Kathmandu, August 27

President Bidhya Devi Bhandari has suggested to the President Chure Tarai-Madhes Conservation Development Board to link the Chure conservation programme with the livelihoods of the general public.

The president had visited the Nadhiman Lake of Sarlahi District on Friday, which was managed and conserved by the President Chure Conservation Programme and then handed over to the locals in April 6 this year.

According to the President Chure Tarai-Madhes Conservation Development Board, after a briefing from the board and a visit to the lake, the president had made the suggestion to the board.

“The president suggested to the board to link the programme with the livelihood of locals to help upgrade living standards of the general public and improve conditions of women education while implementing the programme on the field, especially in the Tarai,” Chairman of the board Birendra Yadav told The Himalayan Times, adding, “I found that she was very much aware of the importance of Chure’s conservation and the effects of exploiting the Chure range.” Yadav added that the president has given top priority to the conservation of the Chure range. Yadav had also visited the lake with the president.

Before the implementation of the Chure Conservation Programme in the Nadhiman Lake situated in Chandranagar VDC-8, Sarlahi, the area was not considered a tourist destination. The lake was then made of fragmented small ponds, and the area was mismanaged.

Today, up to 12,000 visitors visit the area in a single day, owing to the implementation of the President Chure Conservation Programme.

Head of the Social Mobilisation and Communication section of the programme Rajan Regmi informed that the Nadhiman Lake started to transform drastically after the application of the President Chure Conservation Program. The programme had invested the highest amount of funds on the Nadhiman Lake as compared to other lakes in the country. The total expenditure on the lake was Rs 20 million. The increased number of tourists has benefited the locals through increased commerce. A local shopkeeper Ramhari Chaudhary said that his sales doubled after the implementation of the President Chure programme.

According to Director General at the board Annapurna Nanda Das, the government is set to launch the Chure Conservation Master Plan as soon as possible. The board had just carried out works in five rivers of the country, and works on other rivers will be completed within 10 years, as mentioned in draft of the Chure Conservation Master Plan.