ADB_book_18 April.qxp - Himalayan Document Centre - icimod

B. PradhanImpacts of land degradation like landslides andland erosion are the most pressing problems inNepal. These occur every year during the rainyseason. While landslides and land erosion mostlyoccur in the Hills and Mountains, floods occur in thevalleys and the Terai plains. Floods wash away landor deposit debris, but in some situations floodingadds alluvium which is good for soil fertility.The loss of life and property as a result of floodsand other natural disasters is discussed below.Land Degradation ControlMeasuresLand degradation is an important factor hinderingagricultural production in Nepal. Governmentmeasures to conserve the land resource and itsproper planning and development includeestablishing the Department of Soil Conservation andWatershed Management in 1974, and formulation ofthe Soil and Watershed Conservation Act (1982) andits Regulations (1985) to protect watersheds. Butthese legal instruments are very restrictive andtherefore have not been implemented. At presentDSCWM is introducing a process to amend theselaws.Human Pressure on Land—Terraced Fields used for CropsCommunity forestry has been a successfulpolicy initiative in controlling land degradation. Itsaims are to manage forest resources and use offorest products by involving local communities.According to the Department of Forest, by February2000 more than 650,000 ha of public forests had beengiven to local forest user groups to be managed ascommunity forests. Local control of communitymanagedforests has led to increases in productivityand biomass because of strict protection from fires,free grazing, and uncontrolled cutting. Theseprotection activities have encouraged naturalregeneration of forest cover and helped stabilizegentle slopes. Because of the increased forest cover,the water regime (both yield and quality) hasimproved at the micro-watershed level (Mathema etal. 1998).The Agricultural Perspective Plan has identifiedfertilizer input as a major contributing factor toaccelerating agricultural growth. The Ninth Plan(NPC 1999) recognized that there is now a need tohave sound land management programs to maintainland quality and fertility. The Plan also envisagedformulation of a Fertilizer Act and the establishmentof a Fertilizer Unit at the Ministry of Agriculture,though these have not yet come to pass.Nepal has signed various internationalconventions and treaties related to conservation ofland. The UN Convention to Combat Desertification(June 1994) was signed by Nepal on October 12,1995, and obliges Nepal to combat desertificationand to prepare a national action plan includingprograms for poverty reduction, which is closelyrelated to land degradation.Natural Disasters and VulnerabilityPhysical changes are a part of nature, and humanshave learned to cope with these changes quite well.However, time and again these events turn veryviolent and then tragedy strikes resulting in hugesuffering and loss of lives and assets. If the Himalayasare a part of these natural events, the floods in thesouthern plains are also an integral part of this cycleof change.As human activities increase significantly evenin environmentally sensitive areas, people becomevulnerable to all sorts of natural events. Whatyesterday was seen as a normal natural event istoday poised to be a natural disaster because of theimpact on humans as steep slopes and flood plainsare settled, as heavy construction is undertaken inhighly seismic zones without adequate safeguards,and as natural systems are altered by construction,pollution, and excessive harvesting of resources.Clearly natural processes will not stop or alter tosuit human needs, although many “natural” changesare also now understood to be anthropogenic. Wehave only one planet and our survival depends on allthe life support systems being able to functionadequately. Natural events are an integral part of thisprocess, and it is humans who should change theirbehavior and make the necessary adaptations. Thechallenge for poor countries like Nepal is to developthe capability first to understand the ongoingchanges and then to be able to alter activities asneeded both in the short and long term.Tables 3.5 and 3.6 show examples of losses oflives and property by type of disaster and year. In36 Environment Assessment of Nepal : Emerging Issues and Challenges