Chitwan, November 30

Chitwan National Park has launched an awareness programme aimed at reducing people’s dependence on rivers for livelihood and helping them explore alternative means of survival.

The programme was inaugurated today in cooperation with Patihani Forest Users’ Committee of Chitwan.

The programme has targeted communities that are dependent on rivers flowing through the park. The campaign was launched in cooperation with some 17 buffer-zone community forests of the national park, and will last for a month.

“As a considerable number of people from Bote, Majhi and Musahar communities are dependent on rivers such as Rapti and Narayani for survival, the programme aims to help them find alternative means of livelihood, hoping that this move will contribute to wildlife conservation,” said Information Officer at the national park, Nurendra Aryal.

Under the programme, Shreejung Battalion Chief Madhav Thapa, Wildlife expert Ramprit Yadav, assistant conservation officers Bed Bahadur Khadka and Aryal himself, among others, will train people on alternative occupations.

There are more than 260,000 people living in the buffer zone area of Chitwan National Park.

According to Aryal, the number of people dependent on rivers is around 1,600, of which 200 have licence to fish in the rivers.

Though people from various communities were allowed to do net fishing until five years ago, granting of such permission has stopped now.

Meanwhile, different organisations have also been lobbying people to adopt alternative means of survival through various programmes.