Heera Sammal, 21, has fond childhood memories of accompanying her mother to the springs around her village in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand. The women of Suda village would gather and chatter around the springs as they collected water for domestic use. However, while growing up, Heera witnessed several springs drying up. Soon, what was once a shared community resource became a point of conflict; villagers started competing to get the maximum from the remaining springs.

A spring is formed when water stored underground in rocks and soil (known as aquifers) finds a way to the surface. They play a crucial role in maintaining the Himalayan ecosystem. Out of five million springs in India, three million are in the Himalayan region.

“Springs are critical for the people here. Life is possible only if there are springs,” says Heera, emphasising the role springs play in the Himalayas. Devoid of rivers or wells, springs are the sole water source for Himalayan communities.

“When I was a child, the rainfall was lighter and spanned several days. There was enough time for water to infiltrate the soil,’’ says Heera, who has completed her higher secondary education. “Now, there’s heavy rainfall over a short span. The rainwater rushes downstream and doesn’t infiltrate the soil for the springs to recharge,” she adds.

According to CEEW analysis, Uttarakhand has recorded a 50 per cent increase in days with extremely heavy rainfall since the 1970s.

Without sufficient water for domestic use, irrigation and cattle rearing, outward migration from Suda village began to soar. Heera was determined to ensure that no one left the village because of water scarcity. That’s when she started her association with Chirag, a grassroots organisation working for the welfare of Himalayan communities.

Water User Committees (WUC) were set up in each village to help conserve and revive the springs. These groups participated in various spring restoration activities such as digging percolation and deep recharge pits and planting native trees in the catchment areas. The efforts paid rich dividends and led to the restoration of several springs.

Seventeen-year-old Chandan Bhatta works closely with Heera on groundwater recharge to improve spring discharge. “A deep recharge pit consists of 60 per cent rocks at the bottom with 40 per cent soil above it. It can hold 1,000 litres of water while a percolation pit holds 500 litres of water,” Chandan explains. He adds that such measures have helped recharge groundwater, ensuring water availability throughout the year.

Youngsters like Heera and Chandan have been roped in as Key Resource Persons (KRPs) to set up a monitoring mechanism. They are assigned the task of periodically measuring water in the springs so that the WUCs and the larger community can keep a tab on the progress of their restoration activities. “I look after three springs in my village and measure their discharge,” says Heera.

The village youth were trained to undertake geological surveys to understand the measures needed in the catchment areas. The learnings have helped in carrying out the rejuvenation of springs scientifically.

 

Heera and Chandan also engage with schools to raise awareness about springs and the need to conserve them. They conduct practical exercises while interacting with school children to illustrate the concepts lucidly.

“We tell them about topography and how the water would rush downstream if not for the vegetation around,’’ says Heera, adding that there is a need to sensitise the younger generation about water conservation.

The example of Uttarakhand’s young water scientists puts forward a scalable success model in which young climate champions are coming together to protect their region from the adverse impacts of climate change.

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