A Story from Watak, Devghat Rural Municipality, Nepal

Watak and Gondrang are remote villages in Tanahun district, under Devghat Rural Municipality–3, Nepal. Both communities have long suffered from a lack of basic facilities such as motor roads, electricity, quality education, communication, drinking water, and irrigation. Together, the two villages have 146 households—2 Dalit and 144 Janajati. The main sources of income are oranges, ginger, and pulses.

Until last year, villagers had no road access and had to travel on foot. To sell their products, they carried oranges and other goods in bamboo baskets (called doko) for a 10 km uphill journey just to connect with the nearest rural road. The trek was exhausting and risky, especially during heavy rainfall. The struggles were unimaginable—particularly when a pregnant woman needed urgent transport to a hospital. For years, villagers endured these hardships in marketing their oranges and other produce.

The Turning Point

In April 2018, the villagers held a joint meeting with representatives from the Rural Municipality, SAHAMATI/LWR’s Citrus Market Development Project (CMDP), and local citrus groups. They discussed in detail the challenges in citrus production and marketing. The 10 km lack of road access was identified as the major barrier. Because of this, villagers had been forced to sell their oranges at just NPR 15–20 per kilogram.

With joint support from Devghat Rural Municipality and CMDP, a 10 km motor road was finally constructed—reaching directly up to the citrus orchards.