Shifra Menezes

The inequities inflicted by poverty have placed a heavy burden on people and land in the Himalayas. The Pan Himalayan Grassroots Development Foundation has been working overtime to lighten this load

It may seem idyllic, but life in the central and western Himalayas is far from easy. The majority of people here are poor and their access to land, water and other natural resources is fraught with difficulties. Women, typically, trudge 3-4 hours daily to fetch water, firewood and fodder from distant hillsides. Every day is a struggle.

It was to lighten the heavy load the poor of the Himalayas are forced to carry, and to limit the environmental damage being done to the region that the husband-wife duo of Kalyan and Anita Paul established the Pan Himalayan Grassroots Development Foundation (also known as Grassroots) back in 1992. The Pauls, inspired by their eight-year stint with the National Dairy Development Board at Anand in Gujarat, had a clear idea of the Grassroots agenda. That was to initiate a holistic 'mountain development programme' by concentrating on the four cross-linked sectors that were integral to the region's ecological well-being: drinking water, environmental sanitation, renewable energy and the conservation of fragile catchment areas.

Funding support from philanthropic institutions such as the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and the Sir Ratan Tata Trust has helped Grassroots make an investment of Rs 1 crore every year over the last 10 years in various development programmes in the central and western Himalayas. Significantly, the communities participating in the organisation's projects have been contributing Rs 10-15 lakh every year.

Grassroots' sustainable development approach involves introducing appropriate technologies at the grassroots level. Simple technologies that are easy to adopt and integrate with the region have been brought in over the years, one example being infiltration wells. The wells act as protected water-intake structures for underground water capillaries. These are fitted with hand pumps or submersible pumps that draw water. The benefits of this scheme have reached about 35,000 people in 220 communities, cutting down on the time they spend collecting water from distant sources and, more importantly, providing access to safe drinking water.

With better water supply has come improved sanitation. Over 1,600 families across 200 villages in Uttaranchal and Himachal Pradesh have started using what are known as twin-pit, water-seal toilets. Another critical need was to create sources of renewable energy to counter the problem of scarce and rapidly declining supplies of firewood. The basis of the mountain farming system is being threatened as women substitute cow dung for firewood. This leaves little cow dung for use as fertiliser. Grassroots has eased the problem by demonstrating the viability of biogas units at the household level. Today some 600 families in 252 villages are using these units, which means that they have a smoke-free, renewable source of energy that delivers four hours of cooking gas every day.

To ensure the sustainability of the biogas programme, Grassroots runs training programmes that educate masons in the skills of constructing biogas units (some 100 units are set up every year). The organisation is now concentrating on getting at least 50 per cent of households in every village to adopt these units. Grassroots' exertions on this front have been recognised by the Uttaranchal and Himachal Pradesh governments, which in 2003 appointed the organisation as the turnkey agency for the promotion of the National Biogas Programme.

In terms of sustainable development in the Himalayan region, afforestation is a critical element. The inequities inflicted by poverty make it problematic for communities here to conserve and protect their environment. Grassroots helps them organise their efforts in this area. Grassroots has helped set up village-level nurseries that raise mature seedlings of indigenous broad-leaved species, native shrubs and grasses; these are later planted on wasted hillsides. This prevents landslides, leads to sustainable natural resource management, improves biodiversity, increases the availability of biomass and sustains mountain-farming systems.

Modifications have been made in traditional land use patterns as well. Raising fruit, fodder and timber trees on marginal lands and vegetables in the off-season helps supplement mountain livelihoods substantially. These efforts too have proved successful, with about 4,000 mature saplings of fruit trees and another 4,000 saplings of timber trees being planted in the Kumaon region over the past 12 months.

Rainwater harvesting is another important initiative being pursued by Grassroots. Following an interactive workshop involving several non-governmental organisations and the Union Ministry of Water Resources, a pilot project was launched to demonstrate rainwater harvesting from the rooftops of school buildings in 100 villages across the country. Grassroots supported the project and carried out demonstrations in five schools in the Kumaon region.

Among the other Grassroots initiatives are the setting up of a 'shelter fund' and an 'education fund'. The first helps impoverished families construct homes and the organisation is now working towards partnering Habitat International, India, to increase the scope and reach of the project. The second fund helps educate children from poor families through grants in cash and kind.

To create off-farm sources of supplementary incomes, Grassroots has started several innovative micro-enterprise programmes through networks of small self-help groups. Under this scheme many groups, mostly comprising women, are learning knitting, stitching, candle making, beekeeping and fruit processing. Other groups are learning about quality control and marketing. The Mahila Umang Samiti, a registered voluntary organisation with a network of nearly 500 members, has been set up to lend direction to and expand the scope of these groups. The Samiti's Kumaoni brand sells products in the local markets as well as in Delhi and other metros.

Another significant development is the establishment of the Kumaon Artisans Guild. With training inputs from Grassroots, the guild has grown into an independent voluntary organisation whose members are trained in the construction of infiltration wells, hand pumps, biogas units and sanitation facilities. With over 40 members, the guild interfaces between Grassroots and village communities to implement various outreach programmes.

A noteworthy fact about Grassroots is that it manages all these activities with a staff of just three, assisted by four deputies from local organisations. The organisation's programmes have taken root in distant areas thanks to the strategy of educating local communities on the problems they face and developing local strengths to help resolve and prevent problems. Additionally, it has also joined hands with panchayats and community-level government officials to help disseminate information and integrate development efforts.

The Grassroots philosophy of reversing the damage being done to the Himalayan highlands rests on the premise of galvanising and helping local communities preserve the natural resource base that provides them sustenance. It has shown that there is hope still for the mountains and people of the Himalayas.

Uploaded on March 2005