Drinking water issues and development of spring sanctuaries in a mountain watershed in the Indian Himalaya

The Himalaya harbor a wealth of springs and shallow wells used for drinking water and other household purposes. However, discharge from these sources has declined in recent decades—some springs have even dried up—making water a crucial development issue in the region. This article describes a field experiment to increase spring discharge with simple ecotechnology (spring sanctuary development) in the recharge zone of a nearly extinct spring in a Himalayan microwatershed in Uttaranchal. In the years after the experiment, water discharge increased from 1055 to 2153 L/d (1995–2000). Though much of this increase was probably because of above-average rainfall in the dry season of 2000, the results are very encouraging. In addition, the discharge of all springs in the watershed was pooled and more rational use of water was promoted.