Supporting public action to secure water sources in the Indian Himalayas
Research on the political economy of water security, ecosystem services and livelihoods in South Asia has led to greater water security for communities.
Issue
The lower hills of the Himalayas are experiencing unplanned urbanisation across a number of small towns, contributing to the exhaustion and contamination of natural surface or spring-based water sources. This degradation of the water supply is exacerbated by seasonal demands in popular tourist towns, and made worse by policy inaction.
Approach
Research focused on six small towns and their surrounding catchments in the Western Himalayas. Using a combination of spatial mapping, archival records, secondary studies of the catchment system and expert review, the project team produced a report highlighting the neglected, but critical, role of a secondary lake Sukhatal as a buffer for the main lake in the resort town of Nainital.
Impact
The project brought evidence to the notice of the Nainital court and local authorities, and used the project workshop, local media sources and civic mobilisation to raise sustained public awareness of the risks of water insecurity. This concerted pressure resulted in a court order in 2019 to stop all unauthorised construction around Sukhatal and to remove encroachments.
On the basis of the project’s results the state government released just under INR 30 million (£300,000) to rejuvenate Naini lake.
Images and insights from the research were also used to develop educational resources for Indian schools.
More information
Institution: University of Cambridge
Researchers: Professor Bhaskar Vira, Dr Eszter Kovacs
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How to cite
Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) (2023) Supporting public action to secure water sources in the Indian Himalayas. Available at https://rgs.org/watersourcesHimalayas Last accessed on: <date>