Tourists in Illegal Hotels Decimate Habitat, Livelihood for Indigenous Community in Nepal

DOLALGHAT, NEPAL – Fishing is all that Sete Majhi knows. The 40-year-old fisherman says he remembers his father and grandfather catching fish in the Sunkoshi River in his village, Dolalghat, about 25 miles east of Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital. 

But the number of fish has declined in recent years, especially during the past year.

“I don’t know what has happened to the fish,” Majhi says. “We used to catch about 8 kilos every day. But of late, we hardly catch 2 kilos.” 

He is one of the indigenous Majhi people who live along this river and who traditionally have made their living from fishing. All indigenous people in this community have the last name of Majhi. 

“This is our tradition,” Majhi says. “I don’t know any other work with which I can support my family.” 

He and his wife have three daughters and one son to support. They also take care of his brother’s family. 

Majhi says he used to sell an abundant amount of asala, a type of trout, and katle, a type of carp, to the local market and still have enough for daily consumption. 

“I would sell about 90 percent of my catch for about 500 Nepalese rupees [$6] a kilo and keep the rest for [my] family,” he says.  

He still sells 90 percent of his catch, but because he catches a quarter of the fish he used to, he makes less money.

Now, he must send his children to a boarding school because he cannot provide enough food for the family through his fishing. 

The Majhis here are struggling to support themselves through their traditional livelihood of fishing in the once-plentiful Indravati and Sunkoshi rivers. They attribute the decline in fish to pollution by tourists staying at illegal lodges along the rivers and destructive fishing practices by nonindigenous communities. In order to make enough money to support their families, Majhis now mine sand and gravel from the rivers, which also hurts the rivers’ ecosystems.

Lama T owns a fish shop here. During the fishing season, he says his shop used to be so full of fish that he made around-the-clock sales for two months. 

“That’s why my shop is called Any Time Fish, ATF, shop,” he says.

But the fish supply has dropped by 50 percent during the last five years, he says. 

“I’ve been in this business for more than 11 years now, and it has never been worse than this,” he says. 

He used to sell rainbow trout for 800 rupees ($9) per kilo and asala for 600 rupees ($7) per kilo, he says. The declining fish population means he has to charge his customers higher prices.

“Because of short supply, I am forced to sell rainbow trout at 1,000 rupees [$11] a kilo, and asala I sell at 800 rupees [$9] per kilo.” 

He always buys his fish from the Majhis, but they bring fewer fish every year, he says. 

“The Majhi used to bring 10 or 12 kilos of fish,” he says. “Now, I receive only 4 or 5 kilos just every other day.” 

Reasons for the decrease in fish vary, says Dilip Majhi, 31, a fisherman who provides for his mother and siblings.

“Our catch of fish has been on the decline steadily, and while we may not know the exact cause, we know that there are many reasons why we don’t find many fish in our nets,” Dilip Majhi says. 

Fish populations are declining because of pollution, sand quarrying, destructive fishing practices and overfishing by nonindigenous communities, says Bed Mani Dahal, assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Engineering at Kathmandu University.

“The situation is in urgent need of protection, as [the] fish habitat is being destroyed,” Dahal says. 

Majhis say the increase in nonindigenous people visiting or living in the area depletes the rivers’ fish populations. 

There are no figures available for how many nonindigenous people live in or visit this area, says Nani Ram Subedi, a governance and livelihoods specialist with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development.

Dilip Majhi says more tourists are coming to the Dolalghat area.

“Ever since the Sunkoshi has become a popular destination for water rafting, there have been other communities staying along the riverbanks,” Dilip Majhi says.  

Visitors come to these hotels or lodges, rent camping equipment and space within the building and camp in the building, Subedi says.

Phool Majhi, 22, a fisherman’s wife, says the tourist industry is contaminating the rivers. 

“The hotel people have made the river waters filthy,” she says. “They wash their utensils, cattle and poultry in the river and also discharge sewage waste carelessly, letting it flow into the river. Could this be a reason why our nets don’t have fish when we go to collect them?” 

This pollution hurts the fish population because it affects their food, Dahal says.

“Polluting river water will cause algae that fish feed on to die,” Dahal says.

It is illegal for hotels, lodges and huts to operate inside an environment conservation zone, according to the Environment Protection Rules of 1997.

A Kavrepalanchok district police officer declined to comment on the legality of the hotels. The local government office in Dolalghat also declined to comment. 

But Subedi says the Sunkoshi River system is protected because the Langtang National Park, located north of Dolalghat on the border with China, encloses the catchment system that drains into the east of the river. Therefore, the whole river system is protected. 

Tourists also employ unsustainable fishing methods, including using electric currents, reducing river water levels, and adding poisonous substances or herbs to the water, Dilip Majhi says.

“Most of them come at nighttime and use electricity to catch asala,” he says. “Others divert the river channel when water levels are low. On many occasions, the settlers on Sunkoshi banks have even poisoned the river waters in a desperate bid to catch katle.” 

It is illegal to use any kind of electric current, explosive substance or unsafe, poisonous substance with the intention of catching and killing any aquatic animal in any water, according to the Aquatic Animal Protection Act of 1960. People who violate this can face a fine of up to 5,000 rupees ($60).

These methods of fishing are also unethical, Holmgren says.

“It is not just illegal, but [it is] definitely unethical and destructive to use electricity, poison or explosives to catch fish,” he says. “This has a very negative impact on fish population. The use of destructive fishing methods such as these must be stopped immediately by enforcing the existing environmental rules and regulations.” 

These fishing practices have lasting effects on the fish population, Dahal says.

“Polluting river water with poison frequently, whether natural or chemicals, has a long-term and sustained impact on the food fish feed on and, thereby, [on the] fish population,” Dahal says. “Electro-fishing indiscriminately and the use of explosives to kill or stun fish will ultimately lead to many species disappearing.”

People need to manage the Indravati and Sunkoshi rivers properly, Holmgren says.

“The rivers need to be used sensibly in order to preserve the fish genetic biodiversity,” he says.

Employees at three different hotels in Dolalghat all denied GPI access to the buildings and declined to comment on their legal status or the actions of the inhabitants.

The local government office in Dolalghat also declined to comment on whether the government is doing anything to regulate fishing in the rivers to restore the fish populations.

People use harmful fishing practices because it is easier than using the Majhis’ traditional fishing methods, Dilip Majhi says.

“This is an easier way to catch fish in larger quantities and is much quicker, too,” Dilip Majhi says. “Our ‘paso’ method is very tedious.”

Majhis’ fishing method uses a net made of nylon loops, which are called paso, he says. Both men and women share equal work responsibilities. While men catch fish, the women repair the nets after each use. A fisherman sets the paso nets in the evening and collects his catch early in the morning. 

“Do you know that these fish nets take us at least six hours to make?” Dilip Majhi asks, pointing to the nets his brother and sister are preparing. “And even after spending all that time and having almost the whole family engaged in making the paso, we end up with barely enough fish to eat.”

A net’s bait lures the fish, and their fins get stuck on the nylon loops, he says. This is a way to catch fish without harming other animals in the river, as poison does.

Most of the Majhi people live in poverty, and their economic status dips further when their livelihood declines, Subedi says. Most of the Majhi community does not attend school, so it is hard to find decent employment besides fishing.

Entire Majhi families now find employment in removing river sand and gravel when the Indravati and Sunkoshi rivers shrink during the summer months. This mining is a substantial income source for a community that is slipping deeper into poverty, Subedi says.

But this sand removal from the rivers also affects the fish populations, Dahal says.

“Removal of sand and gravel tends to remove the fish eggs, as well, and this could be another reason for fewer fish when the river fills,” Dahal says. 

Phool Majhi’s husband, who used to be a fisherman, now removes river sand to make money. 

“He is engaged in removing river sand for a contractor,” she says. 

Shunali Majhi, Sete Majhi’s wife, says the families in Dolalghat have always fished freely in the Indravati and Sunkoshi rivers for their own nourishment. 

“But now, the men in the village are forced to look for work outside their village, and most women find work in the few vegetable fields nearby,” Shunali Majhi says. 

The good fishing days have disappeared, Sete Majhi says. Unable to make sufficient money with fishing alone, he does extra work to compensate for his drop in fish earnings. 

“I now work as construction laborer for about 10 days a month and get paid 200 rupees [$2] every month,” he says. “I know it is not good money, but at least it is something.”