Agriculture is the main source of income for communities at Ghanduri and the nearby hamlets; Kalam, Kando, Chabbion and Telangana. The Telangana Nala is the lifeline and main source of water for drinking and irrigation for all the hamlets of Ghanduri.

“Earlier, we faced acute water shortage because the water sources dried up in summer seasons. People had to bear hefty individual costs for irrigation. But now they realise the long-term benefits they can get from forest ecosystems. When people see the project activities being implemented in the area, they are encouraged to take responsibility of protecting and managing the forest areas”, says Rajeev.

Photo Credits: Rajeev, Field coordinator, Ghanduri

Photo Credits: Rajeev, Field coordinator, Ghanduri

Ghanduri is a demonstration site of the Himachal Pradesh Forest Ecosystem Services (HP-FES) Project implemented by GIZ in partnership with the Himachal Pradesh Forest Department (HPFD). It falls in Charna beat of Nohradhar Forest Range in Renuka Forest Division of District Sirmour. The vision for the HP-FES project period is to plan and implement watershed protection measures to improve irrigation water supply for equitable distribution to all dependent inhabitants in the hamlets. The interventions also aim to improve fuelwood and fodder regulation, supply, and enhance forest composition and structure, by enrichment planting in degraded patches and tall planting in blank areas to stock the forest.

‘The project interventions will aid in improving the forest composition, structure and soil moisture regimes and improve the water flow for irrigation security. This will help the farmers in attaining better a crop and increase the income sources in future. Such interventions are important as they lead to overall environmental benefits such as reduced water run-off and soil erosion, improved water availability and biomass availability for fodder and fuelwood’, said, Mr Shreshtha Nand, Divisional Forest Officer, Renuka Ji

Picture credits: GIZ/Aashima Negi