Spring Protection and Management: Some Case Histories from Across India’s Mountainous Regions

Buono, Jared; Sharma, S K; Kumar, Anil; Mahamuni, Kaustubh; Bisht, Bhupal; Adiraju, Sivakumar; Shabong, Lam; Kasturirangan, Amrtha

doi:10.1007/978-981-13-1771-2_20

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 1 publication

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…For water supply purposes, electricity and solar energy input have increasingly been used to help maximise the capture of spring discharges. There is a need to understand the science of groundwater in hills, e.g., how to control spring discharge reduction and water quality deterioration [17]. Moreover, a shift is required from top-down development tactics to a local community-based participatory management approach [18,19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability Challenges to Springshed Water Management in India and Bangladesh: A Bird’s Eye View

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Springshed management across mountainous states, such as India and Nepal, has paved the way for the groundwater recharge process. In contrast, despite introducing several interventions, the Bangladeshi government has never been officially exposed to such sustainable ideas for a spring revival. Therefore, this study aims to diagnose water security for the Himalayan region by applying an environmental security framework. Community perceptions documented through focus group discussions and key informant interviews, as well as water sample testing, helped highlight the existing issues of water scarcity, accessibility, quality, and governance structure. Exemplifying the condition of Bandarban in Bangladesh, notable gaps were found in spring-related scientific understanding. Specifically, the lack of adequate reservoirs, institutional coordination, water supply, utility maintenance, and accessibility hurdles were identified as areas requiring immediate attention. As a recovery route, a six-step protocol of springshed management shows more promising outcomes. However, Sikkim communities in India raised questions over its efficacy due to the improper execution of said protocols. A limited understanding of hill science, including inventory and inadequate inspections before implementation, were found to result in only partial success. Upgrading remains a challenge as maladaptation might increase landslides. Therefore, development plans demand rigorous science-based investigation, consideration of local community knowledge, and (pilot) monitoring before the upscaling of springshed projects can be successfully conducted.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%