1 of 17 Mahottari in a Nutshell 3 Total area: 1,002km 2 Total Population: 627,580 Total VDCs: 76 Female: 316,564 (50%) Municipalities: 1 Male: 311,016 (50%) Eligible people registered to vote: 260,974 (May 2013) Total households: 111,298 Aged 10-24: 189,120 Average household size: 5.64 Male: 96,323 Human Development Index: 0.453 Female: 92,797 Literacy rate: 46% Women’s Literacy rate: 37% Foreign aid per capita disbursement: USD 5.00 Foreign aid commitment: USD 16 million, 45% through GoN Basic Education Schools: 413 Higher Secondary Schools: 40 Campus: 5 Hospitals: 2 Health Posts: 10 Sub-Health Posts: 67 District Profile: MAHOTTARI Mahottari is one of the six districts of Janakpur Zone, located in the Central Development Region of Nepal. The district is bordered by Dhanusha district on the east, Sarlahi on the west, Sindhuli in the north, and Indian state of (Bihar) on the south and. Administratively, the district comprises 76 Village Development Committees (VDCs), one municipality, 15 Ilakas 1 and six electoral constituencies. Jaleshwor is the district headquarters (DHQ). The total area of the district is 1,002km 2 and it has a population in 2011, Mahottari’s population numbered 627,580 people, 50% of them female. There are 71,309 children under five in the district, 68,455 adolescent girls (10-19), 149,074 women of reproductive age (15 to 49), and 50,210 seniors (aged 60 and above; see also annexed age profile). The population of males aged 20 to 34 is noticeably smaller than that of females due to the dynamics of migration. 2 In terms of religion, the majority of people (84%) in Mahottari are Hindu, 14% are Muslim, 2% Buddhist, and smaller shares of Kirat, Jain, Christian, Sikh, Bahai and or of other religions. 4 The district’s caste/ethnic composition in 2001 was 21% Dalit, 16% Janajati, 9% Brahmin and 2% Chhetri, among other groups. 5 A typical household in Mahottari is made up of five or six people and owns its home (98%). Most households use firewood (56%) or cowdung (36%) or for cooking, and electricity (63%) or kerosene (35%) for lighting. A majority of VDCs (67 of the 76) are connected to the national electric grid. Only 7% of households in Mahottari have motorcycles, but 53% have bicycles. Altogether not that many (35%) have radios, fewer (32%) have televisions, and only 6% are connected to cable television. 6 However, 51% have a mobile phone. Telephone services are available in all VDCs and the municipality in Mahottari. There are one district postal office, 12 Ilaka postal offices, and 61 additional postal offices in the district in addition to three private courier services; four VDCs (Akarhia, Kolhubabgia, Pigauna and Sugabhawani) are not covered by postal service. 7 1 An Ilaka is an administrative unit between VDC and District level, the boundaries of which take terrain into account. 2 Central Bureau of Statistics, National Population and Housing Census 2011 3 Central Bureau of Statistics, National Population and Housing Census 2011; District Development Committee, District Development Plan 2012/13; Ministry of Education, Flash Report 2011/12; Department of Health Services, Annual Report 2010/11; Ministry of Finance, District Aid Profile March 2013; Ministry of Finance, Development Cooperation Report 2011/12; Election Commission of Nepal records accessed May 2013 4 Central Bureau of Statistics, National Population and Housing Census 2011 5 Central Bureau of Statistics, National Population and Housing Census 2001; 2011 Census data on district caste/ethnic composition data are not available at district level as of May 2013. 6 Central Bureau of Statistics, National Population and Housing Census 2011 7 Branch Statistic Office, Mahottari, District Profile 2008 United Nations Field Coordination Office (UNFCO) Eastern Region, Biratnagar Nepal - 2012
Transcript
1 of 17
Mahottari in a Nutshell3
Total area: 1,002km2 Total Population: 627,580
Total VDCs: 76 Female: 316,564 (50%) Municipalities: 1 Male: 311,016 (50%) Eligible people registered to vote: 260,974 (May 2013) Total households: 111,298 Aged 10-24: 189,120 Average household size: 5.64 Male: 96,323 Human Development Index: 0.453 Female: 92,797 Literacy rate: 46% Women’s Literacy rate: 37% Foreign aid per capita disbursement: USD 5.00 Foreign aid commitment: USD 16 million, 45% through GoN Basic Education Schools: 413 Higher Secondary Schools: 40 Campus: 5 Hospitals: 2 Health Posts: 10 Sub-Health Posts: 67
District Profile: MAHOTTARI Mahottari is one of the six districts of Janakpur Zone, located in the Central Development Region of Nepal. The district is bordered by Dhanusha district on the east, Sarlahi on the west, Sindhuli in the north, and Indian state of (Bihar) on the south and. Administratively, the district comprises 76 Village Development Committees (VDCs), one municipality, 15 Ilakas1 and six electoral constituencies. Jaleshwor is the district headquarters (DHQ).
The total area of the district is 1,002km2 and it has a population in 2011, Mahottari’s population numbered 627,580 people, 50% of them female. There are 71,309 children under five in the district, 68,455 adolescent girls (10-19), 149,074 women of reproductive age (15 to 49), and 50,210 seniors (aged 60 and above; see also annexed age profile). The population of males aged 20 to 34 is noticeably smaller than that of females due to the dynamics of migration. 2 In terms of religion, the majority of people (84%) in Mahottari are Hindu, 14% are Muslim, 2% Buddhist, and smaller shares of Kirat, Jain, Christian, Sikh, Bahai and or of other religions.4 The district’s caste/ethnic composition in 2001 was 21% Dalit, 16% Janajati, 9% Brahmin and 2% Chhetri, among other groups.5
A typical household in Mahottari is made up of five or six people and owns its home (98%). Most households use firewood (56%) or cowdung (36%) or for cooking, and electricity (63%) or kerosene (35%) for lighting. A majority of VDCs (67 of the 76) are connected to the national electric
grid. Only 7% of households in Mahottari have motorcycles, but 53% have bicycles. Altogether not that many (35%) have radios, fewer (32%) have televisions, and only 6% are connected to cable television.6 However, 51% have a mobile phone. Telephone services are available in all VDCs and the municipality in Mahottari. There are one district postal office, 12 Ilaka postal offices, and 61 additional postal offices in the district in addition to three private courier services; four VDCs (Akarhia, Kolhubabgia, Pigauna and Sugabhawani) are not covered by postal service. 7
1 An Ilaka is an administrative unit between VDC and District level, the boundaries of which take terrain into account.
2 Central Bureau of Statistics, National Population and Housing Census 2011
3 Central Bureau of Statistics, National Population and Housing Census 2011; District Development Committee, District
Development Plan 2012/13; Ministry of Education, Flash Report 2011/12; Department of Health Services, Annual Report 2010/11; Ministry of Finance, District Aid Profile March 2013; Ministry of Finance, Development Cooperation Report 2011/12; Election Commission of Nepal records accessed May 2013 4 Central Bureau of Statistics, National Population and Housing Census 2011
5 Central Bureau of Statistics, National Population and Housing Census 2001; 2011 Census data on district caste/ethnic
composition data are not available at district level as of May 2013. 6 Central Bureau of Statistics, National Population and Housing Census 2011
7 Branch Statistic Office, Mahottari, District Profile 2008
United Nations Field Coordination Office (UNFCO) Eastern Region, Biratnagar Nepal - 2012
2 of 17
Mahottari governance performance16
(see annex for full budget details) DDC consistently has not met minimum governance
conditions for four years and so received the minimum possible formula-based funds.
15
Newspapers are also published locally, including one daily, Jay Madhesh, fifteen weeklies and one monthly – Mahottari Dainik Times.8
Roads are the main means of transportation in the district. The East-West Highway passes through the north of Mahottari, with subsidiary roads branching off; the road network includes 98km of blacktop road, 166km of gravel road and 204km of earthen roads. During the monsoon (June to September), 14 southern VDCs get inundated and road transportation is obstructed.
Governance Mahottari district has six electoral constituencies and 15 illakas. The major political actors in the district include Nepali Congress (NC), Communist Party of Nepal Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML), Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M), Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), Chure Bhawar National Unity Party, Madheshi People’s Rights Forum (MPRF), Sadbhawana Party (SP), Churebhawar National Unity Party, Tarai Madhesh Loktantrik Party (TMLP), Rashtriya Nepali Congress, Prajatantra Party, and Janmorcha Nepal. The total number of political parties in the district is around 22. Out of the 32 national parties represented in the Constituent Assembly, only 10 are active in Mahottari at the district level and were part of the now dissolved All Party Mechanism of the District Development Committee (DDC).9
The 2008 Constituent Assembly elections were heavily contested in Mahottari (see annex for results). TMLP candidates won in two constituencies in the first-past-the-post (FPTP) system, MPRF-N in three,
and Janamorcha Nepal in one; all winning FPTP candidates were male. In one of the district’s constituencies, where 68% of eligible voters cast ballots for the FPTP run, the MPRF-N candidate captured 17% of valid votes and won over the NC candidate by only 51 ballots. Under proportional representation (PR), four of five selected representatives were female, CPN-M placing two, and CPN-U, NC and TMLP one each. After the Constituent Assembly election, local political dynamics after dissolution of the Constituent Assembly are very fluid and make an assessment of the relative strength of political parties difficult.10
In mid-May 2013, the total number of people registered to vote in Mahottari reached 260,974. In August 2012, 235,192 eligible voters (52% of whom women and three third gender individuals) had been registered by the Election Commission of Nepal with photograph and biometrics.11 There are 233 polling posts in the district.
In a typical year, two of the approximately 200 cases registered by
the District Administration Office will
8 Branch Statistics Office, Mahottari, District Profile 2008
9 District Development Committee staff interviewed in September 2012
10 Election Commission of Nepal records
11 Election Commission of Nepal records
3 of 17
relate to citizenship; a majority will be for public nuisance (72%) and other non-criminal offences.12 No vital event registration records are available from Mahottari for 2009, 2010, or more recent years.13
There are 265 Child Clubs in Mahottari, 29 of which are affiliated with the District Child Welfare Board, and all of which participate in various governance structures.14
In 2009/10, Mahottari DDC did not comply with minimum conditions for planning and budgeting, financial management, or transparency, and accordingly did not receive additional formula-based funding for 2011/12.15 In 2012/13, of the DDC’s budget, 42% of resources are allocated as capital funds under its various programmes while the remainder are for regular costs. In terms of sectors, the Population and Social Committee disposes of the most funds, followed by Infrastructure and Construction; the NGO Sector Development budget decreased by 37% from the previous year (see annex for budget details).16
Rule of Law and Protection Data are provided wherever possible in disaggregated form, as made available by local institutions. Although it is commonly understood that informal justice mechanisms sometimes interfere with due process by pressuring claimants to mediate criminal cases (including gender and caste based violence cases) locally, information on the incidence of this practice is not available from local or national institutions, because these offices never hear from such claimants.
Nepal Police is the key responsible government agency for day-to-day provision of security in the district, with 507 personnel deployed in the district. Of these, eight are female, at constable and head constable rank. In 2011, Mahottari Police registered 222 crimes, 68 of these homicides, 49 suicides, 27 organised or economic crimes, and only five related to women and children.17 There is a Women and Children Service Center in the District Police Office, with posts for four female personnel, though the Head Constable in charge is currently the unit’s only female.18 This Centre receives testimonies from victims of gender-based violence, and settles many cases through mediation, but refers the cases requiring legal action to the Police and Court.19 In addition, Armed Police Force has one Border Security compound base in Bardibas and seven security base camps in Mahottari. Nepal Army has a Battalion in Parkauli VDC.
Many people in the district solve disputes and problems at the community level rather than using formal justice institutions. Local justice mechanisms include traditional councils of village elders (panchayat) which are almost universally composed of men, family councils or community-based organisations such as Paralegal Committees. Victims of gender based violence often first approach the community-based organisations and NGOs for advice and support.20 The District Court tends to take about a year to a year and a half to settle cases, whereas informal mechanisms may reach dispute settlement in a matter of days.21
The Muslim community in Mahottari uses a traditional system, in which disputes are brought to community leaders; however, women from the community reportedly feel uneasy to bring cases of
12
International Alert, Integrated or isolate? How state and non-state justice systems work for justice in Nepal, May 2012 13
Intensive Study and Research Centre, District and Village Development Committee Profile of Nepal 2013; Data from Ministry of Local Development 14
Information provided by UNICEF, February 2013 15
Local Bodies Fiscal Commission Secretariat, Minimum Conditions and Performance Measures Assessment of Local Bodies of Nepal (December 2011). According to the provisions of Local Self‐Governance Regulation (1999) the Ministry of Local Development developed the Minimum Conditions and Performance Measures for local bodies and linked the size of the capital development grant to performance. 16
District Development Committee, 15th
District Council Report 2011 17
Intensive Study and Research Centre, District and Village Development Committee Profile of Nepal 2013; Data from Police Headquarters 18
Women and Children Office, Mapping of child protection services in Mahottari, 2010 19
International Alert, Integrated or isolate? How state and non-state justice systems work for justice in Nepal, May 2012 20
International Alert, Security and justice from a district perspective, Mahottari, (2010) 21
International Alert, Integrated or isolate? How state and non-state justice systems work for justice in Nepal, May 2012
Women and Children’s Service Centre in Jaleshwor provides counseling, advocacy and rescue services in cases involving human trafficking, polygamy, rape, or
other gender-based violence.
District Legal Aid Committee and 38 lawyers provide free legal information and counsel.
Paralegal Committee (PLC) coverage and case load
24
Number %
Village PLCs 12 Village Child Protection Committees
12
PLC members 180
Disadvantaged Group members 144 80%
Cases Registered at PLC (Jan 2011 to Nov 2012)
176
Cases related to women 161 91% Cases related to children 14 8%
Cases solved 164 93% Cases referred to District Court 12 7%
domestic violence to this system. In other communities as well, where elders and leaders mediate disputes, women are reportedly excluded not only by not taking on such roles themselves, but also by not being allowed to attend mediation meetings, even in cases of domestic violence and disputes related to marriage.22
There are Paralegal Committees in 12 VDCs in Mahottari. Paralegal Committees are being incorporated into the Women and Children Office's regular Women Development Programme at ward level as Gender Based Violence Watch Groups. Both entities are not supposed to conduct community mediation and dispute resolution any longer, but only to raise awareness on children's and women's protection issues, and to detect and report cases to the competent authorities, facilitating access to justice including with a small fund for emergency assistance to victims.24
Per the Children's Act 1992, the District Child Welfare Board (DCWB) is responsible for child rights promotion and protection in the district. The Board is chaired by the Chief Development Officer in most districts with members from government line agencies and NGOs and the Child Welfare Officer (Head of the Women and Children Office, WCO) as secretariat. DCWB receives reports of children in need of care and protection (orphans, abandoned, child labour, child abuse, etc.) and disposes of a District Child Emergency Fund to provide immediate response and refer cases to NGO service providers or reunify them with families. Village Child Protection Committees are the local extension of DCWB and are present in twelve VDCs in Mahottari.25
The Legal Aid Act 1997, which sets out specific provisions for institutional capacities to provide free legal aid to “persons who are unable to protect their legal rights due to financial and social reasons,” came into effect in Mahottari in 2004.26A District Legal Aid Committee in the District Court provides people legislative and judicial information and free of charge legal counsel and representation to disabled people, women, children and the poor at District Court. Similarly, Nepal Bar Association of Mahottari has a dedicated unit providing legal aid and counsel in human rights cases, cases involving women, Dalits and Janajatis. Nepal Bar Association has 38 lawyers registered in Mahottari.27
The WCO also provides front-line support to women and children in accessing security and justice. With 26 staff and district-wide coverage, it is often the first point of contact for women seeking judicial recourse for issues such as divorce, polygamy and gender based violence. UN agencies and other development partners support WCO to raise awareness and provide legal aid to victims of gender based violence, assist women’s groups to act as watchdogs for domestic violence cases, and distribute identity
22
International Alert, Integrated or isolate? How state and non-state justice systems work for justice in Nepal, May 2012 23
Women and Children Office, Annual Progress Report 2012 24
Information provided by UNICEF, February 2013 25
Women and Children Office, Mapping of child protection services in Mahottari, 2010 26
Legal Aid Act 1997, Note on date of commencement of Section of the Act in Districts. Accessed January 2013 at: www.ncf.org.np/upload/files/184_en_legal-aid-act.pdf 27
District Bar Association member interviewed in September 2012
cards to the disabled so they can access government welfare. An emergency fund is established, with support of UNFPA and UNICEF, to assist women and children in crisis.
The Mahottari District Court is located in Jaleshwor (DHQ). One Chief Justice and two Assistant Justices serve the court, along with 34 court officers and 14 clerks. A separate Child Bench has been established within District Court to look after the cases related to minors. A judge has been trained in juvenile justice procedures, but there are no similarly trained lawyers, psychologists or social workers in the district. 28 There are between 1,200 and 1,500 cases pending in court, of which 150 to 200 cases are adjudicated per bench per year.29 The majority of these are civil cases (80% of those pending in 2010/1130) related to money lending and land disputes. Criminal cases are brought by the public prosecutor and include drug use and trafficking, murder and gender based violence cases.
A Zonal Jail, which serves Dhanusha, Dolakha, Ramechap, Sarlahi, Sindhuli and Mahottari districts, is located in Jaleshwor. Altogether 419 people are imprisoned there, 38 women and 381 men, for crimes like murder, robbery, and child marriage.31
Cases of violence related to accusations of witchcraft are becoming more common; on an average five to seven witchcraft-related cases are filed and investigated by DPO and adjudicated by District Court per year.32 Despite the fact that domestic and other forms of gender based violence are prevalent in the district, very few cases reach the district court. Even when incidents are reported to the police, they are mediated in police stations and victims are often discouraged from filing a lawsuit. Some victims cannot afford court fees or the time and travel expenses to reach the court.33 Lawyers in Mahottari receive threats, including from armed groups and criminal gangs (some believed to be working for political parties), if they take on cases that concern members of those groups, gangs or political parties.34 Implementation of court decisions is not satisfactory due to the absence of local elected bodies and VDC secretaries as well as lack of effective coordination with security forces.35
Equity and Social Inclusion Data are provided wherever possible in disaggregated form, as made available by local institutions. However, many sectors either do not recognise disaggregation as a need in record keeping practices or do not have the capacity to maintain and make accessible such information. This dearth of data for particular groups, castes or even gender makes it difficult to judge which populations are particularly affected by diverse problems such as landlessness, food insecurity, higher HIV risks, and exclusion from political and development planning processes.
Although gender and caste based discrimination is said to be common by local institutions, it is not possible to judge their prevalence because most cases are not reported due to lack of awareness by victims and sometimes due to pressure by the community not to approach formal institutions. Caste, ethnic or gender discrimination are consistently at the core of challenges faced by excluded groups in the district. Women face unequal power relations and gender-based barriers due to a patriarchal social structure. The major gender issues in the district are restricted movement of women, torture related to dowry or alleged witchcraft, domestic violence, child and early marriage, and barring from education and certain economic activities. In 79% of households in Mahottari, women own neither land nor any land, while 19% of households are headed by women.36
Among those aged 10 and older, 4% of men and 21% of women married before they were 15, and 42% of men and 64% of women married between 15 and 19. In other words, the vast majority (84%) of girls
28
As of 7 September 2012; Information provided by UNICEF, February 2013 29
District Bar Association member interviewed in September 2012 30
International Alert, Integrated or isolate? How state and non-state justice systems work for justice in Nepal, May 2012 31
Interview with Jaleshwor jail officials in January 2013 32
District Court official interviewed in September 2012 33
District Court official interviewed in September 2012; NGO staff interviewed in Jaleshwor in September 2012 34
District Court official interviewed in September 2012 35
District Court official interviewed in September 2012 36
Central Bureau of Statistics, National Population and Housing Census 2011
6 of 17
Minority representation in schools46
Female Male
Share of children enrolled in grades 1-8
Dalits 35% 34%
Janajati 23% 22%
Disabled 0.5% 0.6%
Share of children enrolled in grades 9-10
Dalits 24% 21%
Janajati 29% 26%
Disabled 0.3% 0.4%
Share of teachers of grades 1-5
Dalits 4% 8%
Janajati 13% 15%
and women in Mahottari married as adolescents. 37 Child marriage is more common in disadvantaged communities in Mahottari.38 In most VDCs of the district, particularly in the south, patriarchal norms are invoked to largely confine women to the home. However, the number of families sending girls to school has increased in recent years.39
Domestic violence is considered commonplace, often fuelled by alcohol consumption. The suicide rate is also high among women in the district. Suicides are often linked to domestic violence, rape or disputes over dowry.40
There is a District Gender Based Violence Network chaired by the Chief Development Officer, and a Women's Police Cell at District Police Office which address such cases at district level. The Ending Violence against Women (EVAW) programme focuses on providing psychosocial counselling, operating information resource centres for adolescents, improving the functioning of Paralegal Committees, and promoting social inclusion. EVAW is implemented by WCO with support from UN Women, UNICEF, and UNFPA in 15 VDCs of Mahottari.
Despite the legal prohibition of bonded labour, these practices still persist in some of Nepal’s districts. Some households in Mahottari were or are affected by Haruwa/Charuwa 41 bonded labor. The Government has provided rehabilitation support to freed Kamaiyas42 and has committed to a similar package for freed Haliyas43, but the problems of Haruwa/Charuwas are still to be recognised and addressed. Two-thirds of Haruwa/Charuwa households are Dalit; rehabilitation support is needed for access to quality education, health services, livelihood opportunities, and housing.44 Similarly, about 14% of children aged 10-14 in the district were estimated to be working in 2008,45 primarily as domestic workers or in brick kilns.
Education46 Only 57% of boys and men aged five and above in Mahottari are literate, compared to three quarters nationwide. A dismal 37% of women and girls in the district can read and write, 20 percentage points below both the rate for men in Mahottari, and the national rate for women. Among those aged 20 and above, 20% of men and 12% of women in Mahottari have completed basic education. The share of the population who have obtained School Leaving Certificate is 11% of men and 5% of women.47 District
37
Central Bureau of Statistics, National Population and Housing Census 2011 38
Women and Children Office, Mahottari, staff interviewed in September 2012 39
Institute for Conflict Management Peace and Development, situation analysis report, Mahottari, 2012, UNFPA 40
Women and Children Office Legal Advisor interviewed in September 2012 41
Local terms for bonded labor in central and eastern Tarai. Haruwa laborers have a verbal contract to plough their landlord’s land in exchange of either land or annual payment in cash or kind, or to pay off debt. 42
The Kamaiya Labour Act 2002 prohibits most bonded labour forms in the agricultural sector, including Haruwa/Charuwa 43
Haliya are those who served as agricultural bonded labourers to till the land and undertake heavy manual labour in lieu of interest on debts owed or land provided by landlords. The Government of Nepal abolished the Haliya system, following a five point agreement in September 2008. See also: http://www.un.org.np/headlines/rchco-field-bulletin-issue-7. 44
Central Department of Population Studies. 2009. Nepal Forced Labour of Adults and Children in Agricultural Sector Survey. Kathmandu: Tribhuvan University and ILO 45
District and Village Development Committee Profile of Nepal 2010; data from various sources including Nepal Labour Force Survey 2008, CBS Nepal Demographic Survey 2010; Information provided by UNICEF, February 2013 46
Ministry of Education, Flash I Report 2011/2012 unless otherwise noted; NER (net enrollment rate) is the share of children in the relevant age category who are enrolled in school. Official figures reflect only human resources funded by the central government and are reported figures are sometimes questioned by civil society organizations working in the education sector, with the motivation that central government funding which is linked to enrolments is an incentive to over-report. 47
Central Bureau of Statistics, National Population and Housing Census 2011
Enrolment (NER) in basic education (grade 1-8): 73% of girls | 76% of boys
Enrolment (NER) in secondary education (grade 9-10): 33% of girls | 37% of boys
Grade 6-8 teachers who are untrained: 17%
5.9% 11.0% 12.3%
6.5% 8.0% 10.6%
Grade 1-5 (Age 5-9)
Grade 6-8 (Age 10-12)
Grade 9-10 (Age 13-14)
Mahottari dropout rates
Boys
Girls
Education Office, Mahottari has a proposed budget of NRs 769,307,430 for 2012/13 (41% for administrative and regular costs and the rest for investment in infrastructure and education quality).48
Of children newly enrolled in grade one in 2011/12, 44% of both boys and girls in Mahottari had Early Childhood Development experience, well below the regional and national averages (all above 51%). Enrollment rates in basic and secondary education in Mahottari are all at least 10 percentage points below national and regional averages. Dropout rates are around 6% in primary school for both boys and girls, but they double for girls from age 10 onward (and increase more gradually for boys).
In 2010/11 the Non-Formal Education Centre estimated that 51,286 children aged 5-15 in Mahottari were out of school, or about 26% of all children at these ages. In 2011/12, the Department of Education and partners found significantly fewer out of school children: 15,549 girls and 15,169 boys (and 1,293 children with no sex specified), over half of them between five and nine years old. Among out of school children, more girls than boys had never been enrolled to begin with, and the most frequently cited reason for being out of school was poverty, followed by unwillingness to study.49
Official figures on teachers employed, their sex and training status are only available for those teachers funded by the central government, although sometimes significant numbers of additional teachers are hired locally. A total of 1,879 centrally-funded teachers work at primary and 922 at higher levels in Mahottari, and there are on average a staggering 72 students to each teacher in basic education, while in secondary education one teacher serves about 22 students. Of those teaching grades 1-5, 29% of teachers are female; 2% of these women are untrained, compared to 3% of male primary school teachers. Among teachers of grades 6-8, 15% are female. The share of grade 6-8 teachers who are untrained is more than thrice larger among males (18%) than females (6%).
There are no publicly funded higher education institutions in Mahottari, but there are five privately operated colleges affiliated with Tribhuvan University. One can pursue courses of study and attain a Certificate in humanities, Bachelor in management, or Master in management in Jaleshwor; Bachelor in education or management in Bardibas; and Bachelor in management in Manara and Ramgopalpur.50
Employment, Migration and Social Protection Data are provided wherever possible in disaggregated form, as made available by local institutions. However, many sectors either do not recognise disaggregation as a need in record keeping practices or do not have the capacity to maintain and make accessible such information. This dearth of data for particular groups, castes or even gender makes it difficult to judge which populations are particularly affected by unemployment, lack of skill training opportunities, and risks associated with unsafe migration. Remittance flow and utilisation data are virtually non-existent, because most migrants transmit their earnings through informal channels.
Mahottari is predominantly dependent on agriculture, which employs 68% of the population. Around three quarters of men (74%) but less than one third of women (32%) was economically active in 2001.
48
Mahottari, District Council Report 2011/12 49
Department of Education/World Education/UNICEF, Mapping of Out-of-School Children: An Analysis of Eight Terai Districts of Nepal 2012; the study identifies as its limitations that children of seasonal migrants and children with disabilities that the community considers to preclude them from being enrolled may have been omitted. 50
Tribhuvan University webpage: http://www.tribhuvan-university.edu.np/, accessed in January 2013
Agriculture, wage labor, trade and business, and services were the most common sources of family income.51
Especially in southern VDCs of the district, seasonal migration by unskilled workers to Indian states of Punjab, Gujarat, and Assam states in India is very common and sometimes creates a labor shortage during peak planting and harvesting periods in the district. In the recent years, migration to other countries, particularly the Gulf countries, has become more popular among skilled laborers in Mahottari. Remittances are an important source of income and contribute to change in socio economic and livelihood patterns in rural areas, but figures are not available because the money most often travels through informal channels. Migration from rural to urban areas in search of better opportunities has also increased in recent years.52
Generally, industries are located near the East-West Highway corridor. Some small-scale industries such as brick factories, boulder crushers and other enterprises are found in rural areas. In 2008, there were 851 industries of small to medium scale in the district; rice mills comprised nearly 70% of the total, sugar mills 9%, furniture industries 5%, brick kilns and saw mills 3% each, and cutting, netting and weaving enterprises, cigarette production and tile enterprises 2% each. Altogether these industries employed about 6,000 people, 48% of them in brick kilns, 25% in sugar mills, 13% in rice mills, 5% in furniture industries, 3% in tile industries, and 2% in saw mills.53 In 2011, 1,873 small and cottage industries were registered in the district, 56% of these in the service and 31% in the manufacture sectors.54 Ten commercial banks, three development banks and one finance company operated in Mahottari in 2012.55
The Women and Children Office operates a mobilisation and livelihood development program in Mahottari. There are 2,348 women’s groups comprising 13,507 members; these groups are form 35 cooperatives. WCO extends its gender and social inclusion work through this network with the support of UNDP’s Livelihood Recovery for Peace programme.56 Poverty Alleviation Fund, Local Governance and Community Development Programme, and Rural Access Improvement and Decentralised Project also work on livelihood promotion for deprived communities in Mahottari. The DDC implements grant-based income generation programmes targeted at women in particular.57
Health District Health Office (DHO) is the district’s key government health agency. It extends services through a 25-bed District Hospital based in Jaleshwor DHQ and another public hospital in Bardibas, three Primary Health Care Centres, six Health Posts and 67 Sub-Health Posts. There are also two Ayurvedic Health centres, three Ayurvedic medical centres and one Eye Treatment Centre in Mahottari.58
The contraceptive prevalence rate in Mahottari is 58%. Although there are 11 Birthing Centres59 and 710 female community health volunteers extend information and services for reproductive health and ante-natal care, about 60% of births are assisted by a skilled birth attendant.60
The district is designated at high risk for malaria. Mahottari has a relatively high incidence of tuberculosis, with 111 women and 273 men tested positive in 2011/12. In the previous year, 91% of tuberculosis cases were treated successfully.61
51
Statistics Branch Office, District Profile of Mahottari 2008 52
Interview with local communities and NGO workers of Mahottari, September 2012 53
Statistics Branch Office, District Profile of Mahottari 2008 54
Intensive Study and Research Centre, District and Village Development Committee Profile of Nepal 2013; Department of Cottage and Small Industries 55
Intensive Study and Research Centre, District and Village Development Committee Profile of Nepal 2013; Nepal Rastra Bank 56
Women and Children Office, Mahottari, Annual Progress Report 2012 57
District Development Committee Council Report 2011, Mahottari 58
Institute for Conflict Management Peace and Development, situation analysis report, Mahottari, 2012, UNFPA, Department of Health Services, Annual Report 2010/11 59
These are located in health facilities in Jaleshwor, Bardibas, Gaushala, Loharpatii, Samshi, Ekdanda, Pipra, Ramgopal, Bhataulia, and Bhangaha 60
Department of Health Services, Annual Report 2010/11
9 of 17
Health services and institutions in Mahottari
Reported HIV-positive cases64
Year 2009 2010 2011
Men 1 2 n.a.
Women 5 1 n.a.
Service delivery
Contraceptive prevalence rate 58%
Measles vaccination coverage 110%
Delivery by Skilled Birth Attendant (SBA) as % of expected pregnancy 60%
Female Community Health Volunteers 710
Institutions
Hospitals 2
Primary Health Care Centres 3
Health Posts 10
Sub-Health Posts 67
Primary Health Care Outreach Clinics 321
Expanded Programme on Immunization Clinics 373
Birthing Centres 11
There are comparatively high concentrations of key populations at risk of HIV in Mahottari – around 1,600 to 1,900 injecting drug users, female sex workers, and male or transgender workers and their clients. 62 Migrants, their spouses, and rickshaw pullers are also identified as at risk of HIV. Reproductive health and HIV prevention programmes can make a greater impact by tailoring their work to these populations.63 Both public and private providers offer voluntary testing and counselling for HIV, but no facility in the district provides antiretroviral therapy or prevention of mother to child transmission services. Centrally available figures show only nine new reported HIV-positive cases in Mahottari in 2009 and 2010.64 On the other hand, local sources indicate that in 2012, 110 people tested positive for HIV in Mahottari at two centres (in Jaleshwor and Bardibas); however, no records are available on the total number of people tested or counselled.65
Sanitation statistics Drinking water coverage in 2008 was 88%, whereas only 18% of the population used toilet facilities at the time.66 In 2011, 92% of households have access to improved drinking water (76% use tube wells or hand pumps and 14% use piped water); 72% of households are still without toilets.67 No VDCs have been declared open defecation free yet in Mahottari, but three VDCs and 30 schools are planned to achieve this status by end of 2013.
Nutrition68 Nutritional status data are not available in disaggregated form. GoN data are reported annually from growth monitoring at facilities which achieves on average 39% coverage of children under five years old. Household survey data are collected once in five years and disaggregated only by eco-zone, but not by district.
Mahottari is among the districts with very high prevalence of anaemia among women and children. In addition, two in five (40%) of children under age five are stunted, 10% suffer global acute malnutrition, and over half received prelacteal feeding, which exposes infants to increased risk of infection and lower nutrient intake. Over a quarter (26%) of women of reproductive age in Mahottari are underweight.
The causes of malnutrition in Mahottari are complex, having to do with limited income generation opportunities as well as socio-cultural practices; in some communities, there are also food taboos during pregnancy and child-rearing that constrain mothers’ intake of nutrients.69
61
Department of Health Services, Nepal National TB Programme Annual Report 2010/2011 62
National Centre for AIDS and STD Control, Mapping and Size Estimation of Most and Risk Population 2011 63
Institute for Conflict Management Peace and Development, situation analysis report 2012, Mahottari, UNFPA 64
Information provided by UNAIDS in March 2013; data from National Centre for AIDS and STD Control 65
District Health Office staff, interviewed in September 2012 66
Branch Statistics Office, District Profile of Mahottari 2008 67
Central Bureau of Statistics, National Population and Housing Census 2011 68
Nepal Demographic and Health Survey, 2011; Department of Health Services Annual Report 2010/11 69
As reported in Bottlenecks analysis workshop held in Mahottari in September 2012, with support of UNICEF
10 of 17
Nutrition68
and Agriculture71
in Mahottari Children under 5 years of age
Prevalence of stunting 41%
Prevalence of Global Acute Malnutrition 10%
Prevalence of Moderate Acute Malnutrition 7%
Prevalence of Severe Acute Malnutrition 3.2%
Share ever breastfed 97%
Share who received prelacteal feeding 53%
Share receiving meals with minimum
adequate frequency
76%
Share with 3 IYCF Practices 9%
Share severely underweight 3%
Prevalence of anaemia 47%
Women aged 15-49
Prevalence of anaemia 43%
Share underweight (BMI below 18.5) 26%
Households using adequately iodized salt 84%
Total cultivated land: 67,352ha Landowners: 70,460 Land tenants: 8,244
34,776
21,540
2,967 3,467 5,600
0
20,000
40,000 Cultivated land
by crop (ha)
86,033 62,467 128,010
432,000
0
200,000
400,000
600,000
Cattle Buffalo Goats Fowl
Main types of livestock (number)
Agriculture and Food Security In Mahottari in 2001, 45% of households either owned no land or owned less than a tenth of a hectare; 24% of households owned one hectare or more.70 Over two thirds (69%) of Mahottari’s total land area was cultivated in 2010, and a quarter was forested. In 2010/11, 67,352ha were cultivated, and agricultural land was owned by 70,460 individuals and rented by 8,244 individuals. The main crops cultivated in the district are rice, wheat, maize, and sugarcane; people also raise goats, cattle, buffalo and fowl.71
District Agriculture Development Office (DADO) has four Service Centres, two Contact Centres, and six Technical Branches that extend its horticulture, plant production, plant protection, and fishery programmes in the district. DADO Mahottari has a proposed budget of NRs 27,435,000 for 2011/12. Similarly, District Livestock Service Office (DLSO) provides technical and advisory livestock services in the district. The DLSO, Mahottari has a proposed budget of NRs 13,723,500 for 2011/12. 72 An Irrigation Division Office in Jaleshwor covers four districts: namely Mahottari, Dhanusha, Sarlahi and Sindhuli.
There are 66 agricultural marketplaces in VDCs across the district. There are five agriculture banks, five rural development banks, and 137 cooperatives working in the agriculture and livelihood promotion sector throughout the district.73
Geographic and Humanitarian Situation Mahottari district has two distinct geographical regions, Siwalik-Bhawar (14% of total territory) in the north and plains in the south. Rato, Marha, Ankusi, Bighi, Jangha, Bhabsi, Budhi, Thalhi, and Chhagar are the major rivers flowing through the district. Mahottari falls in the arid and semi-arid hydrological zones, with average annual rainfall of 1,841-2,200mm which occurs within the monsoon period (June to September). Average temperatures range between 60C and 40oC.74
70
District Forest Office/Biodiversity Sector support Programme for Siwalik and Tarai report, Mahottari, 2005 71
Intensive Study and Research Centre, District and Village Development Committee Profile of Nepal 2013; Data from Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (2010/11) 72
District council report, District Development Committee, Mahottari, 2011 73
Statistics Branch Office, 2008, Mahottari 74
Annual report, District Forest Office and District Agriculture Development Office Mahottari, 2008, 2011
11 of 17
Disaster impact (1971-2009)76
6,408
4,663
20,917
618,598
456
1,338
9,101
548,209
Deaths
Injuries
Houses Destroyed
Affected
Rest of Central Region
Mahottari
Mahottari district faces different types of seasonal disasters due to the nature of its soil and soil erosion caused by deforestation in the Churiya Hills. District Disaster Relief Committee (DDRC) Mahottari has ranked flooding, accidental fires and earthquakes as the top three disaster risks for the district.75
Flooding, river bank erosion, and shifting river channels are the most frequently occurring water-induced disasters in the lowland area. Nearly 18% of the plains area in Mahottari is at high risk of flooding. On average, nearly 8% of annual household income is lost as a result of floods. Nearly 61% of households are exposed to flood hazards; 21% of these households are situated in high-hazard areas. 77 Mahottari has a District Emergency Operations Center.
Environment In 2010, a quarter of Mahottari’s territory was forested. Forests in the district are under great and increasing pressure.78 District Forest Office leads the development of the forestry sector in the district. There are 49 registered private forests covering 25ha, and 53 Community Forests covering 1,150ha managed and utilised by 8,878 households.79
The District Soil Conservation Office, based in Bardibas, works on watershed and soil conservation and micro-climate protection as well as livelihood promotion for people living in catchment areas. There are five identified watersheds in the district, covering 125km2. Two more watershed areas are proposed for recognition, covering 78km2. Key wild animals found in Mahottari’s forests are tigers, panthers, deer and other mammals, reptiles, and birds.
Mainly Sal (a type of hardwood tree) forest is found in the district, though this and other types of forest are being depleted by cutting down to be for used as: firewood, fodder, and timber. Humus and manure collection from the forest contribute to agro forestry, farm forestry and other farming systems in the district.
The Biodiversity Sector Program for Siwalik and Tarai supports conservation of biodiversity and endangered
species in Siwalik and Tarai. It is implemented through the District Forest Office with support from SNV-Netherlands. Collaborative forest management in Mahottari is managed under the Biodiversity Sector
75
District Disaster Preparedness and Response Plan 2011, Mahottari 76
Nepal DesInventar Database, National Society for Earthquake Technology 77
International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development Nepal, Preparing for Flood Disaster, Mapping and Assessing Hazard in Ratu Watershed, Mahottari, 2007 78
District Forest Office/Biodiversity Sector support Programme for Siwalik and Tarai report, Mahottari, 2005; District Development Profile of Nepal, 2010/11 79
Intensive Study and Research Centre, District and Village Development Committee Profile of Nepal 2013; Data from Department of Forestry; Community Forest User Groups (CFUG), made up of people in the general catchment area of the forest in question, collectively make decisions regarding conservation and income generation according to an agreement with the Forest Office. Leasehold Forest User Group (LFUG) are made up of exclusively of members of poor families (those who own less than half a hectare of land or have annual income below NRs 2,500), and lease forest areas from the Forest Office for 40 years at a time with similar rights and responsibilities as the CFUGs.
Forestry in Mahottari79
Area covered by forest: 25% (24,835ha)
Forest handed over to
Community Forest User Groups: 5%
Households involved in
Community Forest User Groups: 8%
12 of 17
Program for Siwalik and Tarai. Illicit felling, uncontrolled grazing, forest fires, and boulder collection by are major causes of environmental degradation in Mahottari.
Many non-timber forest products are found and used in Mahottari for food, as medicine, or for making furnishings. These include Bengal quince (Aegel marmelos); long pepper (Piper longum) used to cure skin diseases and coughs; Amla (Emblica officinalis), Barro (Terminalia belerica), and Harro (Terminalia chebula) all three of which when mixed together are used to soothe appetite and digestion problems; snakeroot (Rauwolfia serpentina) which reduces blood pressure; soap pod (Acacia concinna) used for hair care; and bamboo and broom grass for furniture and household needs. People grow these as cash crops on their own land as well as on government forest land in collaboration with DFO.80 District council, Mahottari (organised in 2011/12) endorsed NRs 15,500,000 for forestry development and NRs 9,804,000 for soil conservation programmes in the district.81
The incidence of forest offences (timber smuggling, poaching, illicit harvesting of non-timber forest products in the district is high. The unavailability of employment opportunities, lack of agricultural land and an attitude that forest land is open-access property push them to engage in forest offences. Partly in order to curb forest offences, the District Forest Office promotes sustainable cultivation and harvesting of non-timber forest products for the reduction of rural poverty.82
Main challenges Maternal morbidity, newborn health, and adolescent sexual and reproductive health policy
implementation and outcomes lag behind achievements elsewhere in Nepal and interventions are not tailored to specific populations’ realities, such as those of Muslim adolescents;
Gender inequality in social, economic and education spheres;
Inadequate local governance (failing to meet minimum conditions) results in diminishing donor support for the district;
Frequent turnover of key government officials (especially Local Development Officer and Chief District Officer) causes delays in fund transfer in development offices; VDC secretaries are often absent from their posts for extended periods;
Lack of institutionalised effective monitoring and evaluation system.
Main opportunities Underutilised potential for community and leasehold forestry for raising cash crops such as
medicinal and aromatic plants;
Fertile land for cash crops as well as horticulture, tropical fruits and seasonal crops;
Enterprises based on commercial farming. Private companies show interest in organic production of NTFPs;
Promoting religious tourism sites such as: Jaleshworrnath mahadev, Tuteshwornath mahadev, Matihanisthan, Mangalnath, Dhrubkund, Kanchanvan, Padaulsthan, Sidhnath, Sonamaisthan.
Disclaimer: This District Profile is prepared following a brief field study and also uses secondary data available at the end of 2012. The information presented in this District Profile does not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations. Although the RCHCO aims to confirm all information independently, occasional factual inaccuracies can occur. For corrections and suggestions, please contact Juho Siltanen, RCHCO Coordination Associate at [email protected] or tel. +977 1 5523200
For other District Profiles and related information, visit the UN Nepal Information Platform at http://www.un.org.np
80
Basic statistic report of District Forest Office/Biodiversity Sector Program for Siwalik and Tarai, 2005 81
District Council Report, District Development Committee, Mahottari, 2012 82
Basic statistic report of District Forest Office/Biodiversity Sector Program for Siwalik and Tarai, 2005
