In the Kathmandu valley there is a dire need for land for agriculture, thus every available field is used and the land is more or less permanently under crop. It is therefore unlikely that fish ponds can be established in this area although fish may possibly be cultured in rice fields where a water supply can be guaranteed. Different tanks in the Kathmandu valley are used as fattening ponds; they have been stocked by the Fisheries Section of the Department of Agriculture and some have been leased.
Climatically, the Kathmandu valley cannot compete with the warmer Terai where a cold season and low water temperatures do not retard the growth of carp.
The expert repeatedly toured this area and found the following possible sites:
Pipley, 3.2 km (2 mi) east of Hetaura. This was selected as the main farm for the project; a detailed description is given in Chapter 5.
Lamsure is 8 km (5 mi) southwest of Hetaura. Survey and plans have been made, but test trenching in February 1965 showed that some bund lines would go over very sandy patches and heavy seepage loss of bunded water would result. The upper parts of the area can be developed as breeding and segregation pond areas. The remaining territory below a high ridge of approximately 65 000 m2 could be developed as a rice-cum-fish culture unit.
Simra area. During 1965, at Simra, 16 km (10 mi) east of the airport and 1.6 km (1 mi) south of the new east/west highway line, an area of approximately 42 ha or 60 bigha, was discovered which at first seemed to be ideal for a fish farm. A more thorough survey was made in 1967, but during test trenching in February 1968, it was found that the subsoil of this site was sandy, therefore construction of ponds would not be advisable.
Rampur. An old river bed, within the agriculture station, which had been transformed into a swamp was surveyed. This swamp needs clearing as it is not only a mosquito breeding ground but also a source of infection for grazing cattle which enter the swampy bed.
The expert recommended that a dam be built, the water be impounded and some channelled to the low lying (now unused) area below the stockades for the cattle. The reservoir could serve as a production pond, and the ponds below as a hatchery to supply farmers in the western part of the Rapti valley with fry for ponds or rice-cum-fish culture.
Jaktapur and Narangat. Prospective sites in these two places, surveyed for private farmers, are described on page 6.
Baghmara. Approximately 7 ha (17 acres) at Baghmara seem suitable for ponds, but a decision can only be made after a survey has been carried out to show whether water from a nearby river can be diverted to the area in question.
Bhandar Hardi. The site surveyed in this town which was recommended for the establishment of a commercial fish farm is described in detail in Chapter 5.
At the agricultural station near Birganj, the fish farm consisted of eight ponds. Two additional ponds were designed and built. The former ones were excavated, with a rather complicated drainage system using asbestos-cement pipes of 10 cm (4 in.) diameter. The expert designed and supervised the construction of suitable inlets and outlets for all the ponds.
The fish farm was partly constructed when the expert arrived. The ponds which had been excavated were not drainable by gravity flow. They were fed from an artesian well, and during the monsoon receive additional water supplies from a pond a short distance away. The lay-out of the ponds is unsatisfactory. The expert designed four new drainable ponds; a new water channel of asbestos-cement pipes 10 cm in diameter was laid in order to prevent the loss of water from the artesian well by seepage. Another set of four ponds was designed specifically for spawning carp. During the 1966/67 season the water supply from the artesian well was considerably reduced, and this necessitated the construction of a new well.
Farther northwest from Enarva Pakadia an area was surveyed at the request of the owner. Part of it was found suitable for rice-cum-fish culture, but about 2 ha could be developed as fish ponds. Soil conditions and water supply were satisfactory and so detailed instructions were given for the improvement of the bunds and for raising fish in the fields.
Two sites 32 km (20 miles) north of Janakpur were found, but cropping fish at present looks very difficult.
Near the Bagmati river, suitable areas in the jungle were found for fish culture development. However, as these areas are sparsely populated they could be reserved for future development.
Tarara Agricultural Station fish ponds had been built before the expert arrived. They were dug-in type ponds reaching to the water-table and not drainable by gravity. The expert recommended the construction of open channel drainage. Asbestos-cement pipes should be laid, and precautions taken to prevent any possible clogging since the pipes would be 2 – 2.3 m below the surface. Two swamps to the south of the fish ponds and to the east of the housing area were found suitable for constructing spring ponds, controlling erosion and providing flood control at the same time. One area on this site was pegged out and profiles set up; work commenced in April 1965. The construction of the second pond should be taken up later.
The Fishery Development Office in Jhapa, the most eastern province of Nepal, had received requests from farmers for fry and fingerlings, but fry have to be flown in from Kathmandu. The National Multipurpose Training Centre at Ghandragari, near Jhapa, has a lowland area quite adaptable for fish pond construction, but unsuitable as a hatchery. At Anarmoni Birta, 13 km (8 miles) northwest of Jhapa, the old Birat Pokhar tank, now dry with broken bunds, was surveyed. By closing the breaks and inserting an inlet and outlet, this would become a very satisfactory 2 ha pond. Below it, by extending the water channel and flood control measures, a hatchery could be developed.
