In the year 2017, NITI Aayog established five Thematic Working Groups which have produced a report aimed at advancing the welfare of the population in the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR). The five themes are centered around enhancing water security in mountain towns and cities through springs revival, fostering responsible mountain tourism, expanding the skilled workforce, transforming shifting cultivation in the northeastern hill region to ensure ecological, food and nutritional security, and providing necessary data sets and information. The Himalayas, the world’s largest and tallest mountain range, spans across eight countries. They are also the origin of most of northern India’s river systems, either fed by glacial melt or numerous springs that speckle the mountainous landscape, and are aptly referred to as ‘the water tower of the earth.’
Understanding the Indian Himalayan Region
The IHR encompasses ten states and four hill districts of India, including Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, among the states, and the hill districts of Dima Hasao and Karbi Anglong in Assam, as well as Darjeeling and Kalimpong in West Bengal. Uncontrolled economic growth has led to unplanned urbanization, environmental degradation, and increased risks and vulnerabilities, seriously threatening the unique values of Himalayan ecosystems. The roadmap for sustainable development of the Indian Himalayas must align with relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and consider the environmental, socio-cultural and sacred aspects of the region.
Working Group I: Inventory and Revival of Springs in the Himalayas for Water Security
Mountain springs serve as the primary water source for rural households in the Himalayan region. Approximately five million springs exist across India, with nearly three million located in the IHR alone. However, spring discharge is decreasing due to factors such as increased water demand, land use change, ecological degradation, climate change and shifting rainfall patterns. The quality of water is also deteriorating due to changing land use and improper sanitation.
Traditionally, policy makers have primarily focused on watersheds for their ease of demarcation. However, this concept only considers surface water movement over slopes, while spring water movement, which is groundwater, is determined by underlying geology. Therefore, for spring revival, the appropriate unit is the springshed – the unit of land where rain falls (recharge area), and then emerges at discharge point, the spring.
Key Recommendations
The report highlights several recommendations including setting up a National Programme on Regeneration of Springs in the Himalayan Region, systematic mapping of springs, implementing revival of springs, capacity building and creating a national policy for springshed management. Enhancing inter-ministerial coordination is vital as the subject of springs cuts across several ministries. State governments across the IHR need to take a proactive role in mapping and revival of springs as their depletion/drying has socio-economic implications.
Efforts should be geared towards mainstreaming springshed management with other developmental programmes at the National and State level, facilitating more convergence with government schemes. A critical element noted was the need to translate scientific knowledge from assessments on the status of springs and techniques of springshed management into simple language for policymaking and development of climate adaptation projects.
