Lumshken Village

1.    Ground Truthing

Dated: 8th January 2019

The District Project Management Unit (DPMU) of East Jaintia Hills District met with Shri. K. Bareh, the village headman on 8th January 2019 for Ground Truthing.

Case Findings

1. The village has 150HHs
2. Most of the springs in the village dry up during the winter season and this has ledto people depending on other springs which are 1-2 km away from the village
3. Some of the landscapes in the village are prone to soil erosion
4. A Community Nursery is required in order to conserve the local plant species such as pitcher plants
5. Trainings related to Management of Springs and Land Productivity is required for the village community.

2.    Sensitization Programme

Dated:14th January 2019

 The sensitization programme took place on the 14th January 2019 at the Community Hall of Lumshken village. The program was chaired by Shri. K. Bareh, the village headman. Around 45 community members attended the programme.

The Assistant District Project Manager gave a brief introduction about Community Led Landscape Management Project. He spoke on the issues and problems faced by the farmers and villages with regards to water scarcity and water quality in Meghalaya, in spite it being the state which receives the highest amount of rainfall in a year.He also expressed the concern of how other natural resources such as air, soil, etc. have been affected at a very large scale.

The Program Associate, Environment Management, explained on the effects of coal mining and how it makes the land/soil unfertile. The official also spoke on the drying up of various water sources in the village and expressed the importance of preserving and maintaining them by introducing several methods like planting trees, digging contour trenches, etc.

The Assistant District Project Manager also highlighted the approach and steps to be followed by the village when they accept the project. The first step was signing of the Citizen’s Green Charter followed by the formation of Village Natural Resource Management Committee (VNRMC) which was constituted by the Village Dorbar. After which the EOI and VGA was signed during the PRA and CNRMP preparation.

2.1.        Signing Of Documents

After the programme, the village headman and secretary along with two witnesses signed the EOI, VGA and Citizens Green Charter. They arranged a meeting between the village leaders and the community before electing the executive members of the Village Natural Resource Management Committee (VNRMC).

2.2.        Formation Of The VNRMC

The Formation of the Village Natural Resource Management Committee was done in a public meeting in the presence of the entire village after the sensitization program was conducted. The community itself chose the President, the Secretary and the other executive members of the Committee.

3.    Opening Of Bank Account

The opening of the bank account was initiated after the village signed the EOI (Expression of Interest), the VGA (Village Grant Agreement) and the Green Charter.

The Accountant of CLLMP, East Jaintia Hills District trained the Purchasing and Procurement Committee of KhliehriatC&RD Block including members from Bataw Village on matters relating to Accounts and Book Keeping on the 13th July 2019 in DRDA Conference Hall, Khliehriat EJHD.

4.    PRA/CNRMP

The PRA/CNRMP exercise aims to incorporate the knowledge and opinions of the community in the planning and management of development projects and programmes.

PRA exercise at Bataw Village took place on the 23rd July 2019. The program was facilitated by the DPMU & SPMU team.

The Assistant District Project Manager gave the introduction and spoke about the different activities required to be taken part by the participants during the programme. The Deputy Project Director, SPMU encouraged the village community to cooperate with the DPMU team which can help bring positive changes for the entire village. The Program Associate Environment Management, spoke in brief about the CNRM plan and the different types of interventions. A group of participants interacted and helped in collecting data based on the environmental template. With the help of this group, the officials were able to identify the different sites of intervention. The Asst. Manager Social Management, gathered the remaining group of participants for collecting baseline data based on the social template.

Findings based on the information gathered from the participants during the PRA/CNRMP exercise

1. Main agricultural produce is Paddy.
2. 150 HHs highly depend on firewood as a source of fuel
3. Two types of forest ownership: Community & Private.
4. There are four community forest, ten springs and one stream which flows through the village.
5. There is one spring which is affected due to coal mine seepage and requires treatment.
6. The springs which are present in the village need rejuvenation.
7. Training on Land productivity, Springshed management and Community Nursery is necessary for the village community.
8. No disputes/constrains encountered within the village community or with any neighbouring villages.

Priority Interventions required based on the PRA Exercise:

1. Rejuvenation of the springs through activities such as afforestation and contour trenches.
2. Afforestation, bio-fencing and fire line control in the community forest.
3. Community nursery for endemic, fruit trees and pitcher plants.
4. Soil and water conservation through dug out ponds.

5.    Submission Of The Community Natural Resource Management Plan For 1st Phase

Training

Training on Springshed Rejuvenation and Inventorisation

The training was conducted in Umsatai village on 4th December 2019 for the members of the VNRMC and VCF’s which fall under Khliehriat C&RD Block, EJHD. The Manager Water Resources SPMU along with the DPMU team facilitated the training. The training aimed to enhance the participants on management and treatment of springs.

6. Implementation

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