Hindu Kush Himalaya Springs Alliance

Organisers: ICIMOD, IWMI

About the workshop

We are organising a meeting on the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) Springs Alliance to foster collaboration, streamline efforts and amplify a common voice for effective and scalable springshed management to ensure long-term water security and socio-ecological resilience in the region. This workshop will seek to strengthen the science-policy-practice-investment interface, bringing together key stakeholders from and beyond the region to establish a unified and action-oriented network. One of the key outcomes is the co-development of an HKH Springs Alliance implementation strategy with clear action plans and timelines.

The event is supported by the Himalayan Resilience Enabling Action Programme (HI-REAP), funded by the United Kingdom International Development through its Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

Objectives

The specific objectives of this workshop are to:

• Discuss the alliance, its role and the need for a common voice on the HKH springs.
• Co-develop shared principles, terms of reference, governance mechanism and working modality of the collaboration through the alliance.
• Outline a strategic roadmap for the alliance.

Background

The HKH region is known as the ‘water tower of Asia’ for containing the headwaters of ten major Asian river systems. Springs are an important source of water for both humans and non-humans and ecosystems in the HKH. They play a crucial role in maintaining the flow of rivers and sustaining the livelihoods of communities. In the dry season, when precipitation is limited, springs sustain river flows and act as a reliable source of water for drinking, irrigation, and hydropower generation.

Springs are the primary water source for millions of people and supply over 90% of the water needed for domestic and productive use in the mid-hills of the region. At higher elevations, they have direct connections with glaciers and permafrost. They also provide water for biodiversity and ecosystems, supporting flora and fauna. However, the springs in the HKH region are facing various challenges from climatic and non-climatic drivers. Climate change is altering precipitation patterns and the cryosphere, affecting the availability and timing of spring flows. The drying of springs disproportionately affects communities, particularly women, children, and marginalised groups, who often bear the burden of water collection and depend on springs for their daily needs. Despite their critical importance, there is a significant gap in research on springs dynamics, including their ecological, economic, social, and political connections. Sustainable springshed management at scales also requires data and information, but studies on the status and trends of springs in the region are limited.

In 2022, ICIMOD organised a regional conference to advance springshed management, bringing together nearly 60 decision-makers, practitioners, and academics from the HKH countries to share their experiences. One of the key recommendations from the conference was establishing a regional platform in the HKH for sharing best practices, success and failure stories, and policies related to springshed management. The conference also called for the development of an umbrella policy to guide relevant sectors, such as water, agriculture, forestry, and others, in integrating springshed management into their programmes, as well as the development of an open-access decision support system.

The proposed activity builds on the above recommendations and aims to contribute to the wider adoption of springshed management as a nature based solution, one of the components within the HI-REAP programme.