Kailali, Dec. 14 -- As the clock edged towards 10am, a member from nearly every household in Bhajani stepped out carrying a hoe. The meeting point had been fixed the previous day. From different directions, men and women walked towards the canal, some with tools balanced on their shoulders, others gripping them tightly in their hands.

Representatives from around 400 households across 12 villages in the Bhajani area gathered to clean Gaunaiya irrigation canal, which has sustained their fields for generations. Residents of Tharu settlements in Bhajani Municipality have long relied on voluntary labour, to keep the canal functional each year, ensuring irrigation without waiting for state support.

The Gaunaiya canal, stretching nearly 20 kil...