Although labeled as the “Water towers of Asia”, with the changing climate, the Himalayas are facing a severe water crisis. Various studies have shown that springs and streams are dying across the hills and both irregularity in rainfall and changing land use pattern are the principal factors contributing towards this end.

Our experiences with the CAP programme have shown a clear relationship between spring discharge and quality and the land use pattern in the catchment area. The traditional approach to conserving water has been through the ‘watershed approach’. While this approach continues to bear a relevance to soil and water conservation, it is our belief that this approach need not be the most effective in recharging particular springs or sources. The watershed approach that we have adopted does not take into account sub-surface flows of water. The assumption is that any increase in infiltration would necessarily lead to a discharge downstream i.e. in the direction of the slope. However, with our interaction with ACWADAM, Pune (a technical support organisation with expertise on groundwater recharge), we have come to understand the relationship of geology and groundwater. The programme is aimed at working on the recharge of selected spring in Kumaun both within Chirag’s area (80 springs) and supporting other NGOs (6 NGOs and 120 spring @ 20 springs per NGO) taking into account the hydrogeology of the spring catchment. The process will involve identification of the underlying aquifer and selection of the treatable catchment area. Hydrogeological maps of the catchment area will be prepared and within them the recharge and discharge zones will be identified.

In the recharge zone, water conservation measures will be undertaken whereas in the discharge zone the focus will be on water harvesting structures. This is a novel concept being introduced in the Himalayas for the first time with technical support from ACWADAM.