History of Watershed Management in Myanmar
Maung Maung Than, Assistant Director, Remote Sensing
and GIs Section, Forest Department
Watershed Management in its
pure form started as early as in 1935 in Myanmar
(a)
Deforestation of forests
(b)
Taungya cultivation (shifting cultivation)
(c)
Unscientific downland (down stream) cultivation
& drainage
(d)
Uncontrolled grazing
(e)
Grass burning
(f)
Neglect in the construction and maintenance of
paths, roads and railways
The recommendations taken by
the survey are:
(a)
Re-afforestation
(b)
Restoration of grazing grounds
(c)
Improved systems of agriculture and land drainage on
downlands such as contour ploughing; corrugated farming; ridge sowing;
terracing, and contour embarking and ditching; improved systems of drainage;
strip cropping, interplanting; broadcast and line-sowing; scientific rotational
cropping; green manuring; assisted re-vegetation of fallows; scientific storage
and use of manure; artificial fertilizers; hedges growing; and improved
agricultural implements
(d)
Control of shifting cultivation
(e)
Gully control
(f)
Improvement of paths, Roads and Railways
The survey report
initialised the formation of Soil Erosion Committee. A training camp was
established and demonstration areas were formed in seriously eroded areas with
people participation with the help of local authorities.
The committee's worked had
been interrupted only during the Japanese occupation of Myanmar
In 1951, Shan State Soil
Conservation Act was enacted. In 1962, a Soil Conservation Unit was
established. However Soil Conservation Committee of Shan States has been
dissolved when all State Law were absolved around 1983. The Soil Conservation
Unit and its equipment etc. were handed to Kinda Dam Pilot Watershed Management
Project. Somehow Forest Department is performing watershed management
activities only in the Shan States then.
During 1980 Forest
Department draw and implemented a work plan to rehabilitate important watershed
of twenty dams and reservoirs.
In 1986 Pilot Watershed
Management for Kinda Dam (BUR/81/003) was started with following objectives;
(1)
To assist the Government in developing an Integrated
Watershed Management strategy and creating a national cadre of expertise for
securing sustained productivity of the forest lands aiming at improving water
yield, water quality and timing (regularity) of the major river watersheds
(2)
To improve living standards of both hill tribes and
lowland farmers through agro-sylvo-pastoral and other conservation measures,
employment opportunities and infrastructural development
The project introduced modern concept of
watershed management including community participation etc and new techniques
such as producing land capability maps from aerial photographs. Kinda Watershed
Pilot Project developed into "Watershed Management for Three Critical
Areas Project" working on Kinda, Inle-Moebye and Phugyi watersheds. Almost
all personal and equipment of former soil conservation unit had been
transferred to the FAO projects. However while the former committee had worked
all over the Southern Shan States area, the FAO projects worked only in their
limited areas.
Watershed Management for
Three Critical Areas Project introduced modern techniques such as Land Use
Planning, introducing Remote Sensing and GIS, trainings and actual
implementations of Landuse surveys, down to the level of Treatment Oriented
Land Capability Surveys.
Forest Department on the
other hand extends its watershed management activities to the whole of Myanmar
(a)
Water, soil and forests are the basic resources of a
country. If forest environments are damaged subsequently soil and water
conditions will be damaged and there will be adverse climatic changes. This
calls for protection and conservation of forest resources;
(b)
To protect watershed forests;
(c)
To plan for reforestation of important reservoirs'
catchment areas; to established Protected Public Forests, to establish wild
life sanctuaries where necessary;
(d)
To make a special watershed management plan for Inle
Lake of Shan States.
The division is empowered by
1992 Forest Act Article 4,5, and 13 to
establish watershed conservation reserves, protected public forests reserves;
and implementation of afforestation and reforestation projects.
Current problems as assessed
by the Watershed Management Divisions are:
(a)
Deforestation in watershed areas, due to increasing
cultivation areas to meet the demand for food by an expanding population;
(b)
Land degradation and soil erosion caused by improper
land use system and cultivation methods;
(c)
Deforestation by excessive cutting of firewood, and
extraction of forest products;
(d)
Soil erosion and sedimentation caused by forest fire
and mining;
(e)
Due to the degradation of watersheds, siltation and
sedimentation of water bodies, such as rivers, dams, reservoirs, and lakes is a
serious problem. Sedimentation gradually clogs up the water ways and the
navigation has become difficult in some parts of the rivers and sometimes flood
can occurs;
(f)
Excessive use of ground water and scarcity of fresh
water during dry season.
However the Division has to
use the manpower and financial allocation of local forest administrative units.
Watershed Management strategy for the country is incorporated into management
plans of forest management unit (FMU) which is district level. These plans have
been drawn for the current 1995 to 2005 period.
On the other hand the direct involvement
of FAO/UNDP projects with Forest Department's watershed management stop in
1993. On 1993 UNDP Governing Council decided to give assistance only to
critical humanitarian and basic needs at the community level in the areas of
primary health care, environment, HIV /AIDs, training and education, and food
security. This is UNDP's way of staying in Myanmar
(a)
Create visible, measurable and
sustainable impact on human welfare, in particular of the poor and
disadvantaged, in the specific areas of health, HIV/AIDS, education/training,
environment and food security;
(b)
Involve communities in a
participatory process of identifying, designing and implementing grass-roots
initiatives;
(c)
Strengthen local capacities,
including those of community-based organisations (CBOs), required sustaining
community-focused development.
On the other hand government policy
concerning watershed management and water resources utilisation also is divided
and not clearcut. For example while watershed management is entrusted to Forest
Department without any legal power utilization of water sources is divided
among various ministries, departments and enterprises. Irrigation Department of
Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation is responsible for all irrigation
systems but taking no actions in watershed areas. The Department of Water
Resources Utilization is responsible only for River Water Pumping projects and
ground water for agricultural use. Local municipalities are taking care of
ground water projects for urban uses. Waterways Department under Ministry of
Transport is responsible for natural streams and rivers' physical well being
together with Irrigation Department who is concerned for irrigation banks along
the rivers.
All this calls for strong landuse and
water policies. Ministry of Agriculture is trying to formulate a water policy.
However they are starting from the irrigation sites as sources of water. Water
policies including both upstream and down stream communities are in need. In
fact while people are talking about forestry versus agriculture conflicts in
watershed management, in reality it is upstream
agriculture against down stream
agriculture.
What is called Integrated Watershed
Management (IWM) is definitely lacking in Myanmar
1)
Encourage proper management of the country's
resources, which include natural areas, forests, minerals, agricultural and
urban lands, water and other resources
2)
Promote the social and economic welfare of the
community
3)
Share the responsibility for environmental planning
between all levels of government
4)
Provide opportunities for community involvement in
planning
Strategies of an Integrated Watershed Management System will provide
1)
Land resources data;
2)
Conditions to be attached to the use of land;
3)
Proposed strategies and priorities for development;
4)
Co-ordination between organizations which have
responsibilities for land management in a particular area.
Technical requirements of land evaluation methods are available in the
country. Departments like Forest Department, Survey Department of Ministry of
Forestry are well advanced in Remote Sensing and GIS, and Settlement and Land
Records Department of Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation also is a strong
technical department. What is lacking is good policies and direction.
Policy development and implementation
The broad objective of ecologically sustainable development recognizes
the need for the improved management of natural resources, in order that they
can support responsible development and economic and social uses on a sustained,
long-term basis. To achieve this objective, it is necessary to devise and
implement policies which are based on the underlying principle that the various
tiers of government, landholders, resource users and general community must all
share the responsibility for resource management.
The integrated watershed management framework has been specifically
developed for this purpose. IWM forms the basis for the development of
integrated natural resources management policies, particularly in relation to
soils, vegetation, surface water and ground water.
It is the responsibility of government to ensure that policies and
policy instruments support the management of land and water resources in an
ecologically sustainable manner. To fulfil this responsibility, governments
should take the following actions:
(a)
Develop integrated goal-setting and policy
formulation at the national, regional and local levels, taking account of
environmental, social and economic issues;
(b)
Develop policies that encourage sustainable land use
and sustainable management of soil, water, vegetation and fauna resources,
having proper regard for the interests and requirements of the national,
regional and local communities;
(c)
Review the regulatory framework, including laws,
regulations and enforcement procedures, so that an efficient and effective
system is available for the official management of natural resources;
(d)
Implement economic incentives to assist in the
rehabilitation of degraded land and encourage the use of best practices for the
sustainable development of natural resources;
(e)
Encourage the active participation of the local
community in planning and implementing programmes of natural resource
management.
Under the integrated watershed management framework, component
national, state and/or regional policies should be developed for the integrated
management of each of the major categories of natural resources. These should
include a land-use policy, a soil policy, a vegetation policy, a surface water
policy and a groundwater policy.
1.
Objectives of
land-use policies
The national/state land-use policy should have the following broad
objectives:
(a)
To achieve greater coordination and integration in
the management of land, through appropriate legislative, institutional and
policy arrangements and the effective involvement and participation of the
whole community;
(b)
To ensure that land is always used within its
capability, and for its optimal suitability;
(c)
To ensure the continued stability and productivity
of the land on a sustainable, long-term basis;
(d)
To manage land and land resources on an integrated,
watershed system basis;
(e)
To identify land degradation and rectify this
degradation through coordinated land use and management.
2.
Objectives of
surface water management policies
The national/state surface water policy should have the
following broad objectives:
(a)
To manage surface water
resources in such a way as to sustain catchment yields and maintain the supply
of appropriate and equitable quantities of water to all legitimate water users;
(b)
To manage surface water resources in such a way as
to maintain and where appropriate improve water quality;
(c)
To ensure that river flows are of adequate quantity
and quality to maintain aquatic and wetland habitats and ecosystems and ensure
the quality of the riverine environment;
(d)
To manage surface water resources in conjunction
with groundwater resources in a planned and coordinated fashion;
(e)
To manage surface water resources on a
whole-watershed basis and to integrate water management with the management of
related soil, vegetation and other land resources.
3.
Objectives of
groundwater management policies
The national/state groundwater policy should have the
following broad objectives:
(a)
To maintain the productivity of groundwater
resources and to ensure the long term sustainability of both the quantity and
the quality of these resources;
(b)
To ensure that the needs of environment systems
dependent upon groundwater resources are met;
(c)
To integrate the conjunctive management of surface
and groundwater resources on a whole-catchment basis;
(d)
To integrate groundwater management with the wider
environmental and resource management framework.
4.
Objectives of
soil management policies
The national/state soils policy should have the following
broad objectives:
(a)
To manage soils in such a way as to avoid their loss
or degradation and ensure their continued utility, stability and productivity;
(b)
To prevent, mitigate and rectify soil erosion and
degradation;
(c)
To undertake programmes of soil survey, land
capability and land suitability evaluation in order to ensure that soils are
used within their capability and for their optimal suitability;
(d)
To manage soils in an integrated fashion, in
association with the management of vegetation, water and other land resources.
5.
Objectives of
vegetation management policies
The national/state vegetation policy should have the
following broad objectives:
(a)
To ensure that the national/regional coverage of
trees and other vegetation is conserved, maintained and where appropriate
enhanced in order to conserve soil and water resources and maintain
environmental quality;
(b)
To maintain and improve silvicultural and
agricultural productivity on a sustained, long-term basis;
(c)
To conserve native flora and fauna and their
habitats;
(d)
To conserve the scenic and aesthetic qualities of
the environment.
Conclusions
Watershed management actually is not a
new idea and concept for Myanmar
Basic policies needed for
IWM are not fully formulated in Myanmar Myanmar
References:
1.
Guidelines and Manual on Land-use Planning and
Practices in Watershed Management and Disaster Reduction, (ESCAP, June 1997)
2.
Project Findings and Recommendations,
Environmentally Sustainable Food Security and Micro-income Opportunities in Critical
Watersheds (Southern Shan State, (UNDP, Rome
3.
Thirty Years Plan for Forest Department, translation
by Watershed Management Division, Forest Department, (not published)
4.
Watershed Management in Myanmar
5.
Soil Erosion and Its Control in the Shan States , Burma
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