In Bandukedanda, Ward No. 3 of Chaubise Rural Municipality, Dhankuta, agricultural tourism has developed through water collection and organic farming on land damaged by water scarcity. Tamor Permaculture Farm has been producing 35 varieties of fruits year-round by irrigating through a pond with a capacity of 3.4 million liters and a lifting system. Locals have also constructed ponds for water collection, and with the reduction in migration, life has returned to the village. April 30, Biratnagar.
A few years ago, Bandukedanda, located in the Siran area of Kurule Tenupa in Chaubise Rural Municipality-3, Dhankuta, barely looked like a vibrant village. The land was cracked due to water shortages, springs were drying up, and houses were gradually being vacated, rendering the area increasingly desolate day by day. According to locals, living there was not just difficult—it was a challenge to survive. Today, Bandukedanda has transformed into a green garden, covered with fruit trees including apple, peach, walnut, and avocado.
Alongside the water shortage, arable land began to become barren, which prompted a pattern of migration. The village gradually became deserted. But the seed of change was planted—the solution was water. According to Lokendra Kumar Yakkha, chairman of Tamor Permaculture Farm, the area could not sustain farming or habitation without resolving the water problem. Hence, the concept of collecting rainwater was introduced. Currently, the farm has constructed a pond with a capacity of 3.4 million liters to collect rainwater, which is used to irrigate throughout the year.
The farm’s treasurer, Dheerghman Tamang, states, “This is not just farming, but a practice of producing in collaboration with nature.” The inspiration spreading to the local community and the success of Tamor Permaculture Farm have sparked new hope among residents. As migration declines, people are beginning to return to the village along with water and produce. According to Sneha Shrestha, MIS operator at the National ID and Registration Unit of Chaubise Rural Municipality, in 2021, 56 households had migrated, but only one household had returned to the village.
The story of Bandukedanda is not just that of one village, but an example of the transformation that sustainable thinking, collective effort, and wise use of natural resources can bring about. Ward chairperson Tumsā says, “Every drop of water collected has revived the barren landscape of Bandukedanda.”
