NATIONAL7Spotlight Weekly)]

The Gathering Storm

In a country where 90 percent of the population depends on agriculture, the monsoon is one of the most eagerly awaited seasons

By AKSHAY SHARMA

The monsoon this year has come earlier than expected, according to experts. The storm clouds that have gathered on the horizon promise both good and bad news. While farmers look forward to a good harvest, many people also find themselves bracing for the natural calamities that accompany the season.

"The farmers are so busy that they don’t have time to shave," Kumar, of Palubari, which lies to the south-east of the capital, told SPOTLIGHT.

Rajan Subedi, another resident of Palubari says: "Most of the people in the village are busy planting maize and wheat. This is one of the most important seasons for us. All the income we expect from our crops is dependent on the water the monsoon provides.Newspapers, on the other hand, have already begun reporting on landslide-triggered deaths and destruction in different parts of the country. Growing deforestation has made the hills more susceptible to landslides. With the early arrival of the monsoon, the risk of flash floods compounding the problems created by landslides has become greater.

"The downpour is sometimes too big to contain. Some of my sons probably will get sick working in the fields," says Subedi. Kumar says he already is worried by the problems that might accompany the rains.

Narendra Khanal, a geography expert at Tribhuvan University, gave an account of the calamities caused in the Chure region of south-western Nepal in a recent article in Himal Khabarpartika. An aerial photograph taken in 1974/75 suggested that 14 percent of the land was being used for agriculture and 76 percent was covered with forests.

"The maps suggest that 31 percent of the land can be used for agricultural purposes, with 21 percent of the land being plains. The report suggests that only 14 percent of the land was used for agricultural purposes. Statistics suggest that most of the land used for agriculture was a result of deforestation," Khanal said.

Reports suggest that deforestation in the area has been going on at an annual rate of 1.47 percent. "The rainfall in Chure is less compared to that of the rest of the mountains in Nepal. But the mud, stones and gradients are washed further south, which results in the swelling of many streams, rivulets and rivers. According to a report conducted in 1994, the rivers have been rising 5.5 centimeters annually. About 3,380 tons per square kilometer of mud is washed away each year," Khanal wrote. "Eighty percent of the wood is brought by the people from Chure from 14 km west of the region."

The Chure range is considered the youngest and the shortest mountains in the country. It reaches from 800 to 1,800 meters above sea level. There are more that 10 valleys in the region. The misery that accompanies the monsoon will certainly rise in the years ahead. If the government has made any special plans to deal with the situation, the people haven’t heard of them.

"The forests are so beautiful and are so near to my heart. The trees and shrubs are full of fruits. The chirping of the birds, water, field and the green hills make the environment here so pleasant. I am very happy to be where I am so far away from the pollution in Kathmandu," Kumar says.

The key to the government’s disaster management effort may lie with this kind of affinity with nature. In other words, preserving forests and the general eco-system may be the best way of avoiding nature’s wrath that comes in the form of flash floods, landslides and other calamities.