Environment – Women in Water Governance

Empowering Women, Protecting Lahu Traditions

“Na Teh Kha Village” (in Lahu) is located in the headwaters of the Mae Taeng River, within the area of Pha Daeng National Park and Chiang Dao Wildlife Sanctuary. Located next to the border between Thailand and Myanmar, Na Teh Kha Village is a cluster of Kae Noi Village, Moo 2, Mueang Na sub-district, Chiang Dao district, Chiang Mai province, and approximately 80 kilometers away from Chiang Dao district.

“Nanoo” is my name, given by my grandmother. It means “a girl born in the Year of the Ox” or alternatively “a gentle and delicate woman.” I am of a Lahu ethnic group and currently serve as the President of Na Teh Kha Village Women’s Group (Kae Noi).

Na Teh Kha Village has faced significant challenges, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic from March to May 2020. During this time, there was a severe outbreak of forest fires, resulting in heavy smoke and affecting the health of villagers, especially children, women and elderly people. The community had to divide into teams to carry out various tasks, including COVID-19 screening at the checkpoint and firefighting. The villagers faced great hardship and felt very exhausted. When an elderly person returned from the city and was found to be infected with COVID-19, the team had to suddenly announce a lockdown of the community. It greatly increased the difficulty in the villagers’ lives especially for those who relied on daily wage labor and had not prepared food reserves, leading to food shortages. With stores closed and unwilling to accept cash, the situation became even worse.

As the President of the women’s group, I discussed with community leaders and members to mobilize funding from non-government organizations (NGOs) and individuals both within and outside the community, to urgently assist the villagers. Later, we developed project proposals to manage forest fires and smoke, establish food sources in kitchen gardens, farming lands, and watershed forest areas, and engage villagers in activities to conserve natural resources and the environment, such as firebreak construction, check dam construction to retain moisture in the forest area, and tree planting and cultivation of food crop native to the area.

This year (2024), with the government policy prohibiting burning for 60 days from March to April, the community has organized patrols to monitor and prevent forest fires, despite the absence of actual fires. However, dust and smoke from neighboring areas still pose a threat, exacerbating drought conditions. Due to the impacts of global warming, streams and ponds are drying up. This has caused hardship for farmers who have to seek alternative water sources to water their crops. The community therefore has begun exploring the cultivation of crops that have high water holding capacity, such as wild bananas, in the watershed forest area to supplement food sources.

The Doi Thuai waterways are vital to the community’s livelihoods, serving both consumption and agricultural purposes. In May 2024, after six days of rain, only small puddles remained in the waterways, indicating a severe drought during the dry season.

Over the past 20 years, water levels in the once abundant water sources have steadily decreased, leading to prolonged droughts and worsening severity. Despite this, the community has continued agricultural activities, relying on small water sources along the river waiting until the rainfalls occurred in mid-May. However, a community survey conducted in late May reveals that only small puddles remained, highlighting the impact of climate change on water sources.

Community members have collaborated to conserve water resources for future generations. I want to remind the new generation that, “Water is important to everything because rivers are the source of all life on earth. Everyone, especially the younger generation, must appreciate and recognize the value of rivers and help to preserve them in any way so that the river will remain and be fertile forever.”

The Na Teh Kha Village (Kae Noi), predominantly inhabited by the Lahu Nyi (Red Lahu) ethnic group, has a total population of 331 people, consisting 151 males and 180 females from 72 households. The majority are engaged in agriculture, including rice farming, gardening, and general labor. They are Buddhist, Christian, and upholding traditional beliefs, with various activity groups such as savings, pig farming, and women’s empowerment groups.

Community members are very collaborative. When there is a call for meetings, community representatives always analyze problems and find solutions together in various aspects, including cultural, economic, social issues, basic infrastructure, public health, disaster, and natural resource management. A community development plan was formulated in September 2020, and the community’s customary rules, including natural resource and environmental management regulation, were reviewed and approved in October 2020. The plan is to have periodic reviews every 3-5 years or upon changes in community leadership.

Each year, representatives from each household, both women and men, participate in fire protection activities. Women are responsible for preparing food for the men who perform as guards and patrollers. When forest fires break out, strong women assist in firefighting when necessary. In 2020, I coordinated with NGOs to provide funding for food supplies for the firefighting efforts.

“Living in a secure home, ensuring food security, promoting women’s roles in the community, and developing women’s skills, and contributing to the well-being of themselves, families, and the community have been significant. Most importantly, women now have a safe space.”

I am proud of women’s empowerment and the achievements made in community development. Activities over the past five years have laid a solid foundation for sustainable community development.

In 2020, the community’s customary rules were reviewed and approved. Additionally, I collected data on disaster occurrences in the community over the past 30 years and gathered knowledge on forest fire management from various sources, including community members, government agencies, Pha Daeng National Park, and Mae Tia-Mae Tae River Basin Conservation Group in Chom Thong District. These led into a community development plan.

In 2021, the community established food sources in the backyards, agricultural areas (rice fields and gardens) and in the watershed areas, and invited external speakers to provide knowledge to the villagers.

In 2022, the community began to expand cultivation of local, rare, and long-preserved crops. Discussions were held within the community to create communal plantation plots for conserving Indigenous plants in one area.

In 2023, the collection of local plant species and seeds of Lahu that exist and used to exist, was initiated. The community is able to collect more than 130 species of local plants. A community food bank, a community agricultural fund to grow local plants, a collection of local seeds that are still available, and from neighboring Lahu communities have been established.

In 2024, the community began efforts to store seeds in a local silo in their own home following the local wisdom, and attempted to establish a Lahu seed collection center.

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Storyteller: Kulsuwarak Puyee (Nanoo), Chiang Mai, Thailand

Nanoo is a Lahu, and is currently the president of the women’s group of Na Teh Kha (Kae Noi), a village in Ban Kae Noi, Village No. 2, Mueang Na Subdistrict, Chiang Dao District, Chiang Mai Province.

The Role of Women in Ensuring Water Resources in Kien Giang, Vietnam

A Story from a family in Hoa Dien Commune, Kien Luong District, Kien Giang Province, Vietnam

Vietnam’s River System

Vietnam is a country with a dense river system and relatively abundant surface water resources. However, due to its geographical position in the downstream part of major rivers that flow through multiple countries, Vietnam has a disadvantage as its surface water largely depends on exogenous sources. Annually, transboundary rivers and streams bring about 520 billion cubic meters of water into Vietnam, accounting for approximately 63% of the country’s total surface water. Vietnam’s endogenous water resources reach only 4,200 cubic meters per person per year, which is low compared to the Southeast Asian average of 4,900 cubic meters per person per year. When upstream countries build dams, it immediately affects the livelihoods of millions of Vietnamese people.¹

The Current State of Freshwater Resources in Vietnam

Water is a precious natural resource and an essential source of life for humans and many other living creatures on Earth. However, ensuring clean water for daily use in Vietnam, especially in rural areas, is increasingly alarming as water sources are gradually depleting. According to statistics from the International Water Resources Association (IWRA), Vietnam is currently classified as a “water-scarce” country. The average domestic water resource of Vietnam is only 3,840 cubic meters per person per year, 400 cubic meters per person per year lower than the global average. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment also forecasts that by 2025, the per capita water volume in Vietnam will be halved. This is considered paradoxical for a country with a dense network of rivers and lakes.

Women, making up 51% of the population, actively participate in protecting water resources. As women often take on household chores such as washing, cooking, bathing children, and watering plants, they are the main users of water in the family. They will be the most affected when water is scarce.

The Story of Mrs. Hai

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hai, 34 years old, mainly works in farming, but she is also a teacher at the district vocational school. She has two children, and her family includes two generations: her and her husband, and their two children. Her family lives in Hoa Dien commune, Kien Luong district, Kien Giang province.

***Kien Luong district’s main livelihood is seafood fishing and processing***

Kien Luong district is located in the Northwest of Kien Giang province, with its southern part adjacent to the Gulf of Thailand. Kien Giang is a coastal province in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam. It is the largest province in the southwestern region and the second largest in the southern region. Like other provinces in the Mekong Delta, many households in coastal and island areas of Kien Giang face the problem of lacking clean water for daily use or having poor-quality water due to acid sulfate and saline contamination. In response to saltwater intrusion, the People’s Committee of Kien Giang province has declared an emergency situation regarding natural disasters due to saltwater intrusion, promptly responding to the Kien Luong district area and issuing an order for the urgent construction of a dam on the Rach Gia-Ha Tien canal. It is estimated that about 30,000 households in Kien Giang may face water shortages during the dry season (from December to early April). To cope with this, households in high-risk areas for salt and drought intrusion often prepare cement tanks, stone jars, and plastic containers to store fresh water, even though many places already have tap water or hand-pumped water, as these sources often become unusable due to heavy contamination.²

Although Mrs. Hai’s family is fortunate not to be in a severely water-scarce area, they are very conscious of protecting and saving fresh water in their daily lives. Following the CommuneWomen’s Union’s guidance, Mrs. Hai has proactively bought many large ceramic jars to collect rainwater, a valuable fresh water source for her family and the people of the Southern region. The average rainfall in the Mekong Delta, where Mrs. Hai’s family lives, is between 1,300 and 2,000 mm per year, with heavy rains occurring during the rainy season (from May to November).

Using jars to collect rainwater for daily use and watering plants is a women’s initiative in the Mekong Delta, rooted in the long-standing culture of coastal residents. These jars, essential for coastal families to store water and salt fish for making fish sauce, were traditionally made from fired clay, called ceramic. Later, jars made from other materials such as cement or plastic became available. Since 2016, the Vietnam Women’s Union has supported the Government’s New Rural Development Program (according to Decision 1600/QD-TTg issued on August 16, 2016) through a campaign encouraging women nationwide to build families with “5 Nos, 3 Cleans.” One of the “3 Cleans” criteria (clean house, clean kitchen, clean alley) under this campaign includes a specific criterion for sanitary water and clean water usage, and hygienic water storage tanks.

**Women’s Union has the most important and active role at grassroot level**

Women’s UniTypically, families in the Mekong Delta, especially those of Women’s Union members, have at least 5-7 jars. Jars are placed in the kitchen for cooking water, outside for bathing and watering plants, and covered to prevent mosquitoes and larvae. These water jars have proven effective in storing clean water for families, becoming even more valuable amidst the shortage of clean water and saltwater intrusion during the dry season in the Mekong Delta. Local Women’s Union branches have promoted and expanded the use of rainwater jars among women. The Vietnam Women’s Academy has evaluated this activity and recommended that localities continue to replicate this effective model.on has the most important and active role at grassroot level

**Ceramic jars for water storage at Mrs. Hai household**

Jars placed outside will be uncovered to collect rainwater when it rains and covered tightly when not in use to prevent mosquito and larvae breeding. Jars inside the house will have a gutter leading rainwater into the jar when it rains and be covered when not collecting water to ensure hygiene.

Mrs. Hai uses rainwater for watering plants and daily activities, helping her family utilize natural fresh water and save the supplied fresh water.With seven rainwater jars, Mrs. Hai’s family has enough water for daily use, with a capacity to last for several weeks.

Mrs. Hai and many other women in Kien Luong are doing an excellent job of saving water, contributing to water security as resources become increasingly scarce.

**Mrs. Hai using water from the jars for daily use**

Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Vietnam. 2022. National Environmental Status Report 2021. Accessed in May 2024. ↩︎
Nhan Dan news. 2024. Kien Giang province coping with drought and saltwater intrusion. Accessed in May 2024. ↩︎

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This article was written by Ms. Le Hong Viet – Deputy Director of Women Research Institute – Vietnam Women Academy.

The Knowledge for Development Foundation (K4D) is a non-profit organization, registered in Thailand since 2023. Its main objective is to empower marginalized and underprivileged communities with the skills and knowledge necessary to foster an inclusive environment social coverage, not discriminating against sex and create a sustainable data ecosystem. K4D Foundation’s vision is to be a source of knowledge and practices, using a data-driven approach to build community capacity, improving access to information, and developing digital skills and knowledge in order to create a collaborative data ecosystem.

Co-creator and Protector of the Mangrove Forest of Khlong Prasong

Kanit Sookdaeng or Pi Nid (In Thailand ‘Pi’ is used to refer to an older person, it translates as ‘older sister’), a strong 65-year-old woman, is a single mother of five children, of about the same age for over 30 years. Pi Nid is originally from Uttaradit province. She is a considerate person who enjoys helping others; no matter what she does, she always thinks of others before herself. Pi Nid is a hardworking person of the type that is hard to come by. She tells us that when she was young, she did every job a man also does. She proudly tells us many times that the floor of the Khlong Prasong Mosque building was her own work.

“No matter if it’s public work or personal work, whether there’s payment or not, just do it all.” We often hear this statement from Pi Nid.

Currently, Pi Nid’s main income is from selling porridge and deep-fried dough sticks in the morning. Every day, she makes a small booth in front of her house to serve as a porridge shop. She wakes up at three in the morning to make preparations and to start selling from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. Her customers are members of the community who come back from night fishing and crabs hunting, and stop by for breakfast before going home.

Pi Nid’s house is located on the banks of the estuary of the Krabi River, living right on the edge of the rising seas, in Khlong Prasong village, which is a community situated on Klang Island. The island is located in the middle of the mouth of the Krabi River Estuary, in Mueang district, Krabi province. She told us that her first house was located next to the beach, about 500 meters away from her current house. In the past, every monsoon season, her house would be hit by waves, sometimes even destroyed beyond repair. Many times, she had to rebuild her house with the assistance of neighbors in the community. She had to relocate her house further inland several times until now, where it stands at its fifth location.

“After this, there’s nowhere else for me to move onto the land because it’s the edge of my land. The next land is already owned by neighbors.”

Even though Pi Nid’s life journey may not be comfortable, having to face the hardship of raising children alone, and fighting against natural disasters, she has never thought of giving up or moving away to another place. Pi Nid says she enjoys the lifestyle here, living close to nature and learning to coexist with it throughout her life. She points out that houses near a mangrove forest will be safe from natural disasters. She has taken it upon herself to plant trees in the mangrove forest behind her house, starting with one or two plants each time. Although there are only a few trees, they serve as a shield, making her house well-protected.

Kanit Sookdaeng (or Pi Nid) participated in the data collection meeting of the Ban Khlong Prasong community.

Whenever there is an approach to Disaster Risk Reduction Using Mangrove Ecosystems initiated by an external agency coming into the community, Pi Nid never misses the opportunity to participate and even encourages others to join. Pi Nid says that we, as a community, have made a lot of mistakes before achieving the current lush forested area like today. This is because learning takes time. Previously, rushed planting, focusing on quantity over quality, and using inappropriate tree species for the area resulted in stunted growth, and sometimes growing slowly. By dedicating her free time away from daily responsibilities to inspecting, caring for, and personally repairing the trees, Pi Nid observes significant improvements in tree growth due to past mistakes. She learns about the natural process of the mangrove forest, gradually fostering tree growth by itself with minimal human intervention but necessary assistance.

“After planting trees, we naturally want to get results. Even though others may come to help plant, the ones who benefit are us. If we do not take care of it, who else will help us take care of it?” Having a lifestyle that is closely connected to, and dependent on, the mangrove forests has instilled Pi Nid with a deep love and commitment to the mangrove forests that she has played a part in creating. Sometimes, she even confronts those who come to cut down large trees without sufficient reasons. There have been instances where negotiations had to take place with relevant government agencies. “We plant, we care for it. Now they come to cut it down to sell. How is that fair? I am not afraid although I am a woman,” she said in a firm voice.

Every time there is an activity related to reforestation, Pi Nid is one of the first key persons to be contacted by both government and private organizations to coordinate with the community. With her strong and influential voice, everyone listens and cooperates when she speaks. Pi Nid is truly committed to public work. Rarely does she refuse requests from others. She often accepts and offers help without hesitation. Therefore, Pi Nid is frequently contacted for training sessions and seminars. Although Pi Nid does not hold an official leadership position in the community, over the years, she has been significantly involved in every stage of the development of the Khlong Prasong community. Pi Nid takes part in presenting ideas and participating in every activity. This has earned her acceptance and respect from the community people without any doubt.

Photos of Pi Nid taken by Leo Thom, Mangrove Action Project

Currently, Pi Nid holds several leadership positions within the community. She is the head of the natural dyeing group, which uses natural dyes from mangrove bark. She also serves as a village committee member, the Chairperson of village health volunteers group, and a school committee member. In addition, Pi Nid was recently elected as the Vice President of “Khlong Prasong Community Forest Group” which is a community organization established by the community for the community, focusing on activities to conserve the community’s mangrove forest. Pi Nid believes that if the group can advocate for the official registration and recognition of Khlong Prasong’s mangrove forests as a community mangrove forest by law, the Khlong Prasong villagers shall have the right to apply the community forest rules and regulations to manage, oversee, and protect the community forest from those seeking to exploit it for logging or unsustainable harvesting. Pi Nid and every community member are devoted to protecting this mangrove forest because they have been working together to create and safeguard it for a long time. Pi Nid always emphasizes that the benefits of forest restoration are not limited to her generation, but will extend to future generations. She envisions a future where every resident of Khlong Prasong can thrive, have access to mangrove resources, and live safely without fear of coastal erosion, an issue she has faced in the past.

“Looking back on my life, I’m proud of it. I don’t need much of it. Even though I was not born here, this will be the last chapter of my life,” Pi Nid concluded.

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This article was written by Jaruwan Enright, Mangrove Conservation Coordinator of the Knowledge Foundation for Development. It was first published in Thai language in Medium.com.