Mynthlu Village

1. Ground Truthing

     Dated: 24th January 2019

The District Project Management Unit (DPMU) of East Jaintia Hills District met with Shri. P. J. Paslein, the headman of Mynthlu village, on 24th January 2019 for Ground Truthing.

Case Findings:

1. There are 184 HHs.
2. The village community depend on springsthat are located mostly in the outskirts of the village during the winter season.
3. There are two moderate community forest.
4. Shifting cultivation is practiced.
5. Training on springshed management is required.

 2. Sensitization Programme

Dated: 24th January 2019

The sensitization programme took place on the 24th January 2019 at the Community Hall of Mynthlu village. Around 15 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.  He also expressed the concern of how other natural resources such as air, soil, etc. have been affected at a very large scale. Therefore, he requested and encouraged the local community to work towards sustaining the environment for the survival of future generations. He explained the different components of the Project which will help the community in understanding and managing the different landscapes of the village.

Further, 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.

The Program was followed by an interactive session to answer the doubts and questions of the villagers.

2.2 Signing of Documents:

After the Sensitization program, they arranged a meeting between the village leaders and the community before electing the executive members of the Village Natural Resource Management Committee (VNRMC).

The village headman and secretary along with two witnesses signed the EOI, VGA and Citizens Green Charter while the PRA/CNRMP program was conducted.

2.3 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 Deputy Project Director, SPMU and Accountant, CLLMP East Jaintia Hills District trained the Purchasing and Procurement Committee of Saipung Block including members from Mynthlu Village on matters relating to Accounts and Book Keeping on the 7th June 2019.

4. PRA/CNRMP Exercise

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 Mynthlu Village took place on 20th March 2019 and a total number of 104 participants attended the program.

The Assistant District Project Manager gave the introduction and spoke about the different activities that the participants had to take part during the programme. The Program Associate, Environment Management,spoke in brief about the CNRM plan and the different types of intervention related to natural resource management. A group of participants interacted and helped in collecting data based on the environmental template. With the help of this group, the official was 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. The program was facilitated by the DPMU team.

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

1. Main agricultural produce is Paddy.
2. The 184 HHs depend on firewood & LPG as a source of fuel.
3. Drinking water is limited over a period of 3 to 4 months during the winter season.
4. Two types of forest ownership: Community & Private.
5. The springs present in the village needs rejuvenation.
6. One river flows through the village.
7. Training on Land productivity & springshed is necessary for the village community.
8. No disputes/constrains encountered within the village community or with any neighbouring villages.
9. Women are involved in decision making at various platforms.

Priority Interventions required based on the PRA Exercise:

1. Rejuvenation of springs through activities such as afforestation and contour trenches.
2. One water body which turned acidic due to coal mine seepage have been selected for treatment using the open lime channel.
3. Afforestation, bio-fencing and fire line control in the community forest.

5. Submission of CNRMP Plan for the First Phase

Training

Training On Springshed Rejuvenation And Inventorisation

The training was conducted in Jarain (Sutnga) village on 4th December 2019 for the members of the VNRMC and VCF’s which fall under Saipung 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.

Training On Social Safeguard

The training on Social Safeguard for the members of VNRMC and VCF’s which fall under Saipung C&RD Block, EJHD was conducted in Latyrke community hall on 29th November 2019. The participants were sensitized on social and environmental safeguard policies related to CLLMP. This is necessary in order to prevent and mitigate undue harm to the village communities once the project is implemented. Manager, Social Management along with the DPMU team facilitated the program.