Title: Assessment of springs and water sources for rejuvenation under SECURE Himalaya Project
KeyWords: Dhara Vikash, Sikkim Himalaya, Depression Springs, Fracture Springs, Contact Spring, rejuvenation, water source
Year of Publication: 2019
ISSN No: NA
Author Name: Himalayan Science Society Defence Auditorium Road, Below Gurudwara,Deorali, Gangtok, Sikkim, India
Details:
Introduction:
Springs are the main source of water for millions of people and their livestock in the ten States and four hill districts of the Indian Himalaya Region (IHR). Both rural and urban communities depend on springs for their livestock and for the drinking, domestic, and agricultural water needs. There is increasing evidence that springs are drying up or their discharge is reducing throughout the IHR, and indeed, throughout the entire Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region stretching from Afghanistan all the way to Myanmar. Erratic rainfall, seismic activity and ecological degradation associated with land use change for infrastructural development are impacting mountain aquifer systems. It is reported that half of the more than three million perennial springs in IHR States have either already dried up or become seasonal, resulting in acute water shortages across thousands of Himalayan villages. There are also concerns about the quality of spring water. There is dearth of scientific studies that estimate contribution of springs to base flow of large Himalayan rivers. It is evident that springs contribute a large share of base flow, and possibly more than glaciers, ice and snow.
With increasing population and resultant forest encroachment and degradation of natural eco- systems in many of the Himalayan areas, water sources vital for the rural population living in these areas are also getting affected. In many case, village springs and water bodies which provided critical ecosystem services to the communities have degraded or dried up due to deforestation and other related anthropogenic impacts in their source and watershed areas across the Himalaya. There have been efforts to rejuvenate and recharge the springs and watersheds to tackle the water scarcity and hardships faced by many rural communities in the mountains. In Sikkim, the Dhara Vikash programme (Springshed development), a multi- stakeholder initiative spearheaded by the Rural management and Development department, Govt. of Sikkim, has been recognized and awarded nationally for successfully rejuvenating and recharging springs and aquifers in the water scarcity prone areas of the state.
Although the program has covered much of the comparatively lower and drier areas of the state, there is a need to also look at other areas, including North district, where despite the wetter climate and dense forest cover, there have been reports of drying up of perennial springs. Therefore, the present assignment attempts to carry out an assessment of the springs and micro- watersheds in and around the notified project villages and settlements under the SECURE Himalaya landscape in Sikkim, for identifying springs (minimum five expected) in need of
restoration and rejuvenation. The assessment shall be done following the protocols and broad methodologies set by the Dhara Vikash programme.