There has been a drop in the winter season rainfall in Uttarakhand in recent years due to global climate change which has further accelerated the drying of springs, the chal-khal system and ground water seepage. There is an urgent need to focus and work on recharging these sources of water. Climate change will exacerbate the water shortage especially in the rural mountainous areas of Uttarakhand, unless effective and timely measures are taken to mitigate this, said the Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Shatrughna Singh while speaking at a workshop organised by the People’s Science Institute with the financial support of Bengaluru based grant making foundation Arghyam here on Wednesday.
The CS expressed concern and said that considering the accelerated drying out of springs, chal-khals, and ground water seepage in Uttarakhand in recent years, there is an urgent need to focus on recharging these sources of water for which the State Government is willing to join hands with civil society organisations.
Addressing the gathering on the occasion, the chairperson of Arghyam, Rohini Nilekani pointed out that springs are the fountain heads of our river systems. They need to be revived not only for maintaining the ecological balance but also for stabilising the state’s economy since the livelihoods of majority of the people in the mountainous regions depend on springs, she stressed.
Expressing his views on the occasion, Himanshu Kulkarni from the Pune-based Advanced Centre for Water Resource Development and Management (ACWADAM) highlighted the role of geohydrology in spring-shed development and watershed management in the Himalayan region. “The Himalaya are one of the most studied and researched regions of the world with 11 major river systems associated with the Himalaya mountain range. At the same time, the Himalaya are somewhat of a blind spot when it comes to groundwater as there is very little reliable data on ground water in the Himalaya. Groundwater has strong links with politics, society, economy, and environment. Most of the time these stand in conflict with each other,” he said.
Presenting a draft concept note on reviving springs in Uttarakhand, PSI director Ravi Chopra said, “Springs have been drying up in the State. Fortunately, in the last decade or so the concept of spring shed development has been successfully demonstrated at various locations in the Himalayan States. The time has come for State Government, civil society organisations and local communities to come together to revive springs in a sustainable manner and equitably use the water. For this a sound understanding of the hydrogeology is also essential,” he stressed.
The workshop was aimed at sharing experiences of springs revival in the Himalayan States with stakeholders and implementation agencies in Uttarakhand and to develop a draft programme for reviving springs in the State. According to the workshop organisers, the workshop was attended by about 60 persons from various government agencies including the Union Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation; RMDD Sikkim; Soil and Water Conservation Department of Meghalaya, land Resources Department of Nagaland; Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation; National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee; Central Groundwater Board; the Forest Department of Uttarakhand, the Uttarakhand Jal Sansthan and members of civil society bodies attended this workshop.