Towns and cities in the Himalayan regions of India and
Nepal, and the Asian continent in general, which is home to over a fifth of the
world’s population, are undergoing rapid expansion and urbanisation. The
population in this region is increasingly becoming concentrated in urban and
peri-urban areas. Population growth,
changing lifestyles, rising economic status, and the effects of climate change
are all coalescing to cause acute water shortages, particularly during the dry
season, leading to a situation of water insecurity in the region. This chapter
examines the factors leading to water stress in the central and western
Himalaya of Nepal and India, respectively, in view of the potential future
impacts of climate change. The four towns of Dhulikhel and Dharan in Nepal, and
Mussoorie and Haldwani in India, representative of urban areas in the lower
Himalaya that are dependent on springs, streams, rivers and groundwater for
meeting domestic and commercial water needs, facing a multitude of challenges
in securing water, were chosen for this study. The most important cause of
water scarcity in the study cities is the rapid population increase. In the
cities, population growth and interlinked factors such as migration from rural
areas, tourist influx, unscientific construction and degradation of recharge
zones are causing serious threats to water security, disasters and pollution.
Land-use change has further contributed to declining water availability in
streams, springs, and groundwater reserves. The final factor that is
influencing water availability, and can be expected to impact future water
supply, is a change in climatic patterns. The present circumstances and trends
indicate that ensuring adequate supplies of acceptable quality water for these
cities will become ever more challenging in the decades to come unless
city-specific climate-adaptive and equitable water supply measures are employed
effectively. Moreover, certain segments
of city dwellers face greater difficulties in gaining access to potable water
due to socio-cultural and economic factors. Therefore, to achieve sustainable,
equitable and climate resilient water management, measures such as, protection
of critical urban water zones, stream bank and gully stabilization, water
harvesting and groundwater recharge will be needed along with augmentation of
infrastructure, increased storage capacity, appropriate policies and
institutional arrangements at local, state, and national levels for effectively
addressing the issues of equitable water access to each of the households in
the cities. Strategic engagements with the private sector and innovative
solutions, as well as policy measures, are key imperatives to meeting the
challenges in securing water for these Himalayan towns.
Author(s) Details
Roshan M. Bajracharya
Southasia Institute of Advanced Studies, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Ngamindra Dahal
Southasia Institute of Advanced Studies, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Please see the book here :- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/crgese/v5/6904
