The Mid-Himalayan Watershed Development Project (MHWDP) is a land husbandry initiative in

Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; Sanskrit: ''himācāl prādes;'' "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a States and union territories of India, state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen Indian Himalayan ...

, India, that aims by means of

green growth Green growth is a concept in economic theory and policymaking used to describe paths of economic growth that are environmentally sustainable. The term was coined in 2005 by the South Korean Rae Kwon Chung ( de), a director at UNESCAP. It is based ...

and

sustainable development Sustainable development is an approach to growth and Human development (economics), human development that aims to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.United Nations General ...

to establish a functionally tenable watershed

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) is a system formed by Organism, organisms in interaction with their Biophysical environment, environment. The Biotic material, biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and en ...

. MHWDP has started to reverse several decades of degradation of the

natural resource Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest, and cultural value. ...

base including forests, has achieved improved agricultural yields and productivity, and has raised rural household incomes. It includes the Himachal Pradesh Reforestation Project (HPRF), the world's largest

clean development mechanism The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is a United Nations-run carbon offset scheme allowing countries to fund greenhouse gas emissions-reducing projects in other countries and claim the saved emissions as part of their own efforts to meet internat ...

(CDM) project.

Background

The Mid-Himalayan Watershed Development Project (MHWDP) is an administrative unit of the Department of Forests of the

Government of Himachal Pradesh The Government of Himachal Pradesh also known as the State Government of Himachal Pradesh, or locally as State Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It consists of an executive branch, led by th ...

.Project Design Document for Project Activities (CDM-AR-PDD) for India: Himachal Pradesh Reforestation Project – Improving Livelihoods and Watersheds; Version 07. Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Executive Board, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). (3 February 2011

/ref> MHWDP stakeholders are the Department of Forests, local gram panchayats (GPs), and the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...

. The project aims to reverse several decades of degradation of the natural resource base and improve the productive potential and incomes of the rural households in the project areas.World Bank to give USD 37 million more for Himachal Pradesh watershed project. Jagran Post. (20 May 2012

/ref> Using a community-driven development approach, MHWDP aims to improve water harvesting, increase the area under irrigation to diversify

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

and

horticulture Horticulture (from ) is the art and science of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs and ornamental plants. Horticulture is commonly associated with the more professional and technical aspects of plant cultivation on a smaller and mo ...

, and conserve and sustainably develop soil and water resources. MHWDP covers 222,951 ha in the watersheds of Mid-Himalayan region in the

Siwalik Hills The Sivalik Hills, also known as Churia Hills, are a mountain range of the outer Himalayas. The literal translation of "Sivalik" is 'tresses of Shiva'. The hills are known for their numerous fossils, and are also home to the Soanian Middle Pale ...

between 600 and 1800 metres above mean sea level. It encompasses the

catchment area A catchment area in human geography, is the area from which a location, such as a city, service or institution, attracts a population that uses its services and economic opportunities. Catchment areas may be defined based on from where people are ...

s for three major rivers of Northern India, the Ravi, Beas and

Sutlej The Sutlej River or the Satluj River is a major river in Asia, flowing through China, India and Pakistan, and is the longest of the five major rivers of the Punjab region. It is also known as ''Satadru''; and is the easternmost tributary of t ...

. These rivers join the

Indus The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans- Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in the Western Tibet region of China, flows northwest through the dis ...

, which carries water that sustains more than 200 million people.Development Policy Loan (DPL) to Promote Inclusive Green Growth and Sustainable Development in Himachal Pradesh. The World Bank Group. (7 Sept 2012

/ref> The project covers 11 watershed divisions and involves 704 gram panchayats located in 43 blocks spread over 10 List of districts of Himachal Pradesh, districts of the

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

. MHWDP manages a subproject, the Himachal Pradesh

Reforestation Reforestation is the practice of restoring previously existing forests and woodlands that have been destroyed or damaged. The prior forest destruction might have happened through deforestation, clearcutting or wildfires. Three important purpose ...

Project (HPRP),TITLE
/ref> also called the HP Bio-Carbon Reforestation Project-Improving Livelihoods and Watersheds.Approval letter for HP Bio-Carbon Reforestation Project-Improving Livelihoods and Watersheds. Government of Himachal Pradesh Department of Forests. (16 April 200

/ref> HPRP implements

Afforestation Afforestation is the establishment of a forest or stand of trees in an area where there was no recent tree cover. There are three types of afforestation: natural Regeneration (biology), regeneration, agroforestry and Tree plantation, tree plan ...

and Reforestation

Clean Development Mechanism The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is a United Nations-run carbon offset scheme allowing countries to fund greenhouse gas emissions-reducing projects in other countries and claim the saved emissions as part of their own efforts to meet internat ...

(A/R CDM) activities, initially on 4,003.07 ha but subsequently expanded to approximately 10,000 ha of degraded lands. MHWDP will manage HPRP until 2013 or beyond. The State Forest Department will subsequently manage the project. HPRP was registered with the UNFCCC 30 Jun 2011 (or whenever...)Project 4174 : India: Himachal Pradesh Reforestation Project – Improving Livelihoods and Watersheds. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC

/ref>

Overview

The natural habitats of Himachal Pradesh exhibit a high degree of

endemism Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

,Program Information Document (PID) Appraisal Stage: Himachal Pradesh Development Policy Loan to Support a Shift towards Green Growth (30 May 2011; updated 16 February 2012

/ref> referring to species only found in these areas. Watershed management aims at multifaceted environmental benefits such as habitats for

biodiversity Biodiversity is the variability of life, life on Earth. It can be measured on various levels. There is for example genetic variability, species diversity, ecosystem diversity and Phylogenetics, phylogenetic diversity. Diversity is not distribut ...

, soil conservation, reduced sedimentation, and improved forest cover. The forests of the Himachal Pradesh watersheds are an important

carbon sink A carbon sink is a natural or artificial carbon sequestration process that "removes a greenhouse gas, an aerosol or a precursor of a greenhouse gas from the atmosphere". These sinks form an important part of the natural carbon cycle. An overar ...

for

greenhouse gas Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are the gases in the atmosphere that raise the surface temperature of planets such as the Earth. Unlike other gases, greenhouse gases absorb the radiations that a planet emits, resulting in the greenhouse effect. T ...

es. Trees naturally sequester carbon dioxide, contributing about 90% of the earth's surface carbon storage.Sunderbans absorb over 4 crore tones carbon dioxide PTI (26 Apr 2011)
/ref> A cubic foot of merchantable wood retains approximately 15 kg of carbon. The UN recognised carbon trading as mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. The approximate international market value of one tonne of carbon is US$19. Himachal Pradesh endeavors to become the first carbon-neutral state in India.India - Development Policy Loan to Support Inclusive Green Growth and Sustainable Development in Himachal Pradesh Project : summary of discussion. World Bank. Washington D.C. (6 September 2012

/ref> The A/R CDM project is developed under the umbrella of the World Bank funded MHWD Project and it expected to sequester 828,016 units tCO2-e of Certified Emission Reductions (tCER) commonly known as

carbon credit Carbon offsetting is a carbon trading mechanism that enables entities to compensate for offset greenhouse gas emissions by investing in projects that reduce, avoid, or remove emissions elsewhere. When an entity invests in a carbon offsetting p ...

s, each unit being equivalent to the reduction of one

tonne The tonne ( or ; symbol: t) is a unit of mass equal to 1,000 kilograms. It is a non-SI unit accepted for use with SI. It is also referred to as a metric ton in the United States to distinguish it from the non-metric units of the s ...

of CO₂e, e.g. CO₂ or its equivalent), over the first crediting period of 20-years at the rate of 10.34 t CO2-e/ ha/year. * India's first clean development mechanism (CDM) project * carbon emissions will be reduced by 40,000 tonnes per year for a 20-year crediting period from the year 2006. * can be extended to total 60 years * project is registered for carbon credits by the UN under which the World Bank will buy carbon credits from the new forests/ plantations being developed on degraded areas in 177 gram panchayats covering around 4,000 hectare land falling in 10 districts of the state. * impact an area of 4,003.07 hectares * largest project of its kind in the world, * strong incentive to protect forest cover in the area.UN-aided project in Himachal to cut down carbon emissions. Times of India (26 Jun 2011

expand : arbon dioxide equivalentThe carbon revenues were calculated at US$5 per tonne of carbon dioxide accumulated in tree biomass, above as well as under the ground.India: Himachal carbon credit project to be replicated in other states. Ausante. (9 April 2012

/ref> This equates to approximately Rupee, Rs 2,500 per hectare, depending on growth of trees and other factors.

Accountability

Emphasis was given to assuring transparency and accountability of governmental oversight and project decision making. To facilitate broad participation ownership of the program, the Himachal Pradesh government conducted consultations with key stakeholders, and also chartered the

World Wildlife Fund The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is a Swiss-based international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the ...

to independently assess and report on stakeholder views. Velander analyzed the MHWDP model, which implements project goals and objectives through the pre-existent local governments, the Gram Panchayats.

Achievements

MHWDP has enabled over 200 km of irrigation channels as well as over 6,000 water harvesting tanks, over 1,000 ponds, nearly 300 dams and over 260 lift or gravity irrigation schemes, and has converted about 9,000 hectares of rain-fed land into irrigated acreage, benefiting some 100,000 families.World Bank approves loan of $37 million for Himachal. New York Daily News 28 September 2012 Scaling up

vermicomposting Vermicompost (vermi-compost) is the product of the decomposition process using various species of worms, usually Eisenia foetida, red wigglers, Enchytraeus buchholzi, white worms, and other earthworms, to create a mixture of decomposing vegetable ...

and other

sustainable agriculture Sustainable agriculture is agriculture, farming in sustainability, sustainable ways meeting society's present food and textile needs, without compromising the ability for current or future generations to meet their needs. It can be based on an ...

practices increases the organic matter content of the soil, and the enhanced water retention capacity facilitates sustainable and productive agriculture.TITLE (27 September 2012)
/ref> At mid-term review in November, 2009, the project had already surpassed its end-of-project target of 50 per cent increased agricultural yield, achieving increased paddy (236 percent), maize (163 per cent), wheat (90 per cent), and milk yields (11 percent). Approximately 10,000 farmers had modified their cultivation and marketing approaches, including adopting higher value crops such as vegetables and spices. 1,500 farmers were grouped into milk federations connected to milk chilling plants. Overall household incomes had risen 13 percent, largely on account of project extension services, particularly improved agricultural production technologies and market linkages. Other states in India are looking to replicate the Himachal carbon credit project. It has seen as a potential showcase for other countries in South Asia. "...After getting the Mid-Himalayan Watershed Development Project registered with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Himachal Pradesh has become the first state in India to implement the clean development mechanism (CDM) project. Under the project, world’s largest..." Expand based on

Financing

The World Bank and Himachal Pradesh state government project is financed by a credit from the

International Development Association The International Development Association (IDA) () is a development finance institution which offers concessional loans and grant (money), grants to the world's poorest developing country, developing countries. The IDA is a member of the World ...

(IDA), the

's concessionary lending arm. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) is acting as trustee for BioCarbon Fund (BioCF) DNA Spain is the source of funding to IDA. The green development loan is for US$200 million.World Bank approved 1100 Crore Rupees Loan for Himachal Pradesh. JagranJosh. (30 July 2012

/ref>World Bank to give $ 200 mn aid to Himachal Pradesh. Press Trust of India (23 July 2012

/ref> The loan agreement was signed between the World Bank and the state government in New Delhi on 28 July 2012. Funding consists of a 90 per cent grant and a 10 per cent loan at interest rate of 0.7 per cent (payable in 30 years). Although only 1 of 76 projects and just US$200 million of World Bank's US$23 billion portfolio in India,World Bank and Government jointly review projects worth USD 4.3 billion. Jagran Post (26 September 2012

/ref> HPRF is the world's largest and India's first

(CDM) project.World Bank signs world’s largest CDM project with Himachal Pradesh state government in India. Panchabuta. (27 May 2011

/ref> The United Nations has registered MHWDP for carbon trading scheme under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.Himachal's afforestation plan, Mid-Himalayan Watershed Development Project for carbon trading scheme, gets UN nod. The Times of India. (17 July 2011

/ref> The bank will buy carbon credits from the new forests being developed. The loan program breaks new ground and has the potential for significant demonstration effects in promoting the green growth agenda. WB project to cover 102 more villages Externally Aided Projects in Himachal PradeshTITLE DATE
The project got approval on 6 September 2012 and the proposed closing date of this project is 30 September 2013.

References

{{Reflist, 30em, refs= Velander M. Redefining Development Around Local Authorities: Case Study of Himachal Pradesh Mid-Himalayan Watershed Project

External links

* [http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/SAR/2011/12/27/306DDD0ABAA0B64F8525797300763446/1_0/Rendered/PDF/P0937200ISR0Di027201101325021466243.pdf ''Implementation Status and Results Himachal Pradesh Mid-Himalayan Watershed Development Project : P093720.'' The World Bank.] Himachal Pradesh Sustainable forest management Forestry in India Environmental issues in India World Bank