduction for reinforcing resilience of the communities by providing multifaceted benefits.
This concept puts water in the central stage as water is a key component towards diversifying livelihoods. This focuses at the homestead level and targets ultra-poor families. This is building upon field experiences and feedbacks received to address some of the challenges emerging in the post-earthquake scenario. Over a decade of working in different regions in Nepal, DCA has learned that the water demands in the communities or individual extends beyond use for a single purpose. People often tend to use domestic water around households for productive uses which include a range of small-scale activities that enable people to grow household food, produce fruit and vegetables for consumption and sale, keep livestock, rear fish etc.
The priority proposed in the concept is that people first have access to clean and safe water that is ensured through supporting to build robust and resilient water conveying structures. The surplus water can be diverted to the kitchen garden and for other homestead productive activities such as growing vegetables and other productive uses. The households can have easy access to nutritious food in their backyards and they can also sell surplus in the local market. This is also about small scale management of water resources that can give the poor good nutrition, and more diverse and more secure income. Therefore, wherever adequate water is available, the approach ensures that each household has a small kitchen garden of a few square meters, where onion, tomatoes and leafy vegetables are grown along with management of water for their livestock.
There are many ways in which “Healthy Garden Healthy Home” can be implemented. The multiple uses of water can be accommodated from the beginning during the water service provision design and can be done by installing certain add-ons. This can be planned from startup phase during the design and implemented through a phased expansion. Different water sources can be used simultaneously such as springs, streams, rainwater, surface runoff or waste water. Each source can be used for the most appropriate purpose. DCA has been supporting structures for rainwater harvesting for both domestic and productive uses whilst prioritizing domestic use in areas with extreme water scarcity.
HGHH is also about attaining water security which means that people and communities have reliable and adequate access to water to meet their different needs. They are able to take advantage of the different opportunities that water resources present and are also protected from the water related hazards. The technologies required for the activities of the concept is not new or special. The skills needed for technical design and details can be managed by the technical staff at local NGOs that are currently involved in survey, design and implementing current water supply projects. The major difference is the way we perceive things from the conventional Projects.
The agriculture and livestock activities around the homesteads are ensured by the technical and trained staff. They provide technical training and support on the appropriate agriculture and livestock inputs. This may vary from the drought resistant seed varieties to the latest breeding bucks. Homestead refers to the home and the immediate surrounding land used by the family. Many small plot production activities happen at this level including vegetable production, fruit production or household fish farming. Most of the poor people spend a very high proportion of their income on food as they do not have enough land to produce food for all of their needs. They grow some produce on small plots of land around their homestead or on common property resources or common lands. Homestead plots are easily developed under individual initiative. Growing vegetables within the homestead is also more convenient and secure.
Additionally, the disaster risk reduction is mainstreamed into the concept by preparation of disaster risk management plans undertaken through identification of hazards and vulnerabilities. Ensuring that people have access to safe water, water safety plans are embedded into each water supply systems. Water safety plan is a management tool for securing drinking-water safety from water source to point of use through continuous monitoring and preventive maintenance of water supply systems. For further reinforcing resilience of the community, technical advice will be facilitated for agriculture and livestock insurance. Given the high acceptance of the community on livestock insurance, DCA has planned to expand insurance schemes to water supply systems. There are many water supply systems across the country that have been damaged due to natural disaster such as landslides and flood or pipeline damaged during road development in the rural areas. The insurance of these systems would be helpful for the communities when major repairs are required. The premium for the insurance can be paid through the routine monthly water tariff collected by the users committee.
DCA is starting the concept with 700 families in Gorkha and Dhading districts and plans to scale up from the learning. In between we will need to do a lot including prepare ourselves, and come up with clear implementation guideline. We are thankful to DCA and our partners for their hard work thus enabling us to live up the “Healthy Garden Healthy Home”.