Environmental policy and administrative management

NO CASH FINANCING IN THIS PROJECT Yangthang, Bji Geog under Haa Dzongkhag is one of the villages located below the highway connecting Haa and Damthang. The village is located by the river side of Haa chu at an altitude between 2900-3200 masl (approx). There are 50 households with a population of 250-300 people. Small scale mixed subsistence farming is the dominant farming system in the area. Farmers cultivate mainly wheat, barley, millet, potato and also rear cattle and yaks. Dry land is the main land use type in the area. Their main source of income is from sale of dairy products and potato. There is a Milk Processing Centre in the area and farmers from village supply milk to the processing centre. The flash flood of 2009 has destroyed 6 acres of prime agricultural land and 1 house in Yangthang village. About 19 households have lost their valuable agricultural land to the flash flood. Roughly about 6 acres of land is completely reduced to riverbed rocks and stones. These affected households have land measuring as small as 4 decimals. The largest land holding is about an acre (see the list attached). The villagers claim that it is their most productive land and also the most convenient since it is located next to the village. Therefore, it is a huge loss to them and their livelihood. It would bring great benefits if the land could be reclaimed and rehabilitated. As part of the flood mitigation measures, the Dzongkhag Administration has built river training works along the river. So far they have built around 550 metres of stone wall along the river on the side of the village. There is no such plan to build river training works on the side of the agricultural land. There is no plan to rehabilitate or reclaim flood affected agricultural land either. The affected households are interested to rehabilitate and reclaim their agricultural land with the financial support from UNDP GEF SGP.

Bhutan