Springs Of Life

Our standard of living has risen, but our natural environment got degraded. The ecosystem is unable to sustain our demands, which only keeps growing like our population.Why can’t we manage our natural resources in a way that they continue to nourish us for long?

Water is the most consumed natural resource on the planet. While 70% of the earth’s surface is water, let us not forget only 2.5% of this is fresh water. Rest is salty ocean water, unfit for human consumption. Fresh water on which all life thrives is found in the poles, rivers, lakes and underground aquifers.

The Himalayas happen to be one of the biggest reserves of water. Rivers flowing down this range provide the ecosystem that supports over a billion. Of these, the Ganga river system alone serves six million in its plains. Those living in the upper Ganga catchment though face tremendous water scarcity. Three quarter of the population of Uttarakhand lives in the mountains from where these rivers originate. Yet they are forced to rely on springs for 90% of their water needs.

Around three million springs dot the Indian Himalayan region. They not only help irrigate 64% of the fields up there, but also feed rivers that glaciers don’t cater to. Even the Ganges gets mere 3% of its water from glacier melt. Be it for drinking, domestic use or agriculture, Uttarakhand banks on these springs. That is because uplifting water from the valleys is taxing, costly and highly unfeasible.

Let us not forget, drawing water from mountain springs too is an exhausting affair. Village women walk long distances to fetch small quantities for survival. In dry periods, the walk only gets longer, and sometimes a trickle is all they find. No wonder more and more settlements came up close to the springs—Almora and Pauri, followed by Mussoorie and Nainital. Today, over 80% of the springs in Almora have vanished. Though Mussoorie still gets all its water supply from the 23 springs around it, Nainital has lost all its sources, except one. What went wrong? Even the discharge from springs has reduced. Many turned seasonal or dried up completely.

While it is easy to blame climate change, can we justify rapid and unscientific development in a geologically fragile area? Rising demand and changing land use patterns is what depletes groundwater resources. Poor planning takes its toll. Springs are ultra-sensitive to things around them. Far off earthquakes to movement of heavy construction machinery and blasting—the tremors create landslips, disturbing delicate spring networks and mountain aquifers.

The national highways have increased multi-fold. Existing roads have been broadened, and a dense network of rural roads has came up. But the hydrological studies necessary before heavy construction activities have got sidelined. Can we afford to lose these springs? It’s not just about drinking water, they are also essential for biodiversity. Many are linked to the spiritual and cultural beliefs of the people. Yet, very little research has been done on the springs and groundwater in Uttarakhand.

Take the case of Sukhatal—an ephemeral lake perched about 50 metres above Nainital Lake. Besides meeting 20% of Nainital’s water supply, it even stocks up extra rainwater during monsoons, using it to recharge the Nainital Lake, around which the economy of the city thrives. Studies by prominent institutes indicate that Sukhatal provides half of the subsurface flow to Nainital Lake.

Countless resorts and hotels are mushrooming all over Uttarakhand, illegally pumping excessive water, disregarding mountain aquifers. They are stealing legacy water that has been there for centuries, all for personal economic gains! Forest degradation in Uttarakhand just doesn’t seem to stop. There is rampant felling of trees, digging of tunnels through aquifers and building of roads and dams. How can springs function in such a setting? It hugely affects not just local life but also those living downstream.

It is not that climate change is not an issue in a geologically vulnerable state like Uttarakhand. It has become more of a scapegoat though to sideline poor and unscientific developmental practices in the state.

All is not lost though. Civil society has been active for long, trying out different hydro-geological techniques to sustain their springs. Government too has woken up. A spring revival strategy has been drawn up. The Ministry of Jal Shakti collaborated with the National Institute of Hydrology (NIH) and the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) to improve spring-shed management. The state government last November passed a proposal to set up a state-level Spring and River Rejuvenation Authority (SARRA). Philanthropies like the Tata Trusts have also been roped in to help revive the springs. These organisations can only conserve water, not produce more of it. The problem is despite understanding it all, insensitive development continues unchecked.

We need more synergy between departments and institutions. We need more sustainable project execution frameworks and development pathways and inclusive governance mechanisms and public awareness. If we continue to ignore reality, mountain aquifers will stop yielding water. Human survival will be at stake.

Dr Vishal Singh is Executive Director of Centre for Ecology Development and Research (CEDAR) and has conducted studies on springs of Uttarakhand