Participants of the writeshop in Kathmandu with Aditi Mukherji, Theme leader, Water and Air, ICIMOD.

Springs are the main source of water for millions of people in the mid-hills of the HKH and provide multiple ecosystem services. However, many springs are drying up or becoming seasonal, and most have seen decrease in discharge. The quality of spring water is also deteriorating throughout the HKH. As a result, communities across the region are facing unprecedented water stress. Researchers are trying to study the extent of the problem.

Since 2015, ICIMOD has been working on spring revival in the Nepal Himalaya in collaboration with the Advanced Center for Water Resources Development and Management (ACWADAM). Experts from the two organizations have developed a spring revival protocol, which comprises a set of implementable methodologies. The application of the protocol has seen success – springs have been successfully rejuvenated. However, scarce scientific documentation of the approaches and results continues to be a challenge.

As a follow-up to this workshop, ACWADAM hosted a second writeshop in Pune, India in June. The writeshop was supported by the Indian Himalayas Climate Adaptation Programme (IHCAP), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST), India.

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