Uttarakhand women end water woes on their own; revive dry water springs

Описание: What comes to your mind when you hear of Uttarakhand? A land with snow clad peaks and glaciers. Mighty rivers like the Ganges originate from this state. It quenches the thirst of millions in the northern plains of India. For an outsider, Devbhumi is nothing other than a land of prosperity. But for the people of Uttarakhand, it is a parched land of stagnation and agony. Most will not believe that the state is facing an acute water shortage. According to a 2018 NITI Aayog report, approximately 50 percent of the mountain springs in India’s Himalayan region, which also includes Uttarakhand, are drying up. . But what are these mountain springs? And how are they formed?. Himalayan springs are a natural discharge from the groundwater aquifer. It is considered as the greenest and cleanest form of water. About 90 per cent of Uttarakhand's rural population depend on these springs for water. Drying springs puts a misery for the women of Uttarakhand, because they have to bear the brunt of this water crisis as they have to fetch water for all the domestic needs. I need to go 10 to 12 times a day to fetch water for the household needs, says 22 year old Deepa Bisht. She and other women in the Dubroli village of lamgara district had to travel at least 1.5 to 2 kilometers a day to collect water. The Government of Uttarakhand had installed a pipe connection in their village. But water comes out through them once every 4 to 5 months, says Neeta Saha. People living in villages of Uttarakhand spend on an average, 43 minutes per day to fetch water from outside their habitations. This is far higher than the national average which is about 35 minutes. Chirag, is an NGO working on recharge and rejuvenation of Himalayan springs. Since 2008 it has been helping the local communities across Uttarakhand. In 2019, they started the rejuvenation project in Lamgara, a village in Almora district of Uttarakhand. Instead of using a conventional watershed approach, where water recharge pits, ponds and bunds are made without any focus, Chirag adopted a springshed hydro-geological approach. This approach is cost effective as a small area of land is taken for recharge and rejuvenation, says Badrish Singh Mehra, Executive Director of Chirag. There is surety that the water will come out from the spring on which the work is being done, he added. Chirag formed a village committee which is led by women. Under this committee, the rejuvenation of the springs started. Women from the village made recharge pits, checked dams, bunds and planted trees in the recharge zone of the spring. Each household contributed 25 rupees per month for the rejuvenation of the springs. Chirag contributed the rest of the amount which covers 80 per cent of the total expenditure. Climate change, deforestation and urbanisation are threatening the existence of Himalayan springs. As per a 2018 report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, Uttarakhand is among the states where less than 50 percent of the population had access to adequate quantities of safe drinking water. As the springs across the himalyan region disappear, big perennial rivers like the Kosi, which is recharged by these springs are slowly becoming non-perennial. In 1992 the base flow (it indicates the water in a river that has come from groundwater) of the Kosi river was 790 litres per second. This base flow dropped to just 75 litres per second in 2016. Kosi may become dry in the next 15 years. Himalayan springs also play a vital role in the ecology of Uttarakhand. They protect and nurture the oldest forests in the region. Women of Lamgara are not trained hydrologists or geologists, But they were relentless and rooted when it came to conserving water. With the help of experts and through the community, they found a solution to their hardships. They have created an access to clean water. Women of Lamgara can now rest and dream about a day when water from the springs that they have regenerated can reach their houses through pipes.