The participants included staff of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council and Community Resource Management Societies of different districts in Meghalaya State, namely Khasi Hills, and other States in the North East region of India, namely Assam, Manipur, and Mizoram. The training was also fortunate to have the valuable interaction of participants from nongovernment organizations working in the Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh.

The PAFID Training Team was placed in the care of the Tura office of WGRHCRMS under Mr. Daniel Ingty all throughout the activities. Dr. Dhrupad Choudhury and the CRMS central office in Shillong, East Khasi Hills district were invaluable in realizing the initiative. Likewise, the fruitful exchange could not have materialized without the tireless efforts of Ms. Atsuko Toda and Mr. C. N. Anil of ICIMOD.

The training also surveyed different mapping methods, such as basics in map reading, Global Positioning System (GPS), and Geographic Information System (GIS). Sasatgre village hosted the actual construction of the 3D model, and many residents contributed to the success of the undertaking with their generous hospitality and open friendliness.

At the start of on-site activities, Sasatgre residents received their guests with a song that thanked their forebears for taking care of the traditional lands, or akhing. Many community members from Sasatgre as well as the nearby sitio or song of Sakaladuma helped the training participants in crafting the 1:5,000 scale model of the akhing, and coding its current land uses. Nokmas, or traditional leaders of akhings, from adjoining villages also helped the Sasatgre nokma to identify the boundaries of the Sasatgre akhing on the 3D model.

The Training Team was encouraged to see the residents of Sasatgre and Sakaladuma already using the 3D model to discuss pipeline lay-outs for possible potable water sources even before the paint on the model had dried. Residents also said it was the first time they had seen where the boundaries of their akhing lay, and that the 3D model gave them a new way of seeing their land. A village officer explained that since all the akhing's streams and their catchments could be clearly seen on the model, it was now easier to explain their regulations on watersheds to members. The mothers' group also suggested that parents can use the 3D model to teach their children what was inside the traditional lands, and how to take care of the different parts of the akhing.

On the whole, the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council Deputy District Commissioner Shyam Jagannathan observed there was "a good chemistry" between the Training Team and participants. WGHCRMS had hoped the undertaking would promote local planning and facilitate communication between village and district planners.

26 June 2003