Back to news
29 Jul 2015 | News

Springshed development in the Himalayas discussed

1 min Read

70% Complete

With the aim to raise the importance of springshed management and bring visibility and outreach on spring and ground water management, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and Springs Initiative India held meetings in New Delhi on 10 July 2015.

The meeting was attended by officials of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), and Department of Land Resource (DoLR), Government of India.

The two ministries recognized spring protection using the spring hydrogeology concepts, and its importance in forest management and watershed management programmes. As a follow up and way forward, MoEFCC suggested to look into the National Working Plan code and look into the possibilities of dovetailing springs hydrogeology under working plan Chapter 1 (Part 1) dealing with geology, rocks, and soil as well as in the water resource management prescription (Chapter 2).

Springs Initiative and ICIMOD were asked to develop a strategy to engage front line staff to understand hydrogeology and recharge areas and ways to implement springshed approaches at the field level. Similarly, MoRD suggested to share a list of areas and districts where applied research on spring hydrogeology has been tested involving local communities. Learning from these pilot sites could help DoLR to consider integration of hydrogeological parameters in watershed management.

The MoRD Joint Secretary also expressed interest to visit the pilot sites in Uttarakhand and observe springshed conservation work in the field. Since there is a data gap on springs in the Himalayan context, ICIMOD and Springs Initiative have agreed to work with partners in the region. This should give an opportunity to promote awareness on importance of springs, and build capacities to protect and develop springsheds across the Himalayas.

Stay current

Stay up to date on what’s happening around the HKH with our most recent publications and find out how you can help by subscribing to our mailing list.

Sign Up

Related Contents

Continue exploring this topic

31 Jul 2015 KSL
Transhumance herding: Not a pastoral romance anymore

With each passing year new realities are creeping into remote parts of Nepal leading to change in lifestyles, food habits, ...

8 Oct 2018 CryoHub
CryoBrain interaction with Norwegian cryosphere expert

Kjetil Melvold, researcher at the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE), presented his ongoing research on sub-grid snow distribution ...

15 May 2017 SANDEE
Solar drier to reduce human dependency on forest resources in Mizoram, India

As a measure to promote value addition in agricultural practices on farmlands, the project has supported local communities in the ...

Draft FABKA roadmap highlights future as an independent legal entity

Also in October 2019, members conducted the 4th FABKA meeting in Pokhara where, following rigorous discussions, a roadmap was developed ...

19 Oct 2015 News
ICIMOD Proposed to Host Web-based Hazard Platform

  In Nepal, landslides are one of the most common natural hazards, causing serious economic damage and affecting thousands of vulnerable ...

13 Dec 2016 News
International Mountain Day Celebrated in Dhaka, Bangladesh

ICIMOD participated in a discussion and mountain fair programme organized by the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts ...

27 Jan 2016 News
R software Training Makes for Better Data Analysis

Twenty-one participants attended a four-day training “Introduction to Data Analysis with R” organised by the Cryosphere initiative of the International ...

15 Jan 2020 KDKH
Disasters beyond boundaries: Experts agree on regional cooperation to build resilience in the Koshi basin

Water-induced hazards are common in the Koshi basin, and disasters can cross boundaries, as we saw with the late July ...