celebrating 10 years of undp-gef small grants programme …1.2. the undp/gef small grants programme...

Working within the System andLiving within the Means

Celebrating 10 years of UNDP-GEF Small Grants Programme in Pakistan

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GEFPakistan

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GEFPakistan

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Published by: IUCN Pakistan

Copyright: © 2004 IUCN – The World Conservation Union

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Compiled by: Tehseena Rafi, IUCN Pakistan

Design & Layout: Azhar Saeed, IUCN Pakistan

Printed by: Pictorial Printers (Pvt) Ltd.

Available from: IUCN – The World Conservation Union1, Bath Island Road, KarachiTel. 92 21 5861540-2Fax 92 21 5861448, 5835760

LIFE/GEF Small Grants ProgrammeUnited Nations Development Programme8th Floor, Saudi Pak Tower, IslamabadTel. 92 51 2800030www.sgp.net.pk

FOREWORD iii

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY vii

01 BACKGROUND 11.1. Global Environment Facility 1

1.2. The UNDP/GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP) 3

1.3. Local Initiative Facility for Urban Environment (LIFE) 4

1.4. SGP in Pakistan 4

1.5. Working within the System and Living

within the Means 5

02 WATER AND SANITATION 7

03 SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE 15

04 COMMUNITY PROTECTED AREAS 21

05 HUMAN SETTLEMENTS AND WASTE MANAGEMENT 27

06 ENERGY 33

07 THE WAY FORWARD 39

Fo r e w o r d

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ver the last 10 years the GEF and LIFE - Small Grants

Programmes (SGP) managed by UNDP in Pakistan

has supported local champions in their work to protect

the global environment by providing resources and

technical know-how for conservation, protection and

sustainable management of the their local environment.OThe SGP workshop held on 21- 23 October2003, celebrated 10 years of SGP in Pakistan.It provided an opportunity to get an overview ofthe main lessons learned during the course ofthe programme. As illustrated by the casestudies in this report, the work of the SGP overthe last decade has been prolific and diverse. Ithas covered almost the entire country and hassuccessfully undertaken a vast number ofinnovative community driven projects.

The importance of awareness raising andaccess to appropriate technology emerged astwo of the key lessons shared by the variousS G P partners. The title of the workshop "Wo r k i n gwithin the System, Living within the Means" canin itself be seen to express the core lesson of theS G P. SGP has helped increase awarenessregarding global environmental concerns andhas built capacities of communities and NGOs toaddress these issues. With a holistic approach,the SGP has focused its support on promotion ofself-help models, based on low-cost solutionsand technology, which is appropriate to the localc o n t e x t .

This workshop also provided space for sharinglessons learned "the hard way". Some projects

reported resistance from local notables and thelack of appropriate technical know-how asobstacles to achieve their objectives. Pilotprojects naturally move forward by the principleof trial and error. By finding ways to overcomethese obstacles, the SGP has proved that it isthere to support innovative ideas coming fromthe grassroots. The case studies show how wecan turn our errors into opportunities forlearning and progress.

Whereas the main programme activities havebeen concentrated on implementation of small-scale pilot projects, SGP has also successfullycontributed to policy dialogue by bringinglessons from the grassroots to the policy level.By raising public awareness, buildingpartnerships, and promoting policy dialogue theSGP has helped create a more supportiveenvironment for achieving sustainabledevelopment and addressing globalenvironmental issues.

Maybe the most important lesson learned overthe last 10 years is that global environmentalproblems can only be addressed adequately ifthe local people themselves are involved inmanaging their local environment. Being

provided limited but essential resources, peoplehave come together to bring about changebased on their own priorities and capabilities.By supporting initiatives taken by local actors,the SGP lends its support to participatory,community-driven efforts to improve the localenvironment.

This flexible, demand-led approach has alsoplaced SGP in an ideal position to directlysupport the development of democraticinstitutions at the local level. As a result ofSGP’s promotion of "local-local" dialogue andcollaborative action amongst local government,civil society and the private sector, severalprojects demonstrate how linking up withstrategic partners has created large-scaleimpact. By bringing the lessons learned fromlocal initiatives upstream the SGP offer field-tested solutions that may be adapted to othercontexts and up-scaled.

The success of the SGP in Pakistan is theproduct of partnerships and joint efforts by localactors. The National Steering Committee hasprovided strategic and technical guidance andinputs central to the programme. UNDP isproud to be the implementer of the SGP inPakistan, contributing to the programme’sgrowth and achievements over the pastdecade. Most central to the success of the SGP,h o w e v e r, are the local heroes that havechampioned their ideas at their local arenas.This report presents their experiences and aimsto promote the lessons learned and to inspirefurther action.

Onder YucerResident RepresentativeUNDP Pakistan

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E xe c u t i v eS u m m a ry

Global Environment Fa c i l i t y

he Global Environment Facility (GEF) was established in

the International Bank for Reconstruction and

Development (IBRD or World Bank) as a pilot programme

in order to assist in the protection of the global

environment and promote environmentally sound and

sustainable economic development by resolution of the

Executive Directors of the World Bank and related

interagency arrangements between the United Nations

Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Environment

Programme (UNEP), and the World Bank.

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E x e c u t i v eS u m m a ry

Since 1991, the GEF has provided $4.5 billionin grants and generated $14.5 billion in co-financing from other partners for projects indeveloping countries, and countries ineconomic transition.

GEF funds are contributed by donor countries,and in 2002, 32 donor countries pledged $3billion to fund operations between 2002 and2006.The GEF helps developing countries fundprojects and programmes that protect theglobal environment. GEF funds a variety ofproject types, ranging from its Small GrantsProgramme (SGP) and project preparationgrants to Enabling Activities, Medium-SizedProjects (MSPs), and full projects. It fundsprojects in six complex global environmentalissues, namely, biodiversity, climate change,international waters, ozone, sustainable landmanagement, and persistent organic pollutants.

Small Grants ProgrammeThe Small Grants Programme of the GEF isimplemented by the United NationsDevelopment Programme (UNDP) andexecuted by United Nations Office for ProjectServices (UNOPS) -an entity of the UnitedNations System, which provides services toprojects and programmes supported by UNmember states and organisations.

Sixty- three countries have participated in theProgramme so far, and funding stands atUS$117.35 million and US$65.66 million byother partners in cash or in-kind. Out of the3000 projects funded to date, 60% havecovered biodiversity, 15% climate change, 6%international waters and 19% are multi-focal. Itsbenefits have reached more than 4000communities in Africa, Arab States, Asia and thePacific, Europe and Latin America and theCaribbean. Participating countries have ratifiedthe Conventions on Biological Diversity andClimate Change.

Established in 1992, the GEF Small GrantsProgramme (SGP) provides financial andtechnical support to projects in developingcountries that conserve and restore the naturalworld while enhancing well being andlivelihoods. The SGP operates on the premisethat people will be empowered to protect theirenvironment when they are organised to takeaction, have a measure of control over accessto the natural resource base, have thenecessary information and knowledge, andbelieve that their social and economic wellbeingis dependent on sound long-term resourcemanagement. Grants are made directly to Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) andCommunity-Based Organizations (CBOs) inrecognition of the key role they play as a

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resource and constituency for environment anddevelopment concerns. Though SGP grants aresmall, their impact is large.

Through this implementation, the SGP h a sacquired valuable lessons and developedimportant linkages with communities andinstitutions engaged with the environmentsector of Pakistan. These lessons provide thebasis for improving and/ or imbibing learning tosimilar ongoing or planned initiatives. T h i sincludes documenting the strengths andweaknesses, and successes and failures of theinitiatives in Pakistan over the last 10 years.

L I F EThe Local Initiative Facility for UrbanEnvironment (LIFE) global programme wasstarted in 1992 to promote local-local dialogueand partnerships between CBOs, NGOs, localauthorities, private sector and other actors toaddress environmental problems of the urbanpoor and influence policies for participatorylocal governance. Using an "upstreaming-downstreaming-upstreaming" approach, LIFEhas been providing small grants to initiatecommunity-based projects and promote policydialogues. Since its inception, LIFE has been inoperation in 12 developing countries andsupported fourteen regional, inter-regional andglobal NGO networks and Cities Associations topromote participatory local governance.

Working within the Systemand Living within the Means

"Working within the System and Living withinthe Means" is a project being executed by IUCN - The World Conservation Union tocapture the last ten years of micro-level initiativesfunded through SGP in Pakistan. It is also afacilitative forum for sharing experiences so thatbest practices can be replicated. This facilitationincludes the documentation of SGP f u n d e dinitiatives in order to improve understanding ofissues, constraints, opportunities and bestpractices in implementation of small-scalegrassroots initiatives in the years to come. A nonline network of all the relevant stakeholders isalso accessible at http://www.sgp.net.pk/. Itprovides relevant information, includingsnapshots of the SGP funded projects, case

studies, evaluations, a database of relevantorganisations and relevant web links.

Projects reflected in this document have beencompiled under the following areas:

Water and Sanitation

The Aga Khan Planning and BuildingServices Pakistan’s Water and SanitationExpansion Programme

World Wide Fund for Nature’s MonitoringWater Pollution in Hudiara Drain

Environment Protection Society’s ReducingWater Pollution in Swat River

Taraqee Trust’s Challenges of Sanitation inLow Income Urban Settlements

Organization for Participatory Development’sParticipatory Sanitation Initiatives: Challenges ofCommunity-based Water Management

Anjuman Samaji Behbood’s Provision of Wa t e rand Sanitation Services on Self-Help Basis

Soan Valley Development Programme’sChallenges of Community-based Wa t e rManagement

Sustainable Agriculture

SUNGI Development Foundation’s NaturalResource Management for Conservation ofBiodiversity

Hirrak Development Centre’s Conservation ofAgricultural Ecosystems and Street Theatre forConservation Awareness

DAMAAN’s Agro-biodiversity Conservation inDamaan area

Green Circle Organization’s I m p r o v i n gLivelihoods and Environment by Conserving andPromoting Indigenous agro-ecological balance

Eco-Conservation Initiatives’ C a p a c i t yBuilding of National Rural Support Programme(NRSP) by developing Training Modules ofIntegrated Pest Management of Apple WoolyAphid in Murree Hills Pakistan

Community Protected AreasHimalayan Wildlife Foundation’s D e o s a iBrown Bear Project

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Khunjerab Villagers Social We l f a r eO r g a n i z a t i o n ’s Conservation and Managementof Wi l d l i f e

Takatu Waroor Galvi Taraqee Ta n z e e m ’sCommunity based Conservation of Straight-horned Markhor, Afghan Urial and associatedBiodiversity in Takatu

Adventure Foundation of Pakistan’sConservation of Blind Indus Dolphin throughEcotourism at Taunsa Barrage

Lahore Zoo’s Indus Dolphin Rescue Unit

World Pheasants A s s o c i a t i o n ’s Survey ofGalliformes in Pakistan

IUCN–The World Conservation Union’sMountain Areas Conservancy Project

Human Settlements andWaste Management

Waste Busters’ Private Public Partnerships forWaste Management

Private Public Partnerships for Wa s t eM a n a g e m e n t ’s Community Waste Management

Shakkar Ganj Sugar Mills’ C o m p o s t i n gIndustrial Waste

Capital Development A u t h o r i t y ’s U p - g r a d a t i o nand Regularisation of Informal Settlements

APPNA SEHAT’s Preventive Health

E n e rg yConsumer Rights Commission of Pakistan’sPublic Awareness about Energy Efficiency ofHousehold Appliances

Conservation and Rehabilitation Centre’sEnergy Efficient Housing: Blending Traditionwith Modernity

Building and Construction ImprovementP r o g r a m m e ’s ( B A C I P ) Energy Eff i c i e n tBuilding: Building Technologies in MountainAreas

C A R I TA S Replication Experience of FuelEfficient Stoves

Initiative for Rural and SustainableD e v e l o p m e n t ’s Biogas Plants for meetingEnergy needs in Rural Areas

TRDF’s Micro-Hydel Power Stations for lightingup Tribal Homes

The Way Fo rw a r dWith the completion of ten successful years ofG E F ’s Small Grants Programme in Pakistan,there is a trail of pilot projects at varied levels,which provide the impetus for replication,expansion and up-scaling. From policy tograssroots, the impact of the SGP f u n d e dprojects has established models in all five areas,namely water and sanitation, sustainableagriculture, community protected areas, humansettlements and waste management and energy.

In this regard, dialogues have been initiatedwith stakeholders and partners alike. The latestin the series of formal and informal interactionshas been the UNDP-GEF’s one-dayconsultative workshop on Up-Scaling,Advocacy and Knowledge Management.Through such dialogues and comprehensivepresentations, projections were made regardingthe capacity, and environmental and economicbenefits of the projects. Furthermore, SGP hasbeen able to evaluate the current and proposedscale of activity, the proposed future strategyand assistance required from SGP.

Organizations that undertook projects withinthe purview of sustainable agriculture werefound to have made considerable strides andillustrated a high level of capacity for up scalingand initiating advocacy ventures. In the waterand sanitation category, recipient organisationsidentified steps, which also included largelycommunity-based and devolved measures.Organizations implementing projects forenergy efficiency focused not just ondevolution but more importantly spoke ofbuilding capacity of the entire spectrum ofstakeholders involved in the process. In thearena of human settlements and wastemanagement suggestions andrecommendations included coordination andfacilitation by SGP for several pendingrequests to replicate programs and possiblelinkages with government, as it has shownownership towards such initiatives.

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01B a c k g r o u n d

1.1 Global Environment Fa c i l i t y

he Global Environment Facility (GEF) was established in

the International Bank for Reconstruction and

Development (IBRD or World Bank) as a pilot

programme in order to assist in the protection of the

global environment and promote environmentally sound

and sustainable economic development by resolution of

the Executive Directors of the World Bank and related

interagency arrangements between the United Nations

Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Environment

Programme (UNEP), and the World Bank. Since 1991, the GEF has

provided $4.5 billion in grants and generated $14.5 billion in

co-financing from other partners for projects in developing countries,

and countries in economic transition.

GEF funds are contributed by donorcountries, and in 2002, 32 donor countriespledged $3 billion to fund operations between2002 and 2006.The GEF helps developingcountries fund projects and programmes thatprotect the global environment. It funds avariety of project types, ranging from its SmallGrants Programme (SGP) and projectpreparation grants to Enabling A c t i v i t i e s ,Medium-Sized Projects (MSPs), and fullprojects. It funds projects in six complexglobal environmental issues, namely,b i o d i v e r s i t y, climate change, internationalwaters, ozone, persistent organic pollutants,and sustainable land management.

BiodiversityA wide-ranging spectrum of efforts to conserveand sustainably use the Earth’s biologicaldiversity comprises of almost half of all GEFprojects. GEF receives guidance from theConference of Parties (COP) on policy,strategy, programme priorities, and eligibilitycriteria related to the use of resources for

purposes of the Convention on BiologicalDiversity (CBD). Its projects generally coverany one or more of four critical ecosystems andthe human communities found there. Theseinclude; 1) arid and semi-arid zones; 2) coastal,marine, and freshwater resources; 3) forests;and 4) mountains.

Climate ChangeThose projects that address issues of climatechange make up the second largest group ofGEF-funded projects. GEF receives guidancefrom the COP on policy, programme priorities,and eligibility criteria related to the UnitedNations Framework Convention on ClimateChange (UNFCCC). The climate changeprojects cover the areas of: 1) removingbarriers to energy efficiency and energyconservation; 2) promoting the adoption ofrenewable energy by removing barriers andreducing implementation costs; 3) reducing thelong-term costs of low greenhouse gas emittingenergy technologies; and 4) supporting thedevelopment of sustainable transport.

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International WatersGEF projects to reverse the degradation ofinternational waters are advised by regionaland international water agreements. T h eprojects help countries to learn more aboutwater-related issues and discover ways to worktogether and initiate changes to address theseproblems. The three categories of waterprojects are: 1) water bodies; 2) integrated landand water projects; and 3) contaminants.

The Ozone Layer Depletion1

GEF, in partnership with the Montreal Protocolof the Vienna Convention on Ozone LayerDepleting Substances, funded projects thatenable certain regions to phase out their use ofozone destroying chemicals. After more than 10years of international support, the concentrationof some of these chemicals in the atmospherehas started to decline.

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)In May 2001, the international communityadopted and opened for signature theStockholm Convention on Persistent OrganicPollutants (POPs), for implementinginternational action to reduce and eliminatereleases of an initial list of twelve chemicalsubstances with known adverse effects on

human health and the environment. T h eConvention will enter into force following itsratification by 50 countries. The GEF has beenselected as the interim financial mechanism toassist countries in meeting their obligationsunder the Stockholm Convention. T h eprogramme includes development andstrengthening of capacity to enable countries tomeet Convention obligations, and on-the-ground interventions aimed at implementingspecific activities to reduce and phase-outPOPs uses and sources and to remediatePOPs stocks and contaminated sites.

POPs are characterised by persistence - theability to resist degradation in various media(air, water and sediments) for months and evendecades; b i o - a c c u m u l a t i o n - the ability toaccumulate in living tissues at levels higherthan those in the surrounding environment; andthe potential for long range transport - thepotential to travel great distances from thesource of release through various media (air,water, and migratory species). These chemicalsubstances cause injury to human health and tospecies and ecosystems both adjacent to, andfar away from their sources. The POPs includedin the Stockholm Convention are: A l d r i n ,Chlordane, Dieldrin, DDT, Endrin,Hexachlorobenzene, Heptachlor, Mirex,Toxaphene, Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs),

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1 No longer an SGP area

dioxins and furans, mainly used as pesticides orindustrial chemicals. The impacts of exposureto POPs on humans and environment areadverse and the rural and urban poor people,and domesticated and wild animals are theprime victims of such an exposure. The effectsinclude disruption of endocrine systems,suppression of immune system functions,carcinogenicity, and induction of reproductiveand developmental changes. The evidence ofthe detrimental effects of POPs on livingorganisms at the level of entire populationsdemonstrates the threat to biodiversity and thepotential for disruption at the ecosystem level.

Sustainable Land ManagementThe second GEF assembly in Beijing, in October2002 designated land degradation, primarilydesertification and deforestation (a focal area ofGEF), as a means to support the implementationof the United National Convention to CombatDesertification (UNCCD). This designationmakes sustainable land management a primaryfocus of GEF assistance to achieve globalenvironmental benefits within the context ofsustainable development.

Land degradation damages soil structure andleads to the loss of soil nutrients throughprocesses such as water and wind erosion;water logging and salinisation; and soilcompaction. The main causes of landdegradation are inappropriate land use, mainlyunsustainable agricultural practices;overgrazing; and deforestation.

1.2 The UNDP/GEF Small Grants Programme ( S G P )

The Small Grants Programme (SGP) of theGEF is implemented by the United Nations

Development Programme (UNDP) andexecuted by UNOPS – an entity of the UnitedNations System, which provides services toprojects and programmes supported by UNmember states and organisations.

So far, 63 countries have participated in theProgramme and funding stands at US$117.35million and US$65.66 million by other partnersin cash or in-kind. Out of the 3000 projectsfunded to date, 60% have covered biodiversity,15% climate change, 6% international watersand 19% are multi-focal. Its benefits havereached more than 4000 communities in Africa,Arab States, Asia and the Pacific, Europe andLatin America and the Caribbean. Participatingcountries have ratified the Conventions onBiological Diversity and Climate Change.

Established in 1992, the GEF Small GrantsProgramme (SGP) provides financial andtechnical support to projects in developingcountries that conserve and restore the naturalworld while enhancing well being andlivelihoods. Grants are made directly to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) andcommunity-based organisations (CBOs) inrecognition of the key role they play as aresource and constituency for environment anddevelopment concerns. Though SGP grants aresmall, their impact is large.

The SGP is mandated to raise project co-financing that matches GEF funds. T h eprinciple objectives of the Small GrantsProgramme are to:l Demonstrate community-level strategies

and technologies that could reduce threatsto the global environment if they arereplicated over time;

l Draw lessons from community-levelexperience, and support the spread ofsuccessful community-level strategies andinnovations among CBOs and NGOs, hostgovernments, development aid agencies, the


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Box 1: Building Capacityand Networks

The SGP is more than just a fund providing small grants to improve the localenvironment. By raising public awareness, building partnerships, and promotingpolicy dialogue, the SGP seeks to help create a more supportive environmentwithin countries for achieving sustainable development and addressing globalenvironment issues. Six hundred organisations worldwide have provided co-funding and other forms of collaboration, including significant contributions.

G E F, and others working on a larger scale;l Build partnerships and networks of local

stakeholders to support and strengthenc o m m u n i t y, CBO, and NGO capacity toaddress environmental problems andpromote sustainable development.

The decentralised structure of the Small GrantsProgramme encourages maximum country andcommunity level ownership and initiative.

1.3 Local Initiative Facility for Urban Environment( L I F E )

The LIFE global programme was started in 1992to promote local -local dialogue andpartnerships between CBOs, NGOs, localauthorities, private sector and other actors toaddress environmental problems of the urbanpoor and influence policies for participatory localgovernance. Using an "upstreaming-downstreaming-upstreaming" approach, LIFEhas been providing small grants to initiatecommunity-based projects and promote policydialogues. Since inception LIFE has been inoperation in 12 developing countries andsupported fourteen regional, inter-regional andglobal NGO networks and Cities Associations topromote participatory local governance. T h eLIFE external evaluation of the first three phasesof the LIFE Global Programme highlighted thesignificant contribution of LIFE in directlyreaching the poorest and marginalisedpopulation and addressing their immediateproblems; empowering communities and otherlocal actors, promoting local-local dialogue andpartnerships; in establishing process andmechanisms for micro-macro linkages andreinforced the importance of LIFE's" u p s t r e a m i n g - d o w n s t r e a m i n g - u p s t r e a m i n g "approach as a way to influence policies that arerooted in ground reality. The evaluationrecommended the continuation of the globalprogramme in Phase IV to further consolidateLIFE experiences and strengthen the practiceand policy of participatory local governance.

Objectives:l Promote community-based initiatives, local-

local dialogue and partnerships in five pilot

countries that started LIFE in 1995-1996and to upscale existing LIFE projectexperiences in municipal level initiatives todemonstrate participatory local governancein seven pilot countries that started LIFE in1992-93.

l Package and disseminate LIFE lessons andexperiences for policy dialogues andmainstreaming methodologies forparticipatory local governance at country,regional and global level by involving NGOnetworks and Cities Associations.

l Provide support for technical assistance,documentation and analysis of lessons from12 LIFE countries and other relevant globalexperiences to promote global networking,dissemination and advocacy measures topromote participatory local governance andmainstreaming of LIFE in non-pilotcountries.

1.4 SGP in Pakistan

Since its inception in 1993, the Small GrantsProgramme (SGP) of the Global EnvironmentFacility (GEF) has been providing financial andtechnical support to various communities andNGOs for micro-level initiatives in theenvironment sector to promote biodiversityconservation, reduce global warming andprotect international waters.

Through this implementation, the SGP h a sacquired valuable lessons and developedimportant linkages with communities andinstitutions engaged with the environmentsector of Pakistan. These lessons provide thebasis for improving and/or imbibing learning tosimilar on-going or planned initiatives. T h i sincludes documenting the strengths andweaknesses, and successes and failures of theinitiatives in Pakistan over the last 10 years.

The GEF programme priorities link directly withthe broad objectives contained in the NationalConservation Strategy (NCS) in Pakistan. Thefederal Cabinet approved NCS in 1992, and itfocuses on resource conservation, sustainabledevelopment and improved efficiency in the useand management of natural resources. GEFpriorities are also in line with the evolvingguidance on policies and priorities for action

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provided by the Pakistan EnvironmentalProtection Council (PEPC). The portfolio ofprojects developing under GEF/SGP a l s oreflects the programme priorities and areas ofdevelopment intervention identified by UNDPCountry Office (CO).

The SGP operates on the premise that peoplewill be empowered to protect their environmentwhen they are organised to take action, have ameasure of control over access to the naturalresource base, have the necessary informationand knowledge, and believe that their socialand economic wellbeing is dependent on soundlong-term resource management.

The strategic goal of SGP is to work as a link tosupport community level initiatives. SGPstrategy therefore aspires to developingenvironment poverty interface; select specificgeographic areas for each GEF thematic areaand work with a cluster of CBOs with thesupport and guidance provided by intermediaryNGOs or government programme; enhance the visibility of the programme by holdingupstream and downstream dialogue based onsuccessful experiences on ground; leverageresources provided through small grants bybuilding financial partnership with otherstakeholders, and make contributions to

institution building by providing long termsupport to community level initiatives andsustainable and affordable solutions, whichbuild on community knowledge and expertise.These strategic goals were identified in view ofthe recommendations of the brainstormingsession of various GEF stakeholders held inDecember 1996 and on the next phase of SGPin January 1999.

1.5 Working within the System and Living within the Means

" Working within the System and Livingwithin the Means" is a project being executedby IUCN - The World Conservation Union tocapture the last ten years of micro-levelinitiatives funded through SGP in Pakistan. It isalso a facilitative forum for sharing experiencesso that best practices can be replicated. Thisfacilitation includes the documentation of SGPfunded initiatives in order to improveunderstanding of issues, constraints,opportunities and best practices inimplementation of small-scale grassrootsinitiatives in the years to come.


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02Water andS a n i t a t i o n


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Water andS a n i t a t i o n

n the Millennium Declaration of September 2000, world

leaders reaffirmed their shared duty to "all the world’s people,

especially the most vulnerable and, in particular, the children

of the world, to whom the future belongs" to undertake a

collective effort to achieve a set of urgent goals, known as the

Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).IIn the area of Wa t e r, Environment andSanitation, the goals are to:l Halve, by 2015, the proportion of people

without sustainable access to safe drinkingwater,

l Halve, by the year 2015, the proportion ofpeople who do not have access to basicsanitation,

l Equip all schools with facilities for sanitationand hand washing by 2015.

Nearly three-quarters of the world's poor live inrural areas, and a large part of this populationdoes not have access to clean water and safesanitation facilities. Until recently, projects oftenfailed because they used top-down approachesin which community members had little or nosay in deciding what services were to beimplemented and how. However, communitymanagement has now become the leadingconcept for implementing water supply systemsin rural areas in developing countries. In theearly days it was seen as the answer to largescale breakdown of water supply systems andthe failure of governments either to provideclean water themselves or to devise a systemwhereby other agencies could supply it reliablyand consistently.

To achieve scaling up, the focus must widenfrom the community to its enablingenvironment. In particular, the capacity ofintermediate level support agencies (localgovernment, NGOs, private sector) must begreatly increased. Communities need technical,financial, and legal backstopping as well asongoing support in facilitation. To achieve this,knowledge is required. In particular, clearly

documented case studies, based on anobjective assessment of real experiences, areneeded.

In Pakistan’s context, there is an issue not justof an inconsistent water supply, but anunhygienic one as well. The treatment ofwastewater is almost non-existent and most ofit is known to flow into streams, rivers andirrigation canals. Since untreated wastewatercauses water-borne diseases, 60% of infantdeaths occur through water borne infectiousand parasitic diseases. Other reasons includeuntreated industrial wastewater; discharge offeces and untreated sewage and contaminationof piped water by wastewater. Urban excretaflow into the sewerage with domesticwastewater through roadside and waterways.Human excreta are a major source of water-borne diseases. Furthermore, gastrointestinaldiseases account for 25–30% of hospital cases,and vegetables are contaminated by bacteriathrough the use of contaminated irrigationwater.

In general, Pakistan needs to address a vastarray of problems regarding water andsanitation. According to the Pakistan Council ofScientific and Industrial Research, only 3 out of100 industries, which use hazardous chemical,treat their wastewater. Tap water reaches 90%of the populace in the in the city of Lahore,Punjab. However, water leaks and wastewateralso come into the pipes because of lowpressure. Peripheral pipes (leading to eachhousehold from the main pipes) sometimes liein or even penetrate gutters or wastewaterditches, thereby leading to contamination.

Through the SGP, access to funding has beenprovided to several civil society players toundertake varied and innovative projects forimproving and providing access to water andsanitation facilities in Pakistan.

The Aga Khan Planning and BuildingService Pakistan’s Water and SanitationExpansion Programme undertook Wa t e rManagement at Household Level and BiologicalTreatment of Water in the semi-mountainousterrain of Northern Areas and Chitral.

WA S E P sought to work together withcommunities to reduce diarrhoea morbidity inthe programme area by 50%. Its multi-prongedstrategy covered aspects of water supply,sanitation, operation and maintenance,community health, school health and capacitybuilding of the public sector.

This intervention was based on the demand ofover a 1000 villages for rehabilitation of non-functioning schemes which the governmentwas unable to address. These needs wereidentified through an extensive research phasewhich included the failure of old schemes owingto a lack of village capacity; poor personal,domestic and environmental hygiene; demand

for various types of sanitation and watertreatment technologies.

An integrated approach was undertaken, whichincluded the Community Health InterventionProgramme (CHIP) aimed at creating awarenessabout health and hygiene as well as thefacilitation of local action in improving domestic,personal and environmental hygiene and theSchool Health Intervention Programme (SHIP)which focused on increasing the health andhygiene knowledge of children, improving healthand hygiene in schools and villages, and activelyinvolving teachers in the process. Through thisproject, the level of water borne diseases inprogramme villages decreased by an average of60 percent; diarrhoea incidences decreased byat least 25 percent; a successful demonstrationof workable and replicable public-privatepartnerships was set up and all 100 water supplyschemes developed by WA S E P are currentlybeing run and operated by communities.

Some of the key lessons learnt through thisprocess were the efficacy of communitymobilisation and training in ensuringsustainability; success of integrated watersupply and sanitation intervention model (asopposed to isolated water of sanitation

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Waer andS a n i t a t i o n

projects); health and hygiene education as acost effective intervention in reducingincidences of disease-communities.

From August 1998 to June 2002, the River SwatConservation Project (RSCP) was undertakenby the Environment Protection Society (EPS)for its protection against pollution,encroachments and illegal fishing practices forthe conservation of its biodiversity.

Through the project, a database on River Swatwas established, awareness raising wasundertaken about water pollution and itsadverse effects on health and economy;coordination established amongst theconcerned line agencies, stakeholders andcommunities undertook collective action againstRiver Swat pollution and help provided to thegovernment for developing land use planningand zoning in the area along River Swat.

Over the years, the Swat River has been asource of aesthetic value, has provided irrigationand domestic use, been used for powergeneration and acted as a habitat for aquatic life.

Its main problems have been both solid andliquid pollution, encroachments and illegalpractices like fishing, hunting and smuggling.The RSCP applied a research and action basedself-help and participatory approach throughawareness and coordination at various levels ofsociety, i.e., village and tehsil level as well aswith related agencies.

The awareness process undertaken throughthe project included seminars, workshops,roundtables, clean up activities, walks,signboards, educational materials, stalls andessay writing competitions.

Pollution, ecological status, hotel information,tourism, traffic count, flow area, socio-economicstatus, fish population and sanitation in Mingorawere surveyed during the projectimplementation.

Possible future plans include the study ofspecies of diverse plants and animals in RiverSwat and its tributaries; age distribution of theeconomically important fish species for theconservation of fish fauna; data on fish and birdhunters for proper management of the issue;pollution surveys of the canals and channelspassing through settlements to determine theload of pollution in the river from these sources;forming hunters’ organisations at different levelsto conserve the fauna of the river; improving thecoordination between government departmentsconcerned with wildlife and fisheries, localgovernment and community organisations;enhancing awareness raising campaigns incommunities and within a substantial number ofeducational institutions; effective implementationof law, including the framing of rules at the locallevel within the broader framework provided bythe government through acts and ordinances etc.

The Anjuman Samaji Behbood (ASB)undertook the Provision of Water and Sanitation


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Box 2: EnablingCommunities toConserve

Some of the key results of the project were the construction of a septic tank byall commercial and residential buildings along River Swat, development andpresentation of the Mingora and Kalam Sanitation Proposal to Districtgovernment for inclusion in their agenda, establishment of a Fish ConservationCommittee (FCC) and conservation of fish protection areas and formation ofnature clubs in six schools and colleges, initiation of solid waste managementprocess in three pilot communities, formation of four tehsil level networks againstenvironmental pollution, formation of a women development organisation andsaving group, construction of 35 solid waste pits and three pilot communities.Main lessons learnt through the project have been the inculcation of a sense ofownership among communities which makes the task easier; centralised controlis a hurdle in conservation activities; local governments cannot be effectiveunless their roles and responsibilities are clearly defined and a mechanism ofmonitoring and evaluation is in place; respect for indigenous languages andcustoms makes activities acceptable; the response to similar activities indifferent settlements is almost always different; collective action is the key toconservation of the river and small scale physical development grants motivatethe community towards action.

Services on Self Help Basis. In this regard, A S Bselected Hasanpura as a project area, wheredonkey cart vendors were transporting drinkingwater and open drains were leading to unhygienicand deplorable conditions. Before and duringimplementation of the project, a lengthy processwas undertaken which included a visual surveyand mapping of the area; documentation ofexisting infrastructure on the base map; situationanalysis; external linkages with the FaisalabadWater and Sanitation Authority (WASA) and theFaisalabad Development Authority (FDA);planning, coordination and signing of NOC;community mobilisation and selection ofcommunity activists; short-listing of influentialpeople and mutual understanding about existingproblems; individual meetings promotingconceptual clarity of development process andmotivation of partners; organisation of lanecommittees; selection of lane manager for eachlane committee; preparation of level surveydesign and cost estimation by project engineer;resource mobilisation – money collection fromtarget households by lane committee; purchaseof material, hiring of labour and management offunds by lane committee.

Resultantly, water supply and sanitation wassupplied to 59 communities in 467 lanes and5,990 houses.

The World Wide Fund for Nature - Pakistanchannelled its SGP grant to implement a projectthat focused on Monitoring Water Pollution inHudiara Drain. This was one of the few projectsundertaken directly under the GEF priority areaof International Waters.

The project aimed at water quality monitoringwith the government and community for surfacepollution of a trans-boundary waterway crossingthe border of India into Pakistan’s River Ravi.The project was implemented from December1999 to November 2001, and included thefollowing objectives:l Investigation of the pollution level and water

quality of Hudiara Drainl Assessment of the drain’s water irrigation on

soill Assessment of the impact of drains pollution

on locals in one village (epidemiologicalstudy)

l Creating awareness about adverse impactsof pollution amongst local villagers

l Establishment of a Water QualityManagement Plan (WQMP) for atransboundary drain

In order to achieve the above objectives, threesampling points were chosen, which includedan area near the border to assess the total

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Box 3: EmpoweredStakeholders

The local community contributed a total of Rs. 19,548,456 for this process.Assistance also came through coordination between the community and lineagency through user registration with the line agency, as well external linkageswith WASA and FDA, which covered planning, coordination and approval ofA S B ’s work through the issuance of NOC. The lessons learnt focusedtremendously on the inherent ability of people to search for and implement theirown decisions. These also included their ability to provide resources and theirwillingness to construct self-planned, self-financed, self managed and selfmaintained infrastructure. Furthermore, the project proved that people simplyneed skills, knowledge, awareness and mobilisation to make them independent.

Box 4: GeneratingInformation andKnowledge forReplication

The project was able to provide a body of knowledge about transboundary waterpollution; build the Environmental Protection Department staff’s capacityregarding the techniques of continuous monitoring, analyses of data andassessing the problem of a drain; develop WQMP for a representative drainwhich could be replicated in other drains; procurement of water testingequipment and development of monitoring methodology for utilisation bypartners on other replication sites; increased awareness among communitiesabout health problems caused by exposure to the drain’s water; and collectionof baseline information for initiating a dialogue to undertake remedial measuresfor treating water of a transboundary water channel.

pollution load coming from India; an area toassess contribution of pollution load of localindustries and residential areas along the drainand lastly an area to assess the total pollutionload contributed by the drain to River Ravi.

The study conducted included an assessmentof prevailing diseases in the local community;blood lead level of inhabitants; physicalsurveys; free health camp; street theatre; theprint media campaigns; sharing of findings withrelevant stakeholders in India and Pakistan anda seminar to disseminate the results at theprovincial level.

In the process, some of the findings showedthat the lack of attention to water quality shouldbe equated with lack of awareness of thecommunity; future strategies should addressthe issue of deteriorating surface water qualityand be supported by adequate legal andinstitutional setup; the role of NGOs inimprovement of awareness and monitoring forWQM Projects is important and awareness,capacity building, allocation of resources andtraining programmes are essential forimplementation of a WQMP.

Some of the steps suggested for the futureincluded undertaking and commissioning

several specialised studies, which included:l Quality of crops produced on soils irrigated

with Hudiara Drain waterl Development of national guidelines for

maximum permissible metal levels in soilssubjected to effluent irrigation

l Studying assimilative capacity of River Ravil Development of irrigation water quality

standardsl Assessment of drinking water quality along

Hudiara Drain

The Organization for ParticipatoryDevelopment (OPD) undertook theParticipatory Sanitation Initiatives ofCommunity-based Water Management. T h eOPD initiated the credit programme with OrangiPilot Project (OPP) in May 1993, and startedthe sanitation programme in December 1993.The project was able to conduct 18 surveys andestimates, lay 16 sewer lanes, and train 16 lanemanagers, 9 masons and 10 labourers.Furthermore, an amount of Rs. 317,434 wasprovided by the community as investment.

However, this project was not viewed as amajor success, and the lessons learnt includedthe fact that the project area selection was notneeds based; the sanitation project was linkedwith other OPD projects which were dissimilar

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in nature; there was a miscalculation of financialcontribution of the community, and linkages withthe line departments were non-existent.

Investing in the need for remedial measures forsanitation needs, the Taraqee Trust undertooka project entitled Challenges of Sanitation inLow Income Urban Settlements. The projectaimed at improving living conditions of lowincome communities, promotion of low costsanitation facilities on self help approach andeducating users about hygiene for intended useof sanitation facilities.

The implementation of the project includedassessment of needs and area selection;meetings, sensitisation and general communitymobilisation; formation of organisations andelection of president and manager; collection ofcontributions and construction of seweragelines. This was followed by follow-up visits andhealth and hygiene education for thecommunities.

While Taraqee Foundation provided support likelay out and designation of sewerage line,masons training, provision of hardware forhousehold latrines, community mobilisation andhealth and hygiene education, the communitiescontributed through the donation and collectionof funds and more importantly provision oflabour and masonry support.

The project was able to result in an improvedphysical environment, disposal of wastewater

and excreta from the immediate vicinity andreduction in malaria and water-borne diseases.The project brought to the fore learning like theissue of subsidies versus self-help, the need fora clear vision and approach and the need forexpertise.

The Soan Valley Development Programme(SVDP) utilised its SGP grant for a five-yearproject that aimed at the Conservation ofBiodiversity and Sustainable IrrigatedAgriculture through Participatory Managementof Groundwater Resources. The project wasundertaken in ten villages of Valley SoanSakesar, District Khushab, Punjab, under theGEF focus area of Conservation of Biodiversity.

Amongst the project objectives was the need todemonstrate potentially successful strategiesfor organising village level communities toinitiate and sustain activities to combatdesertification with special emphasis onbiodiversity and sustainable utilisation ofgroundwater resources; federate the villagelevel communities into an area organisation toaddress issues related to conservation ofbiodiversity and enhancement to aquiferthrough recharge; acquisition of knowledge andinformation related to conservation ofb i o d i v e r s i t y, management of groundwaterresources and irrigation water through activeparticipation of communities and local expertsand provision of technical and credit support tointerested individuals and communities forconservation of biodiversity.

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Box 5: Replicating theOPP Model inBalochistan

The project was undertaken in Nawa Killi- an urban settlement near Quetta,Balochistan and included the disposal of wastewater, construction of pit latrinesto shallow sewers and benefited 57 households. The 10 month long project wasundertaken from November 1994 to August 1995, as an adaptation of the OrangiPilot Project (OPP) model, and was based on the values of social mobilisationand promotion of self-help initiative.

Box 6: Streamlining andEnhancing LocalResources

Project outcomes resulted in awareness raising amongst the community; watercourses lining and PVC pipe irrigation over 40,000 Rft carried out in 55 smalltubewells and dugwells of small farmers resulting in massive water saving andenergy saving in monitory terms; support from Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund(PPAF) through which pipes were laid on 167 tubewells; sprinkler and dripirrigation interventions in the offing; millions of barrels of ground water saved;over Rs 1 million saved by communities in energy and labour; farmerscooperatives formed for long term conservation support in the area; utilisation ofpreviously wasted cauliflower leaves as compost by small farmers.

Some lessons worth noting include the fact thatconservation or sustainable resource use is aslow process and needs time and effort todeliver; and that the involvement of governmentinstitutions and line departments is needed inconservation initiatives.

Through the partnerships built between thefarmers’ cooperatives, local CBOs, NGOs likeWWF-P and Green Circle Organization, district

level government and line departments’ futureplans include:

l Development of a model of sustainabledevelopment based on the conservationstrategies/interventions carried out throughfarmers cooperatives

l On-farm water management component tobe focused on in the coming three to fiveyears


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03S u s t a i n a b l eA g r i c u l t u r e

For farmers, the attainment of sustainableagriculture normally requires a series of small,realistic steps, which include personaleconomics and goals. But it is important torealise that reaching toward the goal ofsustainable agriculture is the responsibility of allparticipants in the system, including farmers,policymakers, researchers, and consumers.

Specific strategies for realising these broadthemes or goals can be grouped according tothree separate though related areas of concern:farming and natural resources, plant and animalproduction practices, and the economic, socialand political context.

Being an agricultural country, more than 50% ofP a k i s t a n ’s population is employed in theagricultural sector. Less than 20% of Pakistan'sland can be intensively farmed- nearly all ofwhich is cultivated. However, generally farmerslack knowledge of the operating characteristicsand full capabilities of technologies within thesector. Common problems in both irrigated andrainfed areas include erosion of soil, underuseof organic fertilizers and overuse of syntheticchemicals. In rainfed areas, overextensivecultivation is common.

The decision for intensification of farm lands inPakistan stems from demographic reality.Pakistan has developed strategies to ensure

food security by 1998, which also includes theagricultural sector, through the development ofinfrastructure in rural areas, and communityparticipation. This would be effective in raisingboth socio-economic standards, and mass-awareness of hygiene and environmentalconditions. Furthermore, knowledge andcapacity within food production can bestrengthened, access to agricultural marketsimproved and land and fertilizer use managedefficiently.

The SUNGI Development Foundation’s p r o j e c tfor Natural Resource Management forConservation of Biodiversity aimed towardsproviding support for the management andutilisation of local natural resources in asustainable manner through the conservation ofbiodiversity for enhancing the livelihoodcapacities of poor and deprived communities ofthe Hazara region. The main objectives of theproject included introduction and pilot test of acomprehensive package of natural resourcemanagement, conservation of biodiversity andpoverty alleviation; exploration of the indigenousknowledge regarding local crop varieties andcropping pattern with a view to promoting thesepractices; promotion of local species;development of skills and managementcapacities of poor farmers to grow local landraces and seed crops and establish village levelseed banks; development of the seed distribution


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s u s t a i n a b l eA g r i c u l t u r e

he area of sustainable agriculture is seen as integrating

three main goals-environmental health, economic

p r o f i t a b i l i t y, and social and economic equity. Sustainability

rests on the principle that present needs must be met

without jeopardising the ability of coming generations to

meet their own needs. This supervision and guardianship

of both human and natural resource includes (among

many other factors) responsibilities such as working and

living conditions of labourers, the needs of rural communities, and

maintaining or enhancing this vital resource base for the long term.

T

network for local crop varieties and ensuringlarge scale emergence of these varieties andidentification of local medicinal plants and herbsin order to encourage their usage.

The project was implemented by the communityorganisations themselves. SUNGI facilitatedthe activities through trainings and technicalassistance. These village organisations wereinvolved in all stages of the project includingimplementation, identification andrecommendation of beneficiaries to be trained,repair and maintenance of the project;documentation and management of financialand other records. Some of the establishedorganisations were also provided institutionalsupport to implement the physical infrastructureprojects, and trained as master trainers. SUNGIwas closely involved in the monitoring andimplementation of the project activities with thecollaboration of community partners. Majoractivities undertaken for the implementation ofthe project included the conservation of localland races of agriculture, establishment ofdemonstration plots of indigenous varieties,mobilisation of communities to grow more ofthese varieties for seed multiplication leading tothe establishment of seed banks for othercommunities, introduction of environmentallysafe and sound techniques in the partnerscommunities to promote safe use of pesticidesand insecticides, establishment ofdemonstration plots for organic farming,promotion of the use of natural and locallyavailable herbs as pesticide, promotion ofcompost as an alternative to chemicalfertilizers.

Although the project was implemented by thecommunity organisations themselves, SUNGIremained an apex body providing support tothese organisations. The project wasimplemented with the collaboration of threecommunity organisations and eachorganisation covered 8 villages (almost 4,800households). Through this project, farmerswere able to establish community based seedclubs and conserve seeds of maize variety,conserve locally depleting species and promoteand build capacity of the community inbiodiversity conservation.

Through the project some of the lessons learntincluded the fact that a combination of

advocacy with developmental work is moreeffective, areas where agriculture extension hasnot been approached and where multinationalcompanies have not been established are richin biodiversity conservation, local knowledgeplays a significant role in biodiversityconservation, a combination of local knowledgewith research work is more effective for gettingthe desired result, and the community is alwaysinterested in developmental work relevant topoverty alleviation.

Hirrak Development Centre’s unique utilisationof its SGP grant has had a two pronged focusthrough the project on the Conservation ofAgricultural Ecosystems and Street Theatre forConservation Awareness. This two and a halfyear project has been carried out in two clusterareas, one each in Dera Ghazi Khan andMuzaffargarh districts.

The main project goals focused on theprotection of the agricultural ecosystem of theproject areas from over use of insecticides andchemical fertilizers; to mitigate threats to thesurvival of Indus Dolphin, migratory birds andthe wetland habitat of the Indus Flood Plainsand to promote and conserve traditionalvarieties and methods of pest control, based oncenturies old management techniques.

The main methodology of the project was theuse of street theatre as a tool for communitymobilisation. The process also included aworkshop on alternative methods to controllinginsects without the use of insecticides; trainingof farmers in the preparation of organicfertilizers; application of pheromones, lighttrapping and methyl Euginal in the cotton crop,vegetables and mangoes; health camps tocreate awareness about the harmful effects ofinsecticides and chemical fertilizers; theatreworkshops and performances to createawareness amongst farmers about biodiversityconservation; folk melas and CBOmeetings/seminars. The project beneficiariesincluded small farmers and women, generalpublic of both target areas and small farmersinvolved in the project.

The project has resulted in the development ofleadership skills in small farmers and women toconserve biodiversity and search for their ownsolutions. Some major results have included

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S u s t a i n a b l eA g r i c u l t u r e

the production of organic cauliflower, mangoesand insecticide free tomatoes, as well as plansfor the development of direct links between theproducer and consumer. The farmers have alsobegun to appreciate and understand the needto protect the Indus Dolphin. The use ofinsecticides in wheat crop has beendiscontinued and a trend of organic wheatproduction in the hill torrent area has beenfurthered. Other than developing organicvegetables, farmers are also exploring thedevelopment of an alternative market. A uniquefeature of the project has been the awarenessraised amongst the farmers and the generalpublic regarding the WTO, corporate agricultureand biodiversity. More importantly, women haveorganised themselves, built capacity andknowledge, developed their awareness andprotective measures against health problemsoriginating from the use of insecticides andchemical fertilisers and the effect ofmechanisation of agriculture and corporateagriculture on their rights to, and involvementin, agricultural activity.

Some interesting lessons learnt include the factthat farmers do not want sympathy, rather, theyrequire a proactive approach. Furthermore, itwas realised that the NGOs should be involved

in day-to-day problems of target groups andcultural activities should also be used formotivation.

DAMAAN’s three-year project on Developmentthrough Awareness and Conservation ofBiological Diversity worked towards the goals ofmobilising farmers to conserve land race, usenon-transgenic seeds, promote sustainableconsumption of natural resources, conservelocal varieties of seeds/plants, promote benefitsharing of local knowledge and multiply localvarieties.

D A M A A N ’s strategy included an inclusiveapproach towards biological and socio-culturaldiversity; extensive mobilisation throughmultiple communications, i.e., a gradual andproactive approach; large scale linkages forcollection and storage of varieties; selectivepartnerships for reuse and multiplication andrecording, storing and reusing of local species,knowledge and practices.

Benefits generated through the project includedglobal contact of local communities establishedon issues of environment and conservation;local varieties, species and knowledgecollected and stored for sharing with


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laboratories all over the world; useful (nutritiousand economical) seed/plant varietiesconserved, shared and reused; alternatepatterns reintroduced to reduce dependence onreductionist farming; revival of multiple croppingpattern beneficial for the poor, households andwomen.

The Green Circle Organization (GCO) as itsname suggests has the ‘green revolution’as themain theme of its project, titled ImprovingLivelihoods and Environment by Conservingand Promoting Indigenous A g r o - e c o l o g i c a lBalance.

It therefore focuses on diversifying agricultureby coupling it with dairy, poultry, livestock,horticulture and organic agriculture and farming

medicinal plants to increase the per acreincome of the farmers. Their work also includesareas like the effects of chemical fertilizers andminimum feasible unit; market uncertainty andmajor crop crisis; water crisis; identification ofindigenous species of plants; export potential ofmedicinal plants; applied research; soilpreparation; the role of livestock (farmyardmanure, cow dung); sustainable agriculture;bio-refinery/ bio gas and indigenousseeds/revolving seed bank.

Eco-Conservation Initiatives (ECI) utilised itsSGP grant to undertake an Integrated PestManagement (IPM) Capacity Building Projectaimed at building the capacity of the NationalRural Support Programme (NRSP) through thedevelopment of training modules of the IPM of

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S u s t a i n a b l eA g r i c u l t u r e

Box 7:Learning by Doing

Though DAMAAN is the sole implementing agency of the project, 9 village-communities with 21 male and 6 female farmers are partners in this project.Impacts have included collection of 103 local seeds, securing 30 importantseeds, collection of 9 rare seeds, multiplication of 9 threatened seeds,partnership with 10 farmer communities and plantation of 5 local trees. Lessonslearnt include the fact that the DAMAAN area seed varieties are highly droughttolerant and moderately pest resistant; cultivation of local seed/crops iscomfortable, economical and profitable. Unchecked import of alien varieties isthe biggest threat to local species.

Apple Woolly Aphid in Murree Hills. The projectspanned the period between March 2002 toOctober 2003 and covered the exactidentification of the target pest problem anddetermining the extent of the damage; raisingawareness amongst the farming communitiesfor minimising use of hazardous insecticidesincluding organophosphate group; motivationand skill enhancement of communities (menand women) to increase their farm incomethrough environment friendly interventions; anddesigning and preparing IPM training modulesthrough the involvement of NRSP staff with theobjective of their capacity building.

To achieve the above, activities carried outincluded survey of the apple orchards; an IPMorientation session; identification of useful andharmful insects and use of organic manures;community-based IPM of Woolly Apple Aphid;community IPM training for NRSP staff; Training

of Trainers (ToT) and field based training; IPM-based budding and grafting of apple plants;establishment of new apple orchards in TehsilMurree; field activities for cultivation of appleplants; planning meetings with the involvementof master trainers for shift from project toprogramme.

Several Urdu and English brochures wereprinted based on the learning and findings ofthe above activities. These were included as apart of the main training module.

In order to implement this project, ECInetworked with varied SGP partners includingN R S P, HDC, SVDP and GCO. The mainbenefits included capacity building of mastertrainers, establishment of 18 apple orchards,provision of hand pump sprayers to eachmaster trainer, provision of jobs to 10community members in various ECI projects.


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04C o m m u n i t yP r o t e c t e dA r e a s

Being a country of varied cultural diversity,Pakistan illustrates varied patterns of landownership and resource use. These patternshave resulted in various culturally basedconflicts. Considering that protected areas areinextricably related to local community valuesand requirements, their planning andmanagement must be very sensitive andresponsive to cultural differences. However,most communities find themselves caught up inissues pertaining to land ownership andtherefore the successful planning andmanagement of protected areas is oftenneglected in the context of Pakistan.

The Himalayan Wildlife Foundation’smammoth undertaking, namely the DeosaiBrown Bear Project is based near the Line ofControl (LoC), Kargil. Deosai was declared aNational Park in 1993, and the HimalayaWildlife Foundation’s involvement in Deosaistarted the same year as an effort to protect thebears. The project has now expanded into aneffort to protect the unique ecosystem in Deosaiand to manage the National Park incollaboration with the Northern Areas ForestDepartment. HWF is managed by volunteersand their project staffs are drawn from localcommunities. HWF aims to create a modelnational park in Deosai where the communities,

the government and other stakeholderscollaborate to preserve the ecosystem wherepeople can visit to enjoy the scenic beauty andto learn about nature and the local communitycan derive economic benefits from eco-tourism.

The project aims for the institution of DeosaiNational Park; park management andprotection of the ecology of Deosai plains;increasing awareness at the local and nationallevel on the value of Deosai Plains; provision ofresearch support and training to the relevantinstitutions and the involvement of localcommunities in park management.

In order to achieve the above, the strategydeployed was the development of managementplan for the park and participatory institutions;network of guards, check posts, and patrolling;special strategies for protection of bears,falcons and fish; partnerships for research andsupport to communities in developmentinitiatives.

The key lessons learnt include the need forlegislative and regulatory reforms; flexible andadaptive management structures; communityinvolvement in management of protected areas;combination of financing from state, externaland internal resources; critical need for


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C o m m u n i t yProtected Areas

t is recognised that a substantial part of the earth’s

biodiversity survives on territories under the ownership,

control, or management of indigenous peoples and local

communities who actively or passively conserve many of

these sites through traditional or modern means. Yet, these

indigenous communities are neglected in formal conservation

circles. Considering that these sites are extremely diverse in

their governance, objectives of management and ecological

and cultural impacts, it is necessary to facilitate them in responding to

threats, and enabling them to reach greater security in their

conservation and sustainable use practices.

I

awareness at the local level; collaborativeresearch programmes lower costs and improvequality and ecotourism for the development ofeconomic opportunities for communities.

Khunjerab Villagers Social We l f a r eO r g a n i z a t i o n ’s (KVO) project Conservation andManagement of Wildlife, focused on promotingtrophy hunting as opposed to illegal hunting.

There are plans now for conservation funds tobe established in order to ensure sustainability.Terms of Partnership have also been signedwith IUCN/MACP, and a conservation plan isu n d e r w a y. Furthermore, to protect naturalresource, it is planned that an alternativeresource for firewood will be provided to thelocal community.

Other facilities like the establishment ofeducational and resource projects have beenplanned as well as the provision of basic healthfacilities to the community through theestablishment of 15 hospitals.

The Takatu Waroor Galvi Taraqee Tanzeem’s(TWGTT) Community based Conservation ofStraight horned Markhor, Afghan Urial andassociated Biodiversity in Takatu Hills, Quetta -Pishin Districts aims at creating awarenessabout the importance of biodiversity in the area;preparation of a conservation and developmentplan; increasing the population of targetspecies; habitat improvement; sustainable use

of natural resources in the project area andparticipatory assessment and monitoring ofbiodiversity conservation activities.

In this three-year project, communityconsultation as well as partnerships wasestablished with various agencies like theBalochistan Forest Department, WWF -Pakistan, and the local administration.Resultantly, key species received protection,habitat was rehabilitated and conserved,awareness raised, local economy enhanced,and jobs created locally. Furthermore, thesignificance of Takatu Hills was acknowledged,community ownership built and the number offlora and fauna grew despite the drought.

Through this project it was learnt that despitetribal conflicts, communities supported suchprojects. However, it was felt that the projectdesign did not fully address the issues of thecommunities and area.

Adventure Foundation of Pakistan’s (AFP)Conservation of Blind Indus Dolphin throughEcotourism at Taunsa Barrage was a two yearproject aimed at the creation of awarenessamong local boat people about the Blind IndusDolphin; enhancement of their income byintroducing a community-based ecotourismproject; attracting attention of local andinternational media to create awareness aboutthe conservation of Indus Blind Dolphin at localand global levels; improvement in the quality

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Box 8:Touching NewHeights

Some of the major results and achievements include the beginning of a fullyfunctional national park with a management plan and a zoning system; networkof check posts and patrolling in the park and adjacent valleys; establishment ofPark Management Committees; community development projects; informationand awareness on Deosai (visitor guidebooks and brochures, guidebooks forwildlife, birds and plants, and posters); visitor programmes and nature tours.

Box 9:Protecting throughTrophy Hunting

This five-year project has been able to lead to the protection of wildlife and theintroduction of trophy hunting. After ascertaining the official census of wildlifeand the quota allocated according to the census, the sale of trophies was set at5 for foreigners, 19 for local Pakistanis. Therefore, the total number of trophiessold was 24. The permit rate for trophy for foreigners was set at $3000 and forthe locals at Rs.25,000.

In order to ensure utilisation by the community, the remuneration percentagewas allocated at 80% for the community and 20% for the government.

and standard of local fishermen’s services forthe promotion of environmental friendly tourismin the area; motivation of Tourism Tr a d eCommunity to introduce new ecotourismproducts such as ‘Indus Blind Dolphin BoatS a f a r i s ’ through their marketing campaign.

Initially, a PRAactivity was conducted at TaunsaBarrage to form a community basedcooperative to run the ecotourism programmeon traditional boats from Taunsa Barrage toGhazi Ghat. Then a management committeecomprising representatives of local community,Adventure Foundation Pakistan, WWF-Pakistan, tour operators, Irrigation Departmentand Wildlife Department was established toprovide policy guideline for the management ofthis ecotourism project. Adventure FoundationPakistan, with its previous experience of IndusBoat Safaris, prepared suitable ecotourismproducts to attract domestic as well as foreigntourists to support boat people communitiesthrough creating a reasonable demand for theservices of boat safaris. A training programmewas organised at Taunsa Barrage to trainselected local boat people in tour guiding,visitor management, services arrangement,security and life saving techniques and dealingwith tourists in an eco-friendly manner. ‘Save

Indus Dolphin Rafting Expedition’ w a sorganised by AFP to create awareness amongthe people living along the Indus. A team ofeight members of A F P participated in thisexpedition from Attock to Ghazi Ghat. Threeselected boats were renovated, upgraded anddecorated in local traditional style to meet thestandards of domestic and foreign visitors.Furthermore, necessary equipment required forcamping, wildlife viewing and water safety wasprovided to boat people through theCooperative Society.

The Lahore Zoo’s SGP funded project namelythe Indus Dolphin Rescue Unit is a three-yearproject funded by the Lahore Zoo and SindhWildlife Department. The project aims atreducing the mortality of Indus River Dolphinstranded in irrigation canals; creatingawareness and understanding of about theIndus River Dolphin and its habitat; organising ariver based centre for treating injured animals;creating awareness among the communitiesspecially fishermen regarding conservationissues in general and Indus River Dolphin inparticular and involving and training localpeople for Dolphin Rescue Operations includingveterinarian training for staff at the Lahore Zooand the Sindh Wildlife Department.


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The approach adopted to achieve theseobjectives included the collection of informationregarding stranded dolphins throughcommunities; establishment of Dolphin RescueUnit at Sukkur / Lahore Zoo; training of rescues t a ff; extension of existing awarenessprogrammes and identification of major threatsto fisheries, Indus Dolphin and their habitat andimprovement in the watch and ward of the area.

Project beneficiaries have been the Indus RiverDolphin, the Sindh Wildlife Department, theLahore Zoo, the World Wide Fund for Nature –Pakistan and local communities, schools,young helpers, nature lovers, researchers andlocal NGOs.

The overall aim of the Galliforme Project of theWorld Pheasants Association (WPA) was toenhance Pakistan’s capacity to conserve itsnative pheasant species and their habitats. Inorder to achieve this end, the followingprocesses aimed:l To develop survey techniques that produce

reliable measures of distribution andabundance for populations of the threepheasant species living in NWFP’s mountainforest habitats: western tragopans( Tragopan melanocephalus), koklass

(Pucrasia macrolopha) and Himalayanmonal (Lophophorus impejanus);

l To compare populations assessed in theseways in different areas and through time;

l To seek explanations for the distribution andabundance patterns of pheasant speciesrevealed by the surveys, in terms ofphysical, biotic and anthropogenic factors;

l To research the ecology of the threatenedwestern tragopan in more detail than hadbeen possible hitherto;

l To suggest what actions are required for thefuture conservation of pheasants in theproject area, and how these might best beimplemented;

l To train members of the NWFP WildlifeDepartment, as well as local people living inkey areas, in pheasant populationmonitoring techniques;

l To initiate and test a conservation educationprogramme designed to promote theconservation of pheasants and their foresthabitats via local village schools in theproject area;

l To supply all distribution data to the WildlifeDepartment of NWFP and to World WideFund for Nature – Pakistan for addition to itsexisting sites database for Galliformesspecies.

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Box 10:Awareness forIncome Generation

This project received very good coverage in the press and electronic media.And a number of news items and articles were published in leading newspapersand magazines. Besides, a special documentary was also made by BBC on theproject and was televised twice on its network. Pakistan Television alsotelevised a documentary made by Serendip Productions on its PTV Wo r l dchannel. The information material produced on the Indus Dolphin in Urdu andEnglish also received a positive response. Therefore, the project has shown areasonable impact as far as awareness about the Indus Dolphin is concerned.As far as income generation impact is concerned, the community received aconsiderable financial input in their below poverty level economy. T h ecommunity generated Rs. 137,000 by running short and long durationecotourism boat safari trips in the second year as compared to the first year’sfigure of Rs. 40,000. Furthermore, there is a very clear attitudinal change in thecommunity after improvement in their income level. The community is nowconsidering spending some of their savings for education and health of theirchildren and family members.

Box 11:Protecting theBlind IndusDolphin

Through the project 26 stranded dolphins have been rescued during 2000-03;awareness among the masses regarding Indus Dolphin has been created; stafftrained for the rescue operations; knowledge about Indus River Dolphingenerated; university students motivated for research on dolphins andcommunities involved in rescue operations.

This project focused on the Hazara andKohistan districts of NWFP - the acknowledgedstronghold for these species and their mountainforest habitats in Pakistan. The projectidentified six sites for surveys, and in theselected areas, three species were beingsurveyed over the project lifetime.

Project beneficiaries included local wildlifes t a ff in the form of capacity building and

exposure to scientific methods, as well asP a k i s t a n ’s scientific community, which gainedinsight into pheasant ecology. The study of thewestern tragopan has resulted in a clearerpicture of their seasonal habitat requirementsand has also resulted in specificrecommendations, which if implementedshould be able to influence people to managetheir natural resources in a sustainablef a s h i o n .


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05H u m a nS e t t l e m e n t sand Wa s t eM a n a g e m e n t

It is estimated that 47,920 tons of solid waste isgenerated in a day, that is, 17.5 million tons pery e a r, and only about a half is collected.Collected waste is dumped on low-lying landwithout any sanitary precautions. Another half isdisposed of at vacant areas, gutters orsewerage system. Toxic and hazardousindustrial waste is also dumped in the sameland area, or adjacent to factories. Similarly,medical waste is also disposed in the samearea and it imposes health risks.

There is practically no solid waste managementin Pakistan. Only half of the urban wastes aredisposed in sewers, with most remaininguntreated. Solid waste treatment has beenprivatised in order to keep up with the demandfor solid waste treatment services. Only Karachiand Islamabad have sewage treatment plants.The environmentally sound management ofsewerage and solid waste is a core issue and

has been given sue importance in the NationalConservation Strategy of Pakistan. However,much more needs to be done in this regard.

The Gujrat Sanitation Programme of WasteB u s t e r s is a private public partnership forwaste management between the UNDP, TheUrban Governance Initiative (TUGI) and UrbanGovernance Innovations Faculty (UGIF). TUGIis a regional project developed and funded bythe UNDP as an action-oriented initiative thatpromotes better urban governance throughinstitutional capacity building; provision of policyadvisory services; enabling innovations on toolsand methodologies and promoting collaborativenetworking within and between cities in Asia.Implementation includes building capacities forbetter urban governance; facilitatingcollaboration and partnerships into city policy-making levels; production of user-friendly toolsfor improving urban governance structures and


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H u m a nSettlements andWa s t eM a n a g e m e n t

ost of the world’s urban population is now in Africa,

Asia and Latin America. So too is most of the

urban poverty. Most of this populace dwells in life

and health threatening homes and neighbourhoods

because of poor quality, overcrowded housing,

dangerous land sites and lack of basic services.

Urban areas also concentrate a high proportion of

resource consumption, waste generation and

greenhouse gas emissions. There is therefore an urgent need for

cities to set new standards in resource conservation and waste

minimisation. For instance, the concentration of production provides

more scope for reusing or recycling waste. Furthermore, it is

necessary to ensure that the urban poor’s rights are recognised and

that they can form more effective relationships with local government

and other decision makers.

M

processes; popularising good governancethrough the implementation of a complementaryawards system; and promoting newcollaborations that strengthen nationalgovernment focal points.

Gujrat City has been a target of indiscriminatedumping of solid waste in fields, garbagedumps and pollution in agricultural fields andgeneral dumping of plastic bags. Solid wastemanagement in Gujrat has led to a shortage ofmanpower (in comparison to the population); anincomplete sewerage system; lack of properspace for solid waste disposal; non-availabilityof filth depots in the city; non-cooperation of thegeneral public with the sanitation staff; excessof tonga/rehras in the city; extra use of plasticshoppers; lack of transport and lack of disposalstations.

The Waste Busters Gujrat SanitationProgramme was developed on the principle ofpublic–private partnership with communityparticipation as a key ingredient. T h estakeholders in the process were public sectorTehsil Municipal Administration (TMA), WasteBusters, UNDP and the citizens of Gujrat.

The role of the TMA has been to provide theland (10 acres) and basic infrastructure forsetting up a waste recycling plant; guaranteethe availability of MSW for 30 years free of cost,and arrangement of transportation of wastefrom transfer point to the disposal site.

Waste busters are meant to establish a MSWrecycling plant; manage it and pay for all theoperational expenses; market the compost tothe local farmers to generate income from the

project; sell/recycle the inorganic waste togenerate revenue; and share 15% of earningswith the TMA from the profit in the project.

The UNDP/TUGI are to provide the initial startup capital of US $50,000 as seed money for theproject; make available adaptable technology invogue elsewhere in the world and network thisproject with other cities in the Asia – PacificRegion. The project is aimed at creatingemployment, generating income; and tacklingthe solid waste management problem.

Through SGP grant, the Private PublicPartnerships for Waste Management h a simplemented a project namely CommunityWaste Management Project for a period ofthree years. Its purpose has been to improvehealth, hygiene and sanitation; to reduce viraldiseases caused through waste/garbage; tocreate awareness amongst the public regardinghealth and hygiene; and to help in controllingpopulation growth.

To achieve these objectives, health sub-committees were formed in every 15 streets;cleaning tools and trolleys were provided to allHealth Sub-Committees (HSC), four sweeperswere appointed to clean waste in clusters of 15streets and provided donkey carts; everyhousehold provided its own dustbin in theirhomes and on the roads and solid waste left forthe utilisation of the Sindh regional nursery.

Major activities carried in the project includedsocial mobilisation, appointment of male andfemale co-ordinators in the Health Sub-Committees, involvement of the vocational anddispensary staff in the Solid Wa s t e

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Box 12:Services to theUnderpriviledge:Revisiting InformalSettlements

Funded through a two-year SGPgrant, the project included the collection of datathrough a physical and economic survey; active involvement of communitythrough committees; widening of street pattern on self help basis; creation of4007 low cost plots at Farash (MUSP) and allotment of plots through transparentdraws. The project has led to an improved and clean environment, better livingconditions, plots at affordable cost and permanent settlement. Furthermore, 35out of the 47 sanctioned hand pumps have been installed, road work at MUSPat an estimated cost of Rs 3.159 million completed; storm drainage system at anestimated cost of Rs 6 million and 98% work completed; cross drainage systemof an estimated cost of Rs 4.1 million completed; planned 4007 low-cost 3 marlaplots at MUSP; 2142 households of six katchi abadis will benefit fromupgradation activities and protection work along nullah in Katchi Abadi G-7/1 isunder progress at an estimated cost of Rs 3.284 million.

Management project, health educationsessions, orientation workshops regardinghealth issues, and celebration of national,religious and cultural events. Other than theproject being replicated in other areas, it wasalso able to produce handy publications andinformation in the form of articles, baselinesurveys and brochures.

The Capital Development Authority’s (CDA)project for the Up-gradation and Regularisationof Informal Settlements of Islamabad aims atthe improvement of living and environmentalconditions of sectoral areas; provision of plotsto urban poor at low cost and provision of betterutilities and services.

Lessons learnt included the fact that projectsbegan with sound planning yield eff e c t i v eresults, the active participation of residents isessential, availability of required funds isnecessary for smooth progress, poor class ofcommunity also deserves provision of basicservices and provision of land at low cost isnecessary within the developed sectors.

APPNA SEHAT has undertaken projects onPreventive Health in Mardan, Murree,Islamabad, Sahiwal Pakpatan and Badin,

benefiting (till September 2003) 1019households and a population of 5462 people.The basic project philosophy is to empowercommunities to solve their health and relatedproblems through maximum utilisation ofexisting resources. The overarching goals ofthe project aim at reducing mortality andmorbidity for the population at greatest risk;improving the health of beneficiaries; helpingthe beneficiaries in identifying and solving theirhealth problems utilising existing resources;and further demonstrating how aff o r d a b l ecollaboration between public and private sectorcan result in dramatic reduction in serioushealth problems.

The APPNASEHAT model is based on a unit of500-550 households in one or more adjacentvillages, with one unpaid facilitator (localrespectable figure), local unit staff, localcapacity building with a focus on healtheducation and maximum utilisation of existingresources. Interventions have included baselinesurveys with a census survey of each unit;household visits for health education anddemonstration and data collection;immunisation (tetanus toxoid for women aged15-45 years irrespective of their marital status,and all basic shots - diphtheria, measles,


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tetanus, pertussis, tuberculosis and polio - forchildren aged less than five years); control ofdiarrhoeal diseases with emphasis on OralRehydration Therapy (ORT) with home madeoral rehydration solution; control of acuterespiratory tract infections with specialemphasis on recognition of danger signs ofpneumonia and timely help seeking; growthmonitoring including nutritional education withspecial emphasis on exclusive breast feeding,weaning and proper indigenous food intake andimportance of iodized salt; improved birthingpractices including antenatal and post partumcare, umbilical procedures, and child spacing;promotion of consumption of clean water andappropriate disposal of waste; environmentalprotection with special emphasis on hazards ofsmoking, use of shopping bags anddeforestation; generation of awareness againsthepatitis and tuberculosis with specialemphasis on their spread and control;promotion of importance of personal hygiene;social organisation including formation of smallcommunity organisation, unit committee andrepresentative regional health board andformation of sehat markaz.

Once a unit achieves a certain level of improvedhealth and development indicators, it is

graduated out of the active programme and itsfinancial inputs withdrawn. However, technicalassistance remains available.

APPNA SEHAT’s environmental health projectVillage Improvement of Golra Sharif replicates apreviously implemented model for communityhealth care in a semi-urban area nearIslamabad. This model has been successfullyimplemented in four diverse rural areas ofPakistan, with 140,000 beneficiaries. Throughthe project, un-served or under-servedcommunities become effective, independent,self-sustaining entities, meeting most of theirprimary health care needs through improvedhealth behaviours and establishing their ownMini Health Care System.

Through the project, communities are beingeducated about immunisation; diarrhoealdisease, dehydration, ORS preparation andadministration; importance of growth monitoringfor children; importance of antenatal andpostnatal examinations; importance of childspacing; importance of drinking potable waterand proper disposal of wastes, etc.Immunisation coverage for children under fivehas been raised from 32% to 84%, while thesame for women of reproductive age has been

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increased from 16 to 92%. Contraceptiveprevalence has been increased from 30% to46%. Men and women communityorganisations have started taking localdevelopment initiatives. This has included aninitiative to solve the mosquito problem in GolraSharif, construction of a septic tank on self-helpbasis, election of a Unit Health Committee bythe community organisations, and theestablishment of a Computer Literacy Centre.

Through the SGP grant, Shakkar Ganj SugarM i l l s have undertaken Bio-Composting ofIndustrial Waste. Certain products of the sugarmills like bagasse, filter cake and molassesresult in high levels of effluents. Biocompostingis a process to treat effluents making anenvironment friendly stable product which couldincrease the productivity of soils and plants.Through the experience of bio-compostingprocess at Shakkar Ganj Sugar Mills, it hasbeen recommended that such process of de-

composting the sugar mill waste should beadopted by all sugar mills; bio-compostingplants should be popularised in the main citieswith a view to decompose organic wastespecially from fruit and vegetable markets;organic garbage from the cities be collectedspecially for the purpose of decomposition; allthe decomposed material should be recycled toagricultural farms to reduce fertilizer costs andimprove crop yields.


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06E n e rg y

A large majority of new houses beingconstructed in Pakistan are not designed inaccordance with the climate. As a result,occupants consume extra energy to makehomes more liveable. It is estimated thatimproved building designs can reducehousehold energy bills by up to 20%, and thisfigure could be increased to 50% by the use ofefficient home appliances.

To add to this scenario, primary energy suppliesare not enough to meet present demands. So,Pakistan, like other developing countries of theregion, is facing a serious energy deficit.

However, renewable energy sources can playan important role in meeting this challenge.Renewable resources that are technologicallyviable in Pakistan include micro-hydel, bio-energy, wind and solar energy. Pakistan can

benefit from these as substitute energy in areaswhere sources exist. Natural gas is a majorenergy source in Pakistan; yet renewable andalternative energy development is notpromoted.

The Consumer Rights Commission ofPakistan (CRCP) undertook a project to createPublic Awareness on the HouseholdAppliances’ Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency is a neglected area anddespite scarcity of energy resources, a lot of itis wasted with significant environmentalimplications. Furthermore, there is a lack ofinformation about energy efficient homeappliances. The CRCP therefore aimed at:l Promoting sustainable energy consumption

patterns and efficient energy use at theindividual and community levels;


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E n e r g y

nergy efficiency is recognised as one of the most cost-

effective ways to reduce energy-related emissions

associated with climate change. However, for many

years, efforts to finance energy efficiency and

conservation measures have bypassed the residential

sector and particularly focused on the industrial sector

and power plants, with increasing attention given to

energy-efficiency equipment and elimination of waste

energy. Utilities in some highly industrialised countries have justified

such initiatives, by the energy savings realised and the significant

impact such initiatives have had in reducing greenhouse gas

emissions into the atmosphere. Impressive savings have been

achieved and projections indicate that still more cost-effective savings

exist. This sort of scenario prompted many investors to channel their

resources to utilities while overlooking residential sector energy use

and its impacts on climate change.

E

l Advocacy and lobbying for measures tominimise energy losses during transmissionand distribution at the systemic levels;

l Advocacy and lobbying for formulation andimplementation of energy eff i c i e n c ystandards for home appliances related togas and electricity;

l Training community-based organisations(CBOs), consumer groups, and civil rightactivists in the area of existing legalframework, which can be used to protectenvironmental rights.

Project activities have included studies onenergy consumption patterns inRawalpindi/Islamabad; home appliancesavailable in the market in terms of theirefficiency, affordability, and patterns of usage;existing legal framework for formulation andenforcement of energy efficiency standards.Furthermore, awareness-raising and trainingprogrammes for the promotion of eff i c i e n tenergy use practices both at the communityand policy levels have been undertaken andjournalists trained on energy efficient practicesand appliances. Talks have been held withconcerned government agencies andregulators for formulation and implementationof energy efficient standards as well as withmanufacturers and dealers to sensitise themabout the value of energy efficient homeappliances.

As a result, there has been greater awarenessabout the impact of inefficient energyconsumption practices on environment andhousehold budgets; better sensitisation ofmanufacturers/dealers of home appliances andwillingness to introduce efficient appliances andaggressively market them; greater realisationon the part of target audience about a strongconnection between consumer action andenvironment protection.

Three research studies were also conductedwhich included energy consumption patternsin Rawalpindi/Islamabad area in order toidentify attitudes and practices which result inwastage of energy; relevant home appliancesavailable in the market in terms of theire ff i c i e n c y, aff o r d a b i l i t y, their relation withd i fferent income groups and patterns of usage;and the existing legal framework for

formulation and enforcement of energye fficiency standards.

In total about 800 households have benefiteddirectly from the project activities. At thecommunity level, these included housewives,teachers, students, representatives of local civilsociety groups and local businessmen. At thepolicy level, engagements were made withsenior government officials to sensitise them.Other beneficiaries covered the media, lawyers’community and various business/dealersassociations. About 50 percent of thebeneficiaries were women, who are the majorusers of home appliances and directly sufferfrom the hazards involved in handling inefficienthome appliances. The study produced underthe project is beneficial for all those interestedin the promotion of energy efficiency practices.At the national level, the activities aimed atsensitisation of relevant businessmen,government agencies and regulators, which arelikely to benefit environment consumers in asustained manner.

Building and Construction ImprovementProgram’s (BACIP) project on Energy EfficientBuilding: Building Technologies in MountainAreas evolved as an action research project,with the main focus of analysing housingrelated problems of the target population forsustainable livelihood and developingappropriate solutions. This focused particularlyon fuel efficient housing technologies;improving the quality of life of women throughprogrammatic delivery and building the capacityof local institutions, entrepreneurs andcraftpersons on BACIP housing improvementsthrough training and dissemination.

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Under this project, the main activities includedentrepreneur/artisan training, community levelpromotional activities for raising demand ofBACIP products and dissemination of BACIPproducts, processes and impacts at theinstitutional level.

BACIP house improvement interventions arefocused on improving thermal insulation/fuelefficiency for local houses, improving structuralstability by low cost and timber free constructionmethods, improvement in sanitation facilitiesand domestic space management to improvethe living conditions for women.

Caritas Pakistan’s Replication Experience ofFuel Efficient Stoves aims at the conservationof energy by introducing fuel-efficient stovetechnology at the grassroots level, through thetraining of its staff and beneficiaries; reductionof wood consumption used as fuel at householdlevel; saving of time used by women forcooking; reduction in gas emissions;improvement in women’s health affected by thesmoke emitted from traditional stoves.

In the target area, there is a mixed Christianand Muslim population, with an average familysize of six persons per family with a per capitaincome of Rs. 1660. This has resulted in indoorpollution, high firewood consumption,deforestation, and ailments like headaches andwatery eyes.

The approach has included selection of targetareas, data collection for firewood consumption,selection of participants for TOT, organisation of

a TO T, animation process, and trainingworkshops by the trained trainers. The benefitsthus generated include reduction in gasemissions, 20-25% reduction in firewoodconsumption, saving of 2-3 hours per day,increase in family income, and reduction in gasemissions from the stove. Furthermore, fuelefficient stoves have been introduced in 35villages of Pakistan (2658 fuel efficient stoveswere installed in 2658 households), capacity of1424 women built, and improvement in healthand reduction in wood consumption.

Tribal Reforms and Development Forum’s(TRDF) project of Micro-Hydel Power Stationsfor Lighting up Tribal Homes has beenimplemented in Tirah Valley, Khyber Agency ofFATA. The project area was a "No-Go-Area" tillDecember 2001, when Pakistan Army enteredinto Tirah valley and started development workslike construction of roads, schools, and watersupply schemes. The project area is extremelyunder developed but is rich in natural resourcelike forests and streams. The water streamshave potential for generating micro-hydropower.

The project aims to decrease dependency onkerosene oil for lighting, thereby avoidingclimatic change due to fossil fuel emissions,provide a lead to governmental and non-governmental organisations to optimally utilisethe enormous hydel-power potential of Tirahvalley, enable community members to work forlonger hours at nights, enable young membersof the community to allocate more time to theireducation after dark, to enable the local


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Box 13:Saving Fuel,Improving Lives

These interventions have led to fuel savings due to thermal efficient housingproducts (up to 60%), improved health due to improved living conditions (50%less illnesses- and diseases related to cold and smoke), better economicconditions (due to savings in health, fuel and recurrent repair bills), improvedliving conditions, especially for women and children, raised awareness for abetter environment, enhanced skills of craftsmen and artisans, and capacitybuilding of institutions related to development.

BACIP’s main achievements have included the development of 60 houseimprovement products; installation of more than 8,000 products till date (1,000through SGP); benefits to 3,800 households (700 under SGP); utilisation ofBACIP by 34,000 people (48% women), 72 research based trainings of 75entrepreneurs and 250 craftpersons, (62 entrepreneurs/craftpersons throughSGP). Additionally, 11 entrepreneurs (2 through SGP) have opened their ownshops, which manufacture and sell BACIP products.

community to access contemporary ideasthrough the electronic media.

The Conservation and Rehabilitation Centre’s( C R C ) E fficient Housing aims at researching andproposing appropriate designs for sustainable,energy efficient, culturally sensitive and coste ffective domestic and public buildings of Uchand other cities of the southern Punjab region.Furthermore, it aims at dissemination ofinformation, building of capacity, provision ofeducation, training and awareness-raising aboutclimate change, climatic conditions and energye fficient building designs.

P a k i s t a n ’s region of southern Punjab isexceedingly vulnerable to climate change due tothe largest irrigation system for arid and semi-arid land. 17 to 59% more summer monsoonrains cause water logging, salinity and further hotand humid months. Therefore, it is important thatpolicy makers, professionals and educationistsdealing with the environment should befamiliarised with the concept of climate changeand climate types. This would enable the stettingup of energy efficient and climate friendlystandards for the layout of human settlementsand design of buildings reduce energyconsumption and provide a better workingenvironment for people from all walks of life. T h emethodology of the project was to researchtraditional architecture design principles that areclimatically friendly, culturally acceptable,technically apt and cost effective, as well as tointroduce natural and low energy mechanicalpassive cooling systems for thermal control.

The project being undertaken for a period ofthree years is hoped to contribute towards themitigation of climate change globally, provideeconomic and financial saving to buildingowners, improvement in health and

minimisation of pollution in the soil, air andwater. Lessons learnt so far include issues likesite delays owing to social constraints,substantial time taken to transferunconventional traditional detail drawings toauto-cad, and the fact that new studies andanalysis can be very time consuming.

Initiative for Rural and SustainableD e v e l o p m e n t ’s (IRSD) Promotion andInstallation of Biogas Units in Rural Areas inTehsil Rawalpindi aims at the protection of stateforests; provision of renewable energy andclean fuel; ensuring hygienic living conditions;improvement in the quality of soil through theslurry of biogas and revival of dormant biogasprogrammes of Pakistan.

The members of IRSD support a "Greening ofPakistan Project" in the area. This brought withit the learning that a reforestation programmecan only be effective when alternate fuelresources are available. Continuous meetingswith locals and religious groups were held andGEF was approached. With technical guidance,homes with large families, suitable space forconstruction and the essential livestock wereidentified.

For the installation of the biogas units, weldingof gas holders was undertaken in Islamabad,(owing to the unavailability of the local welder),and the holders were then supervised and takento the village. Aplumber was then engaged fromIslamabad to train a local worker in laying andconnecting gas pipes. Though workable, thebeneficiaries have to collect animal dung, put itinto the inlet tank, mix it with water and releaseit into the digester. Unless this activity is notundertaken, there is no gas. Normally dung isstored for a few days in a corner of thecompound and then carried to the fields.

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Box 14:Utilising TirahVallye’s HydelPower

The Project is technically feasible and its completion will provide electric powerto a significant number of users, who are currently using kerosene oil, which isboth costly and environmentally unfriendly. The replacement of fossil fuel byelectric power will be able to contribute in environmental protection efforts.Besides, the capacity of the local community will be enhanced in resourcemanagement. Project results have included the reduction of kerosene oilconsumption; replacement of fossil fuel by hydro-electricity for light by the localcommunity; economic saving of the project community through provision of acheaper source of energy; preservation of environment; enabling of the localpeople towards better resource management practices.

As gas increases during the summer season, itallows many neighbouring houses to use thesurplus generated. The value of animal dunghas also increased and droppings of passinglivestock are picked up from within the villagelanes. Therefore, cleaner living conditionswithin compounds are noticeable. Wo m e nclaim that their cooking pots last much longer

as they do not have to be scrubbed as before.Cooking has now become a pleasure,especially when the womenfolk return tiredfrom cutting fodder for the livestock. Manytimes one can witness other women chattingwhile they wait for their turn to use the cookings t o v e .


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07The Wa yFo rw a r d

At this juncture, the biggest challenge faced byUNDP-GEF is ensuring that these models are enhanced and the valuable decade long learning, vis-à-vis, capacity, partnershipsand implementation is built on. To gauge the capacity and status of recipientorganisations to develop and expand, scopingof SGP grantee organisations needed to beu n d e r t a k e n .

In this regard, dialogues have been initiatedwith stakeholders and partners alike. The latestin the series of formal and informal interactionshas been the UNDP-GEF’s one-dayconsultative workshop on Up-Scaling,Advocacy and Knowledge Management.Through such dialogues and comprehensivepresentations, projections were made regardingthe capacity, and environmental and economicbenefits of the projects. Furthermore, SGP hasbeen able to evaluate the current and proposedscale of activity, the proposed future strategyand assistance required from SGP.

Organizations that undertook projects within thepurview of sustainable agriculture were foundto have made considerable strides andillustrated a high level of capacity for up scalingand initiating advocacy ventures. Proposedsteps included:

l Extension and replication of projects to othergeographical areas, within and beyondcurrent provinces

l Initiation of advocacy at the provincial andnational level

l Establishment of linkages with other civilsociety networks, research organisations,provincial and federal governments, mediaand other forums

l Identification of new partners at thegrassroots level

l Increased mobility for expansion ofeducational facilities

l Development of CDs to be aired on privatechannels for income generation.

In the water and sanitation category, recipientorganisations identified steps, which alsoincluded largely community-based anddevolved measures:l Activation of District Environment Monitoring

Committeesl Provision of services through contributions

by households at the grassroots levell Promulgation of regional laws benefiting

local areasl Establishment of training institutes and GIS

labl Expansion of activities from mohalla to tehsil

and District level.


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ith the completion of 10 successful years of

GEF’s Small Grants Programme in Pakistan,

there is a trail of pilot projects at varied levels,

which provide the impetus for replication,

expansion and up-scaling. From policy to

grassroots, the impact of the SGP funded

projects has established models in all five

areas, namely water and sanitation, sustainable agriculture,

community protected areas, human settlements and waste

management and energy.

W

Organizations implementing projects forenergy efficiency focused not just on devolutionbut more importantly spoke of building capacityof the entire spectrum of stakeholders involvedin the process. Therefore some of the proposalsthat came forward were:l Introduction of energy efficient building

design and building construction standardsat the provincial, district, tehsil and unioncouncil level

l Partial development of a new curriculum,revised standards of C&W and building planapproval authority at union and tehsil level,

l Training of teachers of poly technical institute,masons, architects, building materialsuppliers, contractors, para-professionals,home or public builders and developers.

In the arena of human settlements and waste management suggestions andrecommendations included:l Coordination and facilitation by SGP for

several pending requests to replicateprograms

l Possible linkages with government that mayresult in more towards such initiatives.

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celebrating 10 years of undp-gef small grants programme …1.2. the undp/gef small grants programme...

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