Partners Training on Springshed Management

Background and objectives

Springs are the main source of water for millions of people in the mid hills of the Hindu Kush Himalayas (HKH). Both rural and urban communities depend on springs for meeting their drinking, domestic and agricultural water needs. There is increasing evidence that springs are drying up or their discharge is reducing all throughout the HKH and as a result communities are facing unprecedented water stress. The exact extent of this problem is not well known given that there is dearth of scientific studies.

Springs are a part of groundwater system and the science of hydrogeology that governs the occurrence and movement of water in the underground aquifers is not well understood. This often results in misconception regarding springs and this in turn, creates misaligned policies that exacerbate the problem. Springs are also part of complex socio-technical and informal governance systems with pronounced gender and equity dimensions and these systems are not well understood, again leading to inappropriate policies and interventions.

Climate change and change in bio-physical landscape (e.g. landuse and vegetation) is widely implicated for drying of springs, but there is very little systematic knowledge to effectively link climate change; vegetation change and spring discharge, especially because of large data uncertainties.

ICIMOD, in its role as a Regional Organization, seeks to work with diverse range of partners from all its eight Regional Member Countries (RMCs) and bring together existing knowledge under one platform in order to enhance our understanding about this important water issue.

In this background, Kailash Sacred Landscape, HIAWARE and WLE Initiatives of ICIMOD jointly with ACWADAM will be organizing a training on “Springshed Management for Field Implementers” to be held at ICIMOD Knowledge Park at Godavari from 25th  April to April 30th  April 2016.

The main aim of the training is to share 8 steps methodology for springshed development and management that was developed by ICIMOD with partners; and also to enhance capacity of partners in implementing common methodology of springshed development and management in the HKH region.

Targeted participants of the training are technical experts/field technicians involved in water management/spring shed management activities from implementing partners of ICIMOD, and are 30 in total from Bhutan, India, Nepal and Pakistan.