ADB_book_18 April.qxp - Himalayan Document Centre - icimod

Table 2.6 shows that by 2001, 1.73 million people(or 7.5% of the total population) had migrated to aregion different to that of their original birthplace.The Terai region has been the preferred destinationfor migrants, receiving 77% of the total. The Hillregion is the largest source of out-migration with 69%of the total. In terms of net migration, both theMountain and the Hill regions are losing population,whereas the Terai is gaining. Census reports indicatethat the Terai has been a receiving area for migrantsfor the last three decades. The NLSS (2004) indicatesthat the migration rate is higher for females (50%)than males (22%).In terms of rural and urban areas, rural to ruralmigration was highest, with 68% of total migrants;rural-urban migration second with 26%; and urban tourban migration lowest with 3% (Table 2.7). NLSS(2004) indicates that the rural origin of migration isthe largest with 82%, followed by external (13%) andurban origin (6%).Migration in Nepal is mainly due to familyreasons such as marriage and dependency, whichaccounted for 75% of all migrants (NLSS 2004). Otherreasons include easier lifestyle (12%), looking for job(7%), education and/or training (2.6%), and others.This pattern is true across the three regions and ruraland urban areas. However, in rural areas, familyreasons accounted for 80% of migration comparedwith 54% in urban areas. Second in rural areas waseasier lifestyle (11%), whereas that in urban areaswas looking for job (18%).The volume of migrations with a duration ofmore than 10 years is 44% (CBS 2003). The share ofthe Terai region for migrants staying over 10 years is50%, compared with 37% and 35% in the Mountainand the Hill regions, respectively. For the country as awhole, the distribution of migrants for differentclasses of duration of stay (6–10 years, 1–5 years, andless than 1 year) is 23%, 28%, and 5%, respectively.Nepal’s population growth is rapid, which isdirectly and indirectly related to major environmentalresources such as agricultural land, forest, and wateron which the majority of the population depends forlivelihood. Rapid population growth coupled with themanner in which these resources have been usedhas placed considerable stress on the environmentand has in many cases led to accelerated deteriorationof both local and regional environments suchas deforestation; soil erosion; floods; desertification;degradation of soil quality; and destruction of hydrodams,irrigation canals, and roads.Rural SettlementDefinitionOfficially, the rural population of Nepal refers to thoseresiding in localities lying within the designatedvillage development committee (VDC) areas (HMG1999). The definition of a VDC as “rural” is purelyadministrative. The VDCs contain all settlements withpopulations below the threshhold for designation asa municipality (see Introduction). A VDC containsgovernment offices and development activities toserve the inhabitants. A VDC generally contains morethan one settlement locality.Table 2.6: Migration of Population, Nepal, 2001 a DestinationOriginMountain Hill Terai Total% OutmigrationNet MigrationMountain 125,597 169,825 295,422 17.1 (255,103)Hill 33,895 1,157,035 1,190,930 68.9 (830,759)Terai 6,424 234,574 240,998 14.0 1,085,862Total 40,319 360,171 1,326,860 1,727,350 100.0% Immigration 2.3 20.9 76.8 100.0a This figure does not include the movement of people within a region.Source: CBS (2003) p. 134.Table 2.7: Rural and Urban Migration by Region, 2001RegionRural–Rural Urban–Rural Rural–Urban Urban–UrbanNumber % Number % Number % Number %TotalMountain 42,364 89.0 2,884 6.1 2,150 4.5 188 0.4 47,586Hill 565,527 51.6 44,851 4.1 424,801 38.8 60,031 5.5 1,095,210Terai 1,389,956 77.8 55,770 3.1 319,334 17.9 21,206 1.2 1,786,266Total 1,997,847 68.2 103,505 3.5 746,285 25.5 81,425 2.8 2,929,062Source: CBS (2003) p. 142.Chapter 2: Rural Environment, Poverty, and Livelihood9