Meenamgadi Gram Panchayat

‘Carbon Neutral Meenangadi’ is an innovative and sustainable development model that puts climate change, people and environment at the forefront of development, launched at Meenangadi grama Panchayat in Wayanad district of Kerala in 2016.

About Wayanad

The Kerala State Action Plan on Climate Change identifies the Wayanad district of Kerala as one of the ‘climate change hotspots’ in the state. Wayanad is nestled in the Western Ghats, an extension of Deccan Plateau. It is home to crops that are thermo-sensitive and vulnerable to climate change such as coffee, paddy and pepper. It is also one of the eight ‘hottest hot-spots’ of biological diversity in the world, home to nearly 5000 species of flora and fauna.

The Wayanad district is primarily agrarian with 50% of its geographical area falling under plantation and other agricultural land use. 97% of the district’s population are rural, therefore mostly directly dependent on agriculture for their livelihood. Due to this, the district was selected for a community-based climate change adaptation and development initiative named “Carbon Neutral Wayanad”.

About Meenangadi Panchayat

The panchayat is situated in Sulthan Bathery Block,  Wayanad district of Kerala. It comprises of 8199 house holds across 19 wards with a population of  34601 (as per Panchayat records). It is predominantly an Agrarian economy –76% of the population depends on agriculture. The crops grown include Coffee, paddy & pepper. Arecanut and banana are the other major crops. There is a lot of commercial activity centred around Mysore National Highway & Mananthavady-Sulthan Bathery State Highway. 

Background

This is a pilot project for ‘Carbon Neutral Wayanad’ a project which was envisioned by the Government of Kerala. The aim of the project was to transform Meenamgadi Panchayat and later the whole of Wayanad in a state of Carbon Neutral. Due to the fact that climate change affects all aspects of our lives, it is imperative to address it holistically by targeting all sectors of development.

Implementation

‘Carbon Neutral Meenamgadi’ comprises projects in the agriculture, energy, waste, water,transportation, land-use and environment sectors. Initially campaigns, classes and studies were conducted in the Panchayat to create awareness among people on carbon-neutral and a GHG emission inventory was prepared for Meenangadi in 2017. Panchayat found to be carbon positive (i.e., GHG emissions were higher than its removal)

Several ingenious multi-sector schemes were implemented in Meenangadi to reduce its emissions, increase its carbon sequestration, preserve its ecology and biodiversity and create resilience among the people.

‘Tree Banking’ is one of such landmark schemes introduced at Meenangadi to aid the carbon neutral works in the Panchayat. The scheme encourages people of Meenangadi to plant and protect trees by providing them interest- free loans. This will help to increase carbon sequestration, improve biodiversity while also acting as a source of income for the people of Meenangadi. Around 1,58,816 trees were planted in the Panchayat as part of the scheme with the help of Kudumbasree and MGNREGA in three years, starting from 2017.

Another project implemented in the Panchayat was the planting of bamboo trees on river banks to conserve soil and water resources. Bamboos are plants with a high carbon sequestration rate due to its faster growth rate. Planting bamboo not only increases carbon sequestration but they also protect the soil from eroding. Geo- textiles were also laid on the banks of water resources to prevent soil erosion andprotect river banks.

To ensure water availability, the Panchayat rejuvenated existing water bodies and constructed new ponds in private lands.

Waste and energy audits were conducted at 400 houses in two wards of Meenangadi to improve waste management and energy efficiency. A compost park was established to manage biodegradable waste, five Thumboormuzhi compost bins were built and composting equipment were distributed throughout the Panchayat for decentralized waste management. A plastic shredding unit was established and plastic and other non-biodegradable waste were collected through Haritha Karma Sena.

A production unit for alternate products was established and training was given to Kudumbasree members. They were also given training on making LED bulbs to replace filament lamps with CFL. Active involvement of the Panchayat and the citizens has enabled this project to stay onthe right track to shift to a sustainable Panchayat.

Key lessons learned

• Participation and support of community, authorities, organisations and people across all sectors is essential for successful implementation of such cross sectoral projects.
• Data collection will be an arduous task when the project is done at a subnational level. Primary and secondary data collection will be required, especially while doing a GHG inventory.
• ‘Carbon Neutral Meenangadi’ project shows how successful a ‘bottom-up’ approach is to carry-out low carbon development project towards a climate-resilient future. 

Conclusion

‘Carbon Neutral Meenangadi’ is a nature-based and people centered project which provides an opportunity for people to improve their livelihood, achieve climate resilience while also protectingthe environment. It is a leading example of low carbon development in India through local self-governments to combat this ever changing climate. With the rapidly increasing unpredictable extreme weather events due to human-induced climate change, cross-cutting projects like this can play a crucial role in tackling this global crisis  Five years have passed since its introduction in the 2017 now the Panchayats has entered to its second phase changes are visible in the panchayati area. One can see greenery every were, People are very much aware about the importance of carbon neutrality and linkage to be established through GPDP.

Sources

• Ministry of Panchayati Raj
• Climate Action Group