Green roads: Building environmentally friendly, low maintenance rural roads through local participation

Until 1990, Dadeldhura was totally inaccessible by vehicle and though a paved road now passes through the eastern side of the district, transportation and accessibility continue to be the critical issues especially in the western part of Dadeldhura. Over 65% of all RCIW resources in Dadeldhura district have gone into FfW rural road construction activities. Rural roads are often selected as FfW projects because they are very labour intensive and are high on the priority list of the local communities. Eka Raj Bhatta, the Chairperson of Nawadurga VDC, describes the importance of these activities: "Rural roads are important to provide transport in our remote area. They help because it will be easier to take our agricultural products to market and to improve the economic condition of the local people. It is also important that they are built to protect the environment and to minimise landslides. In the short-term, the roads also bring opportunities for the villagers to work and to find employment."