LEDCO - More Information

The district of Lamjung in Western Development Region of Nepal (see map) , has significant renewable resources. The population has relied primarily upon burning traditional energy resources - firewood from the forest and animal dung - to meet the needs of cooking and heating. Due to high population growth these practices are no longer sustainable. The result has been massive deforestation and degradation of fragile hill ecosystem. The natural and renewable resources of water, sun, wind, and biomass could play an important role in sustaining the hill environment. However, they have yet to be exploited.

Lamjung district lies northwest of Kathmandu. The district headquarters is Besishahar, about seven hours by bus from Kathmandu. Besishahar is linked to the rest of the country by both telephone and road. It is approximately 177 KM from Kathmandu and Linked by black topped road.There is no air link to the district.

Sixty percent of the district lies above 2000m and includes part of the Himalayan range. The rest of the district lies between 700m and 2000m of altitude. Nepal's most popular trekking route, the Annapurna Circuit, commences in Lamjung District.

The district is rich in water resources. The Marsyangdi river is the major river, with many tributaries including the Khudi, Dordi, Chepe and Nyadi Rivers.
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The total population of the district is 117,149. The standard of living is generally low; most people are entirely dependent upon subsistence farming.

The district is composed of different ethnic groups: Gurung, Bahun, Chettri, Kami, Tamang, Sarki, Newar, Damai, Dura, Magar etc.

The Gurung people generally inhabit the northern parts of the region, and many of them serve in the British and Indian armies and are popularly known as Gurkha soldiers. Much of the region's income is earned through military service.

Reference:
International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), MENRIS Case Study No. 4: Lamjung District Information System for Local Planning and Assessment of Natural Resources Using GIS and Remote Sensing Technologies, eds. Hubert Tropp and Pradeep Mool, ICIMOD, Kathmandu, Nepal (1996).

Following the restoration of democracy in 1991 many NGOs became involved in Lamjung. The main NGOs and their roles are defined below:

The Committee for the Promotion of Public Awareness and Development Studies (COPPADES): involved primarily with women groups - income generation, literacy, drinking water, health awareness, Micro- Credit, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for Development.

Self Relient Society Service Centre (SERSOC): income generation, tourism development

DEPROS: cash crops, community forest plantations, slope stability

SEPPROC: income generation, community development

SAMAGRA: income generation, literacy, health awareness

Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP): forest and natural resource conservation

World Vision: Community Development

Besishahar has recently been electrified through the Besishahar Rural Electrification Project which was funded by the Nordic Development Fund (NDF) and implemented by the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA). The terms of the agreement with the NDF is such that NEA has to hand over the distribution responsibility to either:

NEA has selected the third option and has registered an Electricity User Group Committee under the NGO act (2034). This is a very inovative approach to grid extension and distribution in rural areas. However, this pilot project now faces problems such as lack of awareness and of organizational skills as well as poor management capacities. It is expected that the grid will be extended to further villages within the next few years. LEDCO plans to support the existing and upcoming electricity user groups mainly by providing technical and managerial assistance.

LEDCO has been active in Lamjung primarily through the development of the Nyadi Hydro Project, and through the Integrated Energy Plan for Kolki and Ilam Pokhari VDCs. In addition, LEDCO is constantly receiving requests from village representatives or local entrepreneurs who want to develop their energy resources.

For more information, please contact our ledco office in Kathmandu.
Last modified: 8 May, 2005 . Contact webmaster for website problems.
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