Stories of change along the Gandaki River
Himalayas to Ocean (H2O) is the story of communities, climate change, and the transformative power of water. In the shadow of Everest looms the threat of anthropogenic climate change, a force that stands to forever alter the confluence of people and place in the Himalayas. Himalayas to Ocean is a multimedia project and expedition. In September 2017, expedition members set out to trace the role of water from the world’s highest peaks to low-lands valleys through the places and communities most strikingly sculpted by it. Along the way, personal accounts were collected of the communities and cultures experiencing change at the water’s edge. We are an Environmental Change Institute (University of Oxford) affiliated project, and partner with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development...Kangra District, Himachal Pradesh, India
Palampur is a small town of less than 15 000 people that lies at the feet of the Dhauladhar mountain range in Kangra District, Himachal Pradesh. The Dhauladhar mountains are covered in snow through the year; the melt from its glaciers and snow feeds numerous springs, streams and rivers that flow down to settlements like Palampur. The surrounding countryside has a system of still-maintained kuhl channels used for irrigation and farming. Palampur town and households obtains its water mainly from the Neugal River through a piped pumping system; the Neugal also has numerous hydro-power interventions along its length. The oldest source of water lies to the north of the town and comes from a spring named Bohal, located beneath a forest. Our research partners...Reciprocal Water Access (RWA) Agreement
Central Palampur derives around 10% of its water supply from a spring just to the north of the settlement. The origins of the spring lie beneath a forest that has in the recent past been harvested and degraded to a significant degree through the herding and fuelwood needs and actions of the inhabitants of three hamlets just upstream of Palampur. During these periods of intensive forest extraction, flowing water quantities declined towards the centre of town. In order to address the suspected link between forest use and water flows, local NGOs and researchers teamed up to address the land use and community issues that were leading to the over-extraction of forest products. In order to do this, the Municipal Council (MC) was brought on...Democracy in Dhulikhel
In May and June 2017, Nepal held its first local government elections since 1997, an outcome of far-reaching political changes that were galvanised by the disastrous 2015 earthquake. Our ESPA research started in Nepal in early 2014. In this period, we have observed and documented first-hand a series of under-reported and examined, yet highly contested ‘political’ elections that have been taking place for years even in the absence of a formal Municipal Council or government. These elections have been taking place within communities for the direct control and management of natural resources – and particularly of water. Over the past two decades, water’s importance as a resource across the Himalayas has grown. Local communities have had to overcome increased scarcity and consumption, as water...Impact of Climate Change on Water Resources in Five of Asia’s Major River Basins
Published by ICIMOD on 11th December 2015 The first atlas of its kind, this new publication from ICIMOD offers a comprehensive, regional understanding of the changing climate and its impact on water resources in five of the major river basins in the region: the Indus, Brahmaputra, Ganges, Salween and Mekong. CLICK HERE TO OPEN THE INTERACTIVE VERSION OF THE ATLAS The atlas shows clearly that the region’s climate, which has been changing rapidly, will continue to do so in the future, with severe consequences for populations locally and downstream. Some of the main points in the atlas include: Temperatures across the mountainous Hindu Kush Himalayan region will increase by about 1–2°C (in some places by up to 4–5°C) by 2050. Precipitation will change with...The adage of "Old is Gold" does not hold true for water supply
Journalist Prachi Raturi Misra is based in Mussoorie and writes regular features for the Times of India Newspaper. The adage of “Old is gold” does not hold true for the water supply situation in Mussoorie. Pumping in the hill town started as long back as 1908. Cut to 2016 and Mussoorie still depends entirely on 20 odd local springs and brooklets for its water supply. Most of these resources still have old pumps spread across seven locations that are in urgent need of repair or in some cases replacement.The pumps and transformers go through regular breakdown, bringing the residents as well as the Jal Sansthan under tremendous pressure. The latest one to get affected was the Jensing pump which supplies water to Kulri and Mall...
