Umlyngkdait Village Boundary Demarcation Using Participatory GIS Approach

About Umlyngkdait Village

Umlyngkdait is a village which is located in the Ri Bhoi District, Nongpoh, under the Umling Community & Rural Development Block, in the state of Meghalaya. It is also a village that has undergone drastic changes in terms of economic as well as social development as it is strategically located beside the national highway NH40. The village falls under the Khad Ar Lyngdoh Jurisdiction as per the unique Indigenous and Traditional System of Local Governance which is prominent from time immemorial. The village is sliced from the middle by the NH40 highway, surrounded by a reserved forest in the northwest and settlements are scattered in and around the foothills.

The village elders had named the village as Umlyngkdait in consonance with the location of a stream which flows through the village and takes its course between the tall grasses commonly called by the people as “Kdait”. The village was officially recognized as a full-fledged village by the authorities in 1986. The village hosts many government offices and other administrative establishments.

Why the need of GIS

The Dorbar Shnong of Umlyngkdait Village and the community elders were aware of the benefits of having spatial records of the area and other establishments under the jurisdiction of the Dorbar Shnong (Village) Administration. Seeing the success from a neighboring village on how GIS could be utilized to bring reforms and order, the village elders decided to pursue their activity by using GIS to demarcate their village boundaries and to pin point all establishments which are under their jurisdiction in the initial phase. The village elders were informed that a participatory approach will be implemented throughout the activity and major participation from the locals would be necessary to make the output substantial and effective.

The Process and the Outcome

After a series of consultations and deliberations with the village elders, we decided to pursue the process through a participatory approach. Teams were formed and thorough general awareness among the team members was given regarding the mapping process. Many other matters were discussed such as the tough terrain, slopes, and topographical aspects. The village leadership and team members were focused with the objectives and necessary arrangements were made to accomplish the process. To pre-acquaint the team members, Google Earth images were shown to understand the terrain, and to draw plans of movements to avoid any gaps or errors during the process. For demarcation, the village elders and team members traversed through the exact boundary line as per their local knowledge and coordinates were taken point to point in an extensive manner using GPS devices. The coordinates were uploaded into ArcGIS and run through the necessary technical process to generate geospatial information. Since the area covered was extensive, necessary steps were taken to check for errors and gaps. The data generated were then showcased to the village elders and team members. During the surveying process, important landscape, water sources, and cultivated areas were also noted as a resource for conservation and sustainable development efforts. The final product was printed and placed at the Umlyngkdait Community Hall.