Broad Thematic Area 1: Water Resource Management

Broad Thematic Area 1: Water Resource Management

Significance of Water Resources in the India Himalayan Region (IHR)
The Himalaya is known as "Water Tower of Asia" as perennial source of fresh water. Hence, it plays a critical role in the major rivers of Asia. The water resources serve some of the highly populated region ohe world. However, in the current scenario available water resources are under increasingly severe pressure from climate change and other global drivers. Climate change alters rainfall patterns, soil moisture, humidity, glacier-mass balance and river flow, and also causes changes to underground water sources. At the same time, floods and droughts are rising in frequency, intensity and severity. On the other hand, unprecedented population growth, rapid urbanization, expansion of infrastructure, migration, land conversion and pollution translate into changes in fluxes, pathways and stores of water, and will create further pressures on water resources that will have a tremendous impact on the natural environment. The Indian Himalaya Region (IHR), a part of Himalaya also has huge water resources in its lakes, river and glaciers, however yet under threat. It may also be due to changing rainfall pattern, protracted droughts, fluctuating temperatures, more frequent and severe weather events, including floods, potential for hydropower generation, forest cover degradation and other anthropogenic activities. It outlines the important of planning for management of all the Himalaya´s water resources. Currently under this BTA, the NMHS-PMU has sanctioned following 25 demand driven action research studies such as rejuvenate hills springs and stream, establishing monitoring sites to assess water quality and ecological integrity of water bodies, high-altitude meteorological analysis, developing Decision Support System (DSSs)and water-induces disasters associate with GLOFs and LLOFs to achieve a part of the water resource management in Himalaya region.
Overall Objectives
  1. Ground water augmentation-Model development through participatory approach.
  2. Ground water augmentation - Model development through participatory approach.
  3. Quantification of hydrological processes
  4. Inventory and mapping of 1000 springs and springs fed streams in 4 IHR States: Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh,
  5. Regional climate change scenarios up to year 2100,
  6. Policy recommendation on land use practise and transformation to relate it to water use.
  7. Water resource management practices in selected States of the IHR.
  8. Construction of Koop wells in 5 rural villages of Uttarakhand creating water supply infrastructure including provision of appropriate post-treatment.
  9. Demonstrate the coupling of natural RBF Technology with engineered post-treatment using inline-electrolysis for rural conditions.
  10. Development of cadastral maps for scale of 1:4000 for two cities: Gangtok and Shillong.
  11. Geomorphic characterization and correlation of pilot catchments affected by flash floods and debris flow during last century in Garhwal Himalaya.
  12. Assessment the impacts of seasonal behaviour, HEPs, land use patterns on river integrity;
  13. Development of Decision Support Systems on GIS platform.
  14. Differentiate the geomorphic factors responsible for GLOF and LLOF type gradation process.
  15. Development of low cost water purification systems with added mineralisation.
  16. Capacity and awareness building of stakeholders.
NMHS Funded Projects: 26
FY 2022-23
  1. Assessment of glacier-climate functional relationships across the Indian Himalayan region through long-term network observations.
F Y 2020-21
  1. Protocol for Rejuvenation of springs in Uttarakhand with due preparedness for climate change.
  2. Spring Rejuvenation for Water Security in Himalaya.
  3. Cumulative Impact Assessment for Cascading Interventions in Himalayan Rivers (Ci2HR).
F Y 2019-20
  1. Permafrost Mapping and Characterization of Western Himalayan Region.
  2. Modelling and Forecasting of High Impact Weather Events in the Beas basin, and Designing a Proto-type Advance Warning System for Mitigating their Adverse Impacts
  3. Pine-Oak system: Interactions with water-climate-plant biodiversity.
  4. Snow and glacier contribution and impact of climate change in Teesta river basin, Eastern Himalaya.
  5. Improving the traditional homestead to a viable agro-forestry system for biodiversity conservation and inclusive growth of Khampti tribe of Namsai District, Arunachal Pradesh
F Y 2018-19
  1. Water Resource Management through Spring and Catchment Rejuvenation in Uttarakhand for Improving Water Security.
  2. Assessment of natural spring reliability for rural water security in the lesser Himalayan region- Arunachal Pradesh.
  3. Web-enabled Inventory of Natural Water Springs of Tawi River Catchment of Jammu and Kashmir State of India for Vulnerability Analysis and Developing Adaptive Measures for Sustaining Tawi River.
  4. Development of biodegradable superabsorbent hydrogels for agriculture application to contribute water conservation in agricultural fields`.
F Y 2017-18
  1. Integrated System dynamical model to design and Testing Alternative intervention strategies for Effective Remediation & Sustainable water Management for two selected river basins of Indian Himalaya
  2. Water Security Planning in the IHR through Hydro-geology Based and Community Driven Springshed Development.
  3. Innovative and sustainable decision support system for drinking water security in Indian Himalayan Region of Sikkim and West Bengal.
  4. Rejuvenation of drying springs and Spring-shed development (Dhara-Vikas) through climate change adaptation measures in Chumbung and Duga Blocks of East and West District of Sikkim, and Chibbo-Possyor areas in Kalimpong District of West Bengal.
  5. Identification of hydropower sites and critical glacial lakes for sustainable water resources management in Himachal Pradesh.
  6. Development of Low Cost Accelerated Water Purification Systems with Added Mineralisation for Himalayan Region.
F Y 2016-17
  1. Anthropogenic impacts and their management options in different ecosystems of the Indian Himalayan Region.
  2. Developing Disaster Resilience Action plan through GIS and prioritizing actions for Natural Disaster Risk Reduction in Urban Agglomerations of Shillong & Gangtok.
  3. Coping with Uncertainty: Building Community Resilience and Ecosystem Based Adaptation to Climate Change in The Indian Himalayan Region
FY 2015-16
  1. Rejuvenation of Springs and Spring-fed Streams in Mid-Himalayan Basins using Spring Sanctuary Concept.
  2. Dynamics of Himalayan ecosystem and its impact under changing climate scenario.
  3. Geomorphic characterization of flash floods and mass wasting in upper Ganga terrain of Garhwal Himalaya: role of climate - tectonic interaction in gradation processes.
  4. Drinking Water Security for Rural Areas in Uttarakhand Himalayas by Riverbank Filtration, Robust Disinfection Systems and Community Participation.
Measurable Targets up to 2020
• Initiate a state-wise programme for rejuvenation of Himalayan springs in all 12 IHR States.
• Develop inventories of mountain springs in selected 8 States of the IHR.
• Local scale watershed planning.
• Monitoring of water quality and ecological integrity of selected springs, lakes and rivers.
• Database on weather and extreme climatic events from high altitude basins in 4 States
• Monitoring and modelling for prediction of water-induced disasters.
• Capacity building and training for water resource management.
Monitoring Indicators
• No. of springs inventory/ springs revived with respect to each IHR State targeted.
• No. of Spring Revival Models developed and implemented.
• No. of System Dynamics Models tested/ customized for the Himalayan watersheds.
• No of DSS developed coupled with GIS.
• No. of Stakeholders benefitted.
• No. of new Database/ Datasets generated on the water quality and quantity (Nos.).
• No. of Policy Guidelines and Legislative Mechanisms: Prepared and/ or Communicated.
• Publication and/ or Knowledge Products developed on the best practices of water resource Management.
Deliverables
• Spring inventory of 1000 springs;
• Treatment of Springsheds and streams (16 no);
• Development and Implementation of 6 springs revival models;
• Development of total 3 DSSs for efficient water allocation strategies in Uttrakhand, water supply system in south Sikkim and Darjeeling at GIS Platform and effective remediation & sustainable water management coupled with System Dynamic Model (SDM) and GIS;
• Capacity building of 125 marginal farmers from 5 IHR States;
• Documentation of 8 best practices of water management.
• Knowledge products developed: Policy recommendation -06; Monograph and museum -01; 20- Research Papers -20; Book chapters -10;
• Generation of 5 types of database: Springs, rivers, Lakes and households water quality, GIS maps, RBT technology, River biodiversity, Hydro-meteorological,
Achievements till date ...
• A large Campaign for spring rejuvenation (Jal Abhyaranya Abhiyaan) for rural water security is initiated (11 IHR states & 01 UT in 12 districts including 9 Aspirational Districts).
• Inventory of total 3603 Mountain Springs of 05 IHR States viz., Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim
• Developed one (1) Village Water Security Plan-Sikkim
• Decision Support System (DSS) to support water demand (ongoing)-J&K and Uttarakhand
• Total five (5) Riverbank Filtration (RBF) Models (Naturally pre-treated drinking water with removal of pathogens and turbidity) installed (Total beneficiaries: 3600 Villagers)-Uttarakhand
• Implemented a pilot model on water security of 12 villages through “Web of Water Tanks” (322 Nos/10,000 litters each)-Uttarakhand
• Developed Low Cost Accelerated Water Purification (Region Reverse Osmosis and Ultra-Violate based Systems) with added mineralization-Himachal Pradesh
• Database on hydropower potential zones for establishing small hydropower projects (SHPs) thru developing geospatial techniques and hydrological models -Himachal Pradesh
• Developed the natural hazard/ disaster prediction models by way of monitoring the elevation-dependent mean rainfall/ temperature changes -Uttarakhand
• Developed Low cost Landslide Early Warning System -Uttarakhand
• Developed two (02) Disaster resilience plans for the two NE cities - Gangtok (Sikkim) and Shillong (Meghalaya)