Climate change impact has an overwhelming and overarching impact in the Himalayas both ecologically and economically.

Among many other issues arising from a changing climate that the mountains are threatened with water is at the centre, and building resilience to this issue becomes a priority. Mountain people are predominantly dependent on springs for ensuring their water security. These springs have been in existence for a great many number of years are slowly on the verge of drying up, having a direct impact on the livelihood and productivity of communities of these regions.

Accordingly to address the challenge, the Government of Sikkim in the year 2008 launched a new program Dhara Vikas which is unique initiative across the whole Himalayas to tap rainwater for ground water recharge to revive the springs in this area informs a release.

The scientific principle behind this program was to reduce the surface runoff and increase the infiltration of rainwater to recharge the groundwater. Being a new concept needing specialized knowledge and skills in the fields of rain water harvesting, geo-hydrology, spring discharge measurement use of GPS and laying of contour trenches the whole of 2009 was utilized in organizing more than twenty capacity building programs to train the existing manpower (Field Facilitators, ACFs) with the help of SIRD in coordination with various NGOs like WWF-India, Peoples Science Institute – Dehradun, ACWADAM – Pune, ARGHYAM – Bangalore, TMI-India, Department of Science and Technology and Department of Mines and Geology, Government of Sikkim.

Seven master trainers have been now developed who are the future resource persons for this program. As a first step, resource mapping of the springs was initiated and detailed information of more than 500 springs is now available online. The village spring atlas is available in the web portal www.sikkimsprings.org and the online database provides information on the location, GPS coordinates, land tenure, catchment status, dependency, discharge (supply, demand) of the springs. The website is also linked with Google earth and has been developed in-house.

Name of spring	Discharge during March 2010	Discharge in March 2011	Increase in Discharge
Malagiri Dhara, , Lungchok Kamarey GPU Sumbuk	, 7.5 liters per minute	15 liters per minute	100 percent
Aitbarey Dhara, Deythang GPU, Kaluk	2 liters per minute	6 liters per minute	200 percent
Dokung Dhara, Takuthang GPU, Kaluk	8 liters per minute	30 liters per minute	300 percent
Nunthaley Dhara, Deythang GPU, Kaluk	2 liters per minute	10 liters per minute	400 percent
Kharkharey Dhara, Deythang GPU, Kaluk	1 liters per minute	5 liters per minute	400 percent
Chukudum Dhara, Kewzing Bakhim GPU, Ravangla	45 liters per minute	60 liters per minute	33 percent

While it is accepted that the few showers during winter this year which were absent during 2010, would have surely helped in enhancing the spring discharge. However this increase in discharge is substantial in the first year itself, especially since studies in Uttarakhand indicate that the full impact of these works is visible only after three years. The two springs in Jorethang area where about 1-2 ha of catchment was developed have not shown any significant increase in discharge. Based on the encouraging results it is now proposed to upscale this program and proposals have been submitted to the Central Ground Water Board, Ministry of Water Resources, Government of India, various Externally Aided Projects as well as in convergence with ongoing national programs MGNREGA and BRGF.

Successful demonstration of this rainwater harvesting technology for ground water recharge under the aegis of the Dhara Vikas program now provides a successful model to revive springs to enhance the rural water security. Also inhouse human capacity already developed will help to sustain and drive this program in future.

Courtesy: Sikkim Mail

 

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