How degraded marshland became a village's healthy pond and reservoir

Like many communities around the world, Nepal’s Magar Village was facing water scarcity. Rising temperatures, prolonged dry spells, and intense, erratic rainfall compounded the already low water retention in the area’s soil. For the local community—which depends heavily on monsoon rains for agriculture, including maize, wheat, and mustard—irregular rainfall patterns and intense heat led to declining agricultural productivity and reduced income.

Although a small river runs near the village, channeling that water to agricultural lands proved challenging. Farmers relied on pumping water from the river for irrigation—a costly and labor-intensive process. This included temporarily blocking the river using stones and mud walls to collect water, pumping it to a reservoir near the village, and finally pumping it again to the irrigation canals to their fields. Despite these efforts, water was never sufficient, leaving much of the arable land barren.

Finding a nature-based solution

To help the community, WWF-Nepal launched a Climate Crowd project focusing on wetland restoration. First, accumulated sediment was removed from the degraded marshy land to help revive the wetland’s natural spring source. Then, an outlet with a water gate was constructed along its edge to create a pond. As a result, the community now has consistent water recharge and year-round water storage in the pond.

Today, local communities use the restored wetland for irrigation, and some families have begun fishing and snail farming too as a way to generate extra income. The pond allows farmers to pump water directly into irrigation canals. Roughly 25 acres (10 hectares) of farmland belonging to 22 families are now irrigated regularly. For the first time, these families have successfully cultivated rice, with enough to feed the entire community.

More water, less labor, better livelihoods

“We no longer need to build temporary dams in the river and wait for water levels to rise,” village resident and farmer Tulsiram Budhamagar explains. “Now, water is diverted directly from the pond to the canals, which is much faster and easier.”

Budhamagar estimates the new system has saved nearly 50 percent of their time and labor. Electricity consumption has also been reduced by half as less time is needed for pumping, and maintenance costs for motor pumps decreased due to reduced usage. “Water availability is better than ever,” he says.

Krishna Malla, another local resident, is similarly pleased. “Water for irrigation is now secure in all seasons. Before the restoration, we never imagined that this degraded marshy land would become such a beautiful reservoir and change our lives. This year, we are even considering switching from maize to vegetable farming, which will allow us to earn more money.”

Projects like this restored wetland initiative show the transformative power of nature-based solutions—improving water security, reducing costs, and creating new livelihood opportunities for rural communities.