Jhabbu Lal of Samastpur, Rae Bareli district had a small piece of land "" insufficient to provide two square meals a day to his family. Since, there were no other livelihood avenues in the village, he was compelled to exploit the Samastpur Bird Sanctuary to eke out a living by illegal fishing, bird poaching and hunting. His life, however, changed when the state forest department undertook the Wetland Conservation Programme in Samastpur along with some other wetland areas of the State.
In January this year, he was given a buffalo to sustain himself economically and stop the exploitation of the wetland.
The buffalo gives about 6 litres of milk a day, of which the family consumes 3 litres and the remaining is sold in the village for Rs 12/litre. They also make almost 4 kg 'desi ghee' per month, which sells for Rs 250/kg. Now, the family is not only well fed, but earns roughly Rs 2,100 per month.
Jhabbu Lal is not alone, Lalla and Sukhnandan of his village have also witnessed a similar transformation in their lives.
All the villages falling in the 3-4 km periphery of any wetland comes under its eco-zone, where the forest department implements several programmes for economic empowerment of the villagers, especially the marginalised farmers and peasants.
The Uttar Pradesh Government has undertaken the Wetland Conservation Programme in five districts of the State spread over 1,500 hectares this year to preserve freshwater resources and fight rural poverty in the immediate vicinity, Besides, this programme is creating employment for the local people.
In Samastpur alone, about 18,000 man-days have been generated since the project was launched.
The programme is being done in partnership with NGOs as well as other local agencies including schools and anganwadis.
Local NGO Parijat Kisan Vidyalaya, Runipur conducted several training sessions and workshops in Samastpur under the leadership of its general secretary Ram Asrey Yadav. "In the last training sessions, over 1,000 villagers have benefited."
Most of them were given some livestock including cows, poultry and pigs. It has meant a source of income which has taken the place of their erstwhile occupation of hunting on forest fowl.
A total of eight wetland spots in Azamgarh, Lakhimpur Kheri, Etawah, Mainpuri and Mathura districts have been undertaken under the programme, which is funded by the central government.
In Samastpur, some villagers were also given goats and pigs for keeping, apart from buffalo. In other wetlands, sewing machines and solar lamps are distributed to deserving beneficiaries, who are identified in consultation with the respective gram pradhan.
They are trained in varied vocations, such as beekeeping, poultry management, fishery and horticulture. In Samastpur alone, the lives of at least 25 poverty-stricken families have transformed since the programme took off and more households would benefit as the budget and scope of the project is enhanced.
The villagers are educated about the benefits of the project, so that they add value to their occupation and improve their earnings potential, and help in the conservation of the wetland. NGOs, banks, teachers and other government departments are also involved in these efforts.
Similar projects were undertaken last year in Rae Bareli, Hardoi, Kannauj, Unnao and Aligarh. "The success in these areas encouraged us to take up eight more wetlands under our wings this year," Uttar Pradesh Chief Wildlife Conservator D S N Suman told Business Standard. A coordination committee headed by the state chief secretary monitors its development.
Since, the rural poor are directly dependent upon natural ecosystems, such as wetlands for their survival they are most vulnerable when ecosystems undergo degradation.
"Wetlands play a critical role for the rural poor as they impinge on their health, livelihood and economic prospects," UP Conservator of Forest, Endangered Wild Life Species Project, Eva Sharma said.
The aim of the project is wetland preservation, so that in totality they give better output and avenues of livelihood to the rural masses in the vicinity.
"The idea is to make them self-dependent, so that they do not damage the wetland and in fact involve them in the conservation process, which wins their confidence and gives them additional income," Sharma explained.
Wetlands include water bodies of different types, such as lakes and play a vital role in ensuring both the quantity and quality of water for human beings and the entire range of flora and fauna in its eco-zone.
"The villagers are explained that a wetland helps keep their land fertile, provides cattle feed and present an opportunity to engage in eco-friendly economic activities, such as bee-keeping," Sharma added.
