Présentations Colloques

Springs dot the middle hills in the Hindu Kush Himalayas and play a very important role in ensuring water security for millions of people living here. Springs also contribute to base flow of Himalayan rivers and support irrigation systems. There is growing anecdotal evidence that these springs are drying up, due to a combination of climate and other socio-economic changes. Given this background, there is widespread demand from the local communities to revive these dying springs. What role can hydrogeologists play in this? We contend that the role of hydrogeologists is enormously important for at least two reasons- for demystifying the science and for training the local communities to understand their local groundwater fed spring systems and then carry out interventions to revive springs. **In this paper, we will present an eight step methodology for mapping, monitoring and reviving springs in the mid hills of the Himalayas and also present preliminary results from the field where we have implemented this methodology. There are two basic pillars of this methodology – understanding the hydrogeology and delineating recharge areas and understanding the social and governance systems in place for managing these springs. Hydrogeological investigations and results from socio-economic studies are used to train the local communities to monitor their springs regularly and ensure that spring water is used in a sustainable and equitable manner. Physical interventions such as construction of recharge ponds and troughs, afforestation of recharge areas are also undertaken in consultation with the communities and spring discharge and rainfall is regularly monitored to capture the impact of spring revival activities on spring discharge.**