Conceptualizing strategies to enhance rural water security in Sikkim, Eastern Himalaya, India

  • Tambe1 S
  • Arrawatia M
  • Kumar3 R
  • et al.
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Abstract

Ensuring rural water security is amongst the most important duties of governments worldwide.\rWith increasing populations, degrading health of watersheds and impacts of climate change,\rthis is now emerging as one of the biggest challenges to sustainable development. Though the\rHimalaya are a source of countless perennial rivers, the mountain people who depend mostly\ron spring water, have started facing drinking water scarcity with alarming frequency. New\rstrategies which are ecologically sound and cost effective need to be actively demonstrated and\rupscaled. Traditionally, water supply or harnessing schemes have received higher priority, but\rwith the drying up of water sources, these schemes are faltering, and there is felt need to revive\rthe water sources using an augmentation approach. Macro features related to geography,\rclimate, watershed, landuse and people’s participation can be used to identify drought prone\rareas as well as the appropriate strategy for water conservation. Spring-shed development to\rharvest rain water for the recharge of springs, rejuvenation and artificial recharge of natural\rlakes and ponds, roof top rain water harvesting and promoting amenable landuse like paddy\rcultivation are some of the technologies that need to be demonstrated. Long term upspringdownspring\ragreements with institutional arrangements for water user group, technical knowhow\rto prepare scientific spring-shed development plans, reducing the cost of roof top rain\rwater harvesting tanks, overnight spring water storage tanks, dissemination and acceptance of\rthese new technologies, building on existing cultural and religious beliefs and effective\rpeople’s participation are some of the main challenges in this front. Pilot intervention of these\rnew ideas is currently underway, with the technical support of scientific and voluntary sector\ragencies. With the experience and expertise gained, it is planned to upscale these initiatives to\rbring about a visible impact towards enhancing rural water security in Sikkim.

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Tambe1, S., Arrawatia, M. L., Kumar3, R., Bharti, H., & Shrestha, P. (2009). Conceptualizing strategies to enhance rural water security in Sikkim, Eastern Himalaya, India. INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, 1.

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