SUSTAINABLE MOUNTAIN DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT-V Water Security & Skills for Development in the Mountains
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Ladakh 2016
SUSTAINABLE MOUNTAIN
DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT-V
Water Security & Skills for Development in the Mountains
20 to 22 September 2016
Ladakh 2016
SUSTAINABLE MOUNTAIN
DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT V
Water Security & Skills for development in the mountains
Ladakh 2016
Table of contents
Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................................ 2
Preface: Note from Dr R.S. Tolia ......................................................................................................... 3
Convenor's Note ............................................................................................................................................... 5
SMDS-V partners ............................................................................................................................................ 7
SMDS-V schedule ........................................................................................................................................... 8
Summit deliberations and recommendations ................................................................ 11
Selection of Papers .................................................................................................................................... 28
Photography competition winning entries ........................................................................ 79
List of Participants ...................................................................................................................................... 80
Editorial team
Sunetro Ghosal, Stawa and Ladakh Studies
Tsering Dolkar, Stawa
Editorial support:
Reuben Gergan, Ladakh Renewable Energy Development Agency
John Paulraj, Integrated Mountain Initiative
Rapporteurs
Kunzes Dolma, Heritage Himalaya
Phunstog Angmo
Rigzin Chondon, Jawaharlal Nehru University
Rigzin Yangdol
Stanzin Losang
Tashi Lundup, Stawa
Tsering Chorol
Zainab Akhter, Jawaharlal Nehru University
Photography
Mingyur Dechan, Ladakh Renewable Energy Development Agency
Smanla Tsering, Wildlife Department, Leh
Design and layout
Raul Chhokkun
2
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
Preface
Dr R.S. Tolia
President, Integrated Mountain Initiative
«I consider this getting together,
exchanging of experiences, and
learning gained from failures and
successes as the most important
achievement of IMI.»
The Integrated Mountain Initiative (IMI) has been organising Sustainable
Mountain Development Summits (SMDS) and other events between summits. Between 2011 and 2016, ive summits have been held for the states
in the Indian Himalayan region. In my opinion, organising ive such summits in this period is a remarkable achievement. I consider this getting
together, exchanging of experiences, and learning gained from failures
and successes as the most important achievement of IMI. This has only been possible due to indefatigable efforts of past summit convenors, namely Mr P.D. Rai and his able team led by Mr R.P.
Gurung at ECOSS, Mr Alemtemshi Jamir and his able second-in-command, Mr Amba Jamir at the
newly established Sustainable Development Forum of Nagaland, and inally Fantry Mein Jaswal and
her team at Sustainable Development Forum, Arunachal Pradesh. We must not forget the efforts of
our capable and indefatigable secretary, Mr Sushil Ramola who has been instrumental in providing
us with a solid foundation on which each of these summits have been organised. We must applaud
and appreciate the efforts put in by these individuals, their respective organisations and hordes of
volunteers
At each summit, discussions have been shaped by an agenda, which IMI and individual participants
have collectively raised to new orbits of excellence through exchanges and mutual learning. These
learning takes place formally and informally during each summit and at events between summits. I
consider this continuity and focus as the second achievement of IMI and its chapter states.
From the start, we have deliberately allowed IMI, as a pan-Indian mountain states civil society
movement, to develop spontaneously and not conine itself to a particular format. Indeed, this
mindset of working according to a formal framework has been the cause of non-development of our
mountain regions. This is well documented in the reports and studies that have been published by
IMI. I would regard these tireless efforts to study and document different processes in the mountain
states as our third achievement, which facilitates learning and shapes efforts to develop the mountain states of India.
Today, the Indian Himalayan Region accounts for 11 full-ledged states along with the district of
Darjeeling out of 30 states in India. Barring a few, the mountain states are not only bereft of technical institutions, but also of basic infrastructure and facilities. Over the last few years, IMI has
endeavoured to document these challenges and the evolution of the mountain states through the
policy-makers dialogue. These documents serve as a repository of the collective knowledge generated by IMI in collaboration with regional, national and international bodies, including the then
erstwhile body for policy development, Planning Commission of India. Our mission, vision and the
values under which we work relects these experiences and learning, which have been included in
our Memorandum of Association. This document is available and accessible for anyone interested
in it.
IMI and its member states are happy to learn that the National Institution for Transforming India
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
3
Ladakh 2016
(NITI) has established a working group to understand and address the
issues that affect mountain states. It is a good beginning for NITI, which
is now the apex body for policy development in India and is now setting
the tone for future approach, or rather approaches, for development in
India, including the mountain states. We have big hopes from NITI and its
initiatives, and will follow its work very closely.
«We all need to work together to
ensure that Ladakh, and other
mountain regions in India, are
able to achieve the same level of
development as the rest of the
country...»
At the same time, I must also draw attention to the key recommendations
that resulted from several rounds of intense deliberations, in which many
of our members participated. One of the recommendations was to provide two percent of the gross
military support to mountain states, but this has still not been implemented. We need to take account of such gaps and work to address them.
I visited Ladakh as Chief Secretary of the new state of Uttarakhand in 2005 to participate in a workshop on seabuckthorn by the Field Research Laboratory (now Defence Institute for High Altitude
Research), which is a unit of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Based on
my visit, I would make two recommendations in addition to the others that have emerged from the
summit.
First, Ladakh (now divided into Kargil and Leh districts) is one of the largest districts in India and
located in the trans-Himalayan cold desert ecosystem. Other people in the country do not understand the conditions under which local institutions and people work. It is therefore important
that the recently-upgraded G.B. Pant Institute of National Himalayan Environment and Sustainable
Development establish its sixth unit in Ladakh. This will help us include and address the speciic
requirements of our cold deserts. I come from a similar cold desert region and I am familiar with the
conditions under which snow-bound regions in the Himalayas survive. It is very dificult to visualise
the challenges from Delhi or peninsular India. It’s therefore pertinent that an apex institution of the
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is located in Ladakh and I hope the ministry
to takes note of this recommendation.
Second, I echo a suggestion made by the former IMI councillor from Ladakh, Rigzin Spalbar who
served as Chief Executive Councillor of LAHDC, Leh. He had approached IMI for support to establish a full-ledged university in Ladakh. When I heard this, I was struck by the fact that Dehradun
alone has more than 300 students from Ladakh. It is not dificult to imagine the additional inancial
burden this places on the family of the students, who have no other alternative as there are no
centres for higher learning in Ladakh. I am sure these two recommendations will go a long way in
addressing and partially mitigating the impact of the harsh climatic conditions of Ladakh.
As a keen student of history, I salute Ladakh as a great repository of learning and its experiments
and experiences with development. Other mountain states must try to emulate the excellence that
has been achieved in this region. We all need to work together to ensure that Ladakh, and other
mountain regions in India, are able to achieve the same level of development as the rest of the
country, even as we cope with a harsher and challenging environment in the mountains.
The late Dr R.S. Tolia served as President of IMI from its inception till 21 September, 2016. He
passed away on 6 December, 2016.
4
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
Convenor’s note
The Sustainable Mountain Development Summit-V (SMDS-V ) in Ladakh was shaped by the
collective vision shared by the mountain states
and regions of India—to learn from each other and to work together to achieve sustainable
development in the Indian Himalayan Region.
At the start of the planning process, a decision
was taken to orient discussions at the summit
around the crucial themes of Water Security
and Skills for Development in the Mountains.
Water Security was then divided into three
sub-themes: Receding Glaciers and Snow Cover Areas, Water for Mountain Agriculture, and
Water Conservation Techniques – Traditional
and New. The theme of Skills for Development
in the Mountains was also divided into three
sub-themes: Skills Required in the Mountains,
Integration of Institutional and Individual Capability Building for Enhancing Sustainable Agriculture in Mountain States, and Entrepreneurship and Success Stories.
The presentations and discussions around these
themes and sub-themes were lively, informative
and useful. Each technical session relected the
rich regional diversity of the mountain regions
of India and their varied experiences of development. The Legislators and Policy-makers
Meet was held as a special parallel session on 21
September and well-attended by ofice-bearers
and oficials from different governmental and
non-governmental agencies.
One of the key objectives of a Sustainable Mountain Develop Summit is to provide policy recommendations for implementation across the
mountain states. This objective was well-served
with representation from Government of India,
various state governments, researchers, activists
and scholars. Furthermore, the proceedings of
the summit document the discussions and help
identify areas for further research, share import-
ant developmental lessons from different parts
of the Indian Himalayan Region and provide
relevant policy recommendations.
The summit was inaugurated by the Hon’ble
Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir,
Dr Nirmal Singh. He emphasised the need for
such conferences and the need to discuss issues
such as water security and skills needed for development in the mountain regions of India.
A day each was dedicated to each theme, with
the Legislators and Policy-Makers Meet as the
only parallel session at the summit. This special session was co-chaired by the Chairman/
Chief Executive Councillor of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh, Dr
Sonam Dawa Lonpo and Member of Parliament,
Sikkim, Shri P.D. Rai. The participants included Councillors from Ladakh Autonomous Hill
Development Council, Leh and three Members
of Parliament: Shri Thupstan Tsewang (Ladakh),
Shri P.D. Rai (Sikkim) and Shri Conrad Sangma
(Meghalaya). A summary of the speciic discussions that took place during the conference are
documented in this publication, along with relevant policy recommendations.
The valedictory session of the summit was
chaired by the Hon’ble Minister for Tribal Affairs, Government of India, Jual Oram. He ap-
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
5
Ladakh 2016
Hon’ble Union Minister for Tribal Afairs, Sh. Jual Oram speaking during the valedictory session on SMDS-V on 22 September, 2016.
«SMDS-V was marked by several
interesting discussions, sharing
of experiences and dialogues between different perspectives on
issues related to development at
large...»
preciated the efforts
taken to organise the
summit and emphasised its importance
to shape development
policies and practices
for achieving sustainable development in the mountains. In this
session, the SMDS baton was formally handed
over to Dr Lalbiak Ngente, Councillor, IMI who
represented Mizoram, which will host SMDS-VI.
SMDS-V was marked by several interesting discussions, sharing of experiences and dialogues
between different perspectives on issues related
to development at large, with speciic reference
to Water Security and Skills for Development in
the Mountains. This is one of the central objectives of each mountain summit and in my opinion it was achieved during the summit and this
publication will help these discussion reach a
wider audience. The proceedings of the summit
also provide key inputs for policy development
for the mountains. This is envisioned as a key
reference document for further research and
policy discussions related to Water Security and
Skills for Development in the Mountains, especially in the context of the Indian Himalayan
Region.
In keeping with the tradition followed by previous summits, local Ladakhi skills and products
were prioritised and integrated into the organisation of SMDS-V. We partnered with several civ-
6
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
il society groups and individuals to achieve this
objective and showcase the diversity of talent,
skill and traditions that exist in Ladakh. We also
tried to ensure that each session of the summit
relected the diversity of the Indian Himalayan
Region.
The organisation of such as event was a mammoth task in the context of the limited infrastructure and various connectivity challenges
in Ladakh. On behalf of Ladakh Snow Leopard
Foundation and Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh, I acknowledge the
untiring support of the District Administration,
Leh and various civil society organisations.
Without their support and help, this summit
would not have been possible. I also acknowledge the support from Integrated Mountain Initiative for entrusting us with this responsibility
and their help in organising the event. Lastly,
I acknowledge the guidance of the executive
committee and the footwork by the core-team
to bring ideas and plans to fruition in the form
of SMDS-V.
Jigmet takpa, iFS
Chief Conservator of Forests ( Wildlife), Ladakh Region
Project Director, Ladakh Renewable Energy Development
Agency
Chief Executive Oficer, Ladakh Snow Leopard Foundation
SMDS-V Partners
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
7
Ladakh 2016
Programme Schedule
Tuesday, 20th September 2016
Inaugural Session
16:00 – 17:00
Arrival and Registration of Participants
17:00 – 17:10
Welcome address from Convenor SMDS-V: Shri Jigmet Takpa, IFS
17:10 – 17:20
Address by President of IMI: Dr. RS Tolia/Shri Alemtemshi Jamir, CS (Retd) Nagaland
17:20 – 17:30
Remarks from Co-Patron, SMDS-V: Dr. Sonam Dawa Lonpo, Chairman/CEC-LAHDC, Leh
17:30 – 17:50
Address by Chief Patron, SMDS-V: Dr Nirmal Singh, Deputy Chief Minister, Jammu & Kashmir
17:50 – 18:00
Inaugural address: Shri Prasanna Ramaswamy G., IAS, Deputy Commissioner, Leh
18:00 – 18:10
Lighting of Lamp and opening the event
18:10 – 18:30
Appreciation of Ladakh and its culture – Video Presentation
18:30 - 19:00
Inauguration of Photography Exhibition & Photo-shoot
19:30 - 21:30
Dinner & Networking
Day 1: Wednesday, 21st September 2016
Theme: Water Security in the Mountains
9:00 – 9:20
Contextualization of the theme: Shri. Amba Jamir, Executive Secretary, SDFN & Councillor, IMI
9:20 – 9:40
Keynote address 1: Dr. Amita Prasad, Joint Secretary, MoEF &CC
9:40 – 10:00
Keynote address 2: Prof. Philippe Cullet, Senior Visiting Fellow, Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi
10:00 – 10:15
Tea Break
Technical Session 1: Receding Glaciers and Snow Cover Areas
10:15 – 10:25
Moderator: Dr. Shrestha Tayal, Area Convenor, Centre for Himalayan Ecology, TERI University
10:25 – 10:45
The role and trends of glaciers snow and permafrost: A Dr. Dorothea Stumm, Senior Glaciologist,
technical perspective
ICIMOD
10:45 – 11:05
Lifestyle choices, innovative policies with focus on gla- Dr. Smriti Basnett, Sikkim University
ciers and snow cover in Sikkim
11:05 – 11:25
Brief Review of Snow cover and Glaciers in Ladakh
11:25 – 11:45
Impact of glacier retreat and melting permafrost, with Dr. Joseph Tshetan Gergan, Scientist F (Respecial reference to Ladakh
tired), Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Ladakh
11:45 – 12:30
Open house discussion
12:30 – 13:30
Lunch Break and networking
Thupstan Angchuk, JNU
Technical Session 2: Management of Water in the Mountain States
8
13:30 – 13:40
Moderator: Dr. Rajan Kotru, ICIMOD
13:40 – 14:00
Irrigation systems of Ladakh’s farming communities: Dr. Joseph Hill, Assistant Professor XISS
survivability of traditional irrigation practices in the
modern era
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
14:00 – 14:20
Water security in the Darjeeling Hills, unravelling the Shri. Roshan P Rai, Darjeeling Himalayan
seen and unseen forces
Initiative
14:20 – 14:40
Policy perspectives on ground water extraction issues in Shri. Siddharth Patil, ACWADAM
mountain regions
14:40 – 15:10
Open house discussion
15:10 – 15:30
Tea Break
Technical Session 3: Water Conservation Techniques – Traditional and New
15:30 – 15:40
Moderator: Dr. J.C Kuniyal, Scientist, GB Pant Institute of Himalayan Ecology and Sustainable Development
15:40 – 16:00
Water conservation techniques: Issues, challenges and Smt. Minakshi Arora, India Water Portal,
solutions
New Delhi
16:00 – 16:40
Artiicial glaciers: A high altitude water conservation Shri. Tsewang Norphel, Engineer (Retd),
and harvesting technique
Leh-Ladakh
Shri Sonam Wangchuk, SECMOL/The Ice
Stupa Project
16:40 – 17:00
Dhara Vikas Programme: Conservation and preservation Shri Pem Norbu Sherpa, Coordinator, Dhaara
of rain-fed streams and springs
Vikas Programme, Sikkim
17:00 – 17:20
Successful traditional practices and the need to converge Shri. Vengota Nakro, Councillor, SDFN
such practices to policy
17:20 – 17:40
Open house discussion
17:40 – 18:00
Presentation of Outcomes of the day moderated by Shri. RP Gurung, CEO, Ecotourism & Conservation
Society of Sikkim (ECOSS) & Councillor, IMI, Smt. Priyadarshinee Shrestha, Team Leader, WWF, Sikkim
and Smt Bhawana Luthra, LEAD India
20:00 onwards
Dinner and Cultural Performances
Day 2: Thursday, 22st September 2016
Theme: Skills for Development in the Mountains
9:00 – 9:20
Contextualization of the theme: Shri. Alemtemshi Jamir, CS (Retd) Nagaland & Vice President and Councillor, IMI
9:20 – 9:40
Keynote address 1: Smt. Jyotsna Sitling, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
9:40 – 10:00
Keynote address 2: Shri. Sushil Ramola, Chairman, B-ABLE & Councillor, IMI
10:00 – 10:15
Tea Break
Technical Session 4: Skills Required in the Mountains
10:15 – 10:25
Moderator: Smt. Jyotsna Sitling, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
10:25 – 10:45
Issues in skill development and entrepreneurship in Dr. Sapna Poti, Head - Jammu, Kashmir and
mountains
North East Region, NSDC
10:45 – 11:05
Mountain state skilling for employability: case study of Smt. Mrinalini Shrivastava, IPS, Sikkim
Sikkim
11:05 – 11:25
The experience of sustaining traditional skills in Ladakh
Dr. Sonam Wangchok, President, IALS &
Secretary, Himalayan Cultural Heritage
Foundation
11:25 – 11:45
Entrepreneurship in Sikkim
Shri Karma Bhutia, Founder and CEO, iShippo, Sikkim
11:45 – 12:05
Enterprising Ladakh: Prosperity, Youth, Enterprise and Shri Moses Kunzang, Addl Deputy CommisCultural Values
sioner
12:05 – 12:25
Promoting Entrepreneurship in Ladakh
12:25 – 12:45
Open house discussion
12:45 – 13:30
Lunch Break and networking
Dorjay Wangchuk, JKEDI
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
9
Ladakh 2016
Technical Session 5: Integration of Institutional and Individual Capability building for enhancing Sustainable Agriculture in Mountain States (FAO-TC)
13:30 – 13:40
Contextualization of the session: Hon. Shri. PD Rai, MP Sikkim & Councillor, IMI
13:40 – 14:00
Strengthening institutional capacities in agriculture for Shri. John Paulraj, Programme Coordinator,
sustainable mountain development
IMI
14:00 – 14:20
IMI’s role in integrating agriculture/allied sectors in Shri Amba Jamir, SDFN
mountain development
14:20 – 14:40
Sharing experiences of FAO-TCP
14:40 – 14: 55
Integration of institutional and individual capability for Smt. Binita Shah, Founder of SARG, Uttaraenhancing sustainability agriculture for mountains
khand
14:55 – 15: 15
Open house discussion
15:50 – 15:30
Tea Break
Shri Sunder Subramanian, Development
Consultant and Policy Advisor
Technical Session 6: Entrepreneurship & Success Stories
15:30 – 15:40
Moderator: Shri. Sushil Ramola, Chairman, B-ABLE & Councillor, IMI
15:40 – 16:00
Living sustainably in the Himalayas
16:00 – 16:20
Ecotourism: A new livelihood alternative and conserva- Shri. Jigmet Takpa, IFS, CCF (Wildlife), Lation opportunity in Hemis National Park
dakh
16:20 – 16:40
Weaving stories of change: The weavers of Chizami
Smt. Seno Tsuhah, Project Team Leader,
Northeast Network (NEN), Nagaland
16:40 – 17:00
Seabuckthorn for sustainable mountain development
Dr. Tsering Stobdan, DIHAR, Leh
17:00 – 17:15
Open house discussion
17:15 – 17:50
Presentation of Outcomes of the day moderated by Smt. Mrinalini Shrivastava, IPS, Sikkim
18:00
Valedictory Session
18:00 – 18:20
Concluding Remarks: Hon. Shri PD Rai, MP Sikkim & Councillor, IMI
18:10 – 18: 20
Address of Chief Guest: Shri. Jual Oram, Union Minister for Tribal Afairs
18:20 – 18:40
Address by Patron, SMDS-V: Dr. Sonam Dawa Lonpo, CEC/Chairman-LAHDC, Leh
18:40 – 18:50
Hnding over of SMDS batonfrom Dr. Sonam Dawa Lonpo to Dr Lalbiak Ngente, Councillor, IMI from
Mizoram, which will host SMDS-VI
18:40 – 18:50
Vote of Thanks: Shri. Reuben Gergan, Secretary, SMDS-V
20:00 onwards
Dinner and Cultural Performances
Joint Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Government of India, Dr.
Amita Prasad delivering her keynote address.
10
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
Participants during a technical session.
Smt. Rashmi Bharti, Co-Founder, Avani, Uttarakhand
Summit deliberations
and recommendations
Theme 1
WATER SECURITY IN THE MOUNTAINS
The irst keynote address for the theme of water security in the mountains was delivered by Dr. Amita Prasad, Additional
Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Government of India. The focus was on the
peculiarity of problems in mountain and hill states and the need to address issues for these areas in a more localised manner with active involvement of various stakeholders.
The issue highlighted is critical, as six percent of India’s
population depends on the Himalayan ecosystem for vital
services such as water. There is a need to explore and map
the resources available in the mountain states. For instance,
springs are an important source of water in mountain ecosystems, but face threats due to urbanisation.
There is also a wide gap between policymakers in the government and policy inputs from the grassroots—this is an
important link that can be beneicial for all stakeholders. In
the past, studies undertaken by the Government of India on
water security in the mountains have failed to give results
during the implementation of projects as it lacked participation from different stakeholders, which includes collaborations between non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and
government agencies.
Another shortcoming seen with these projects has been their
lack of focus on sustainability and data sharing. There is no
dearth of planning and research but the ‘politics of planning’
remains the main challenge for sustainable development in
the mountains. It’s important to explore innovative solutions for addressing the problems of water security in mountain states. At the same time, participatory approaches that
involve civil society are essential for the long-term viability
of any project.
The second keynote address was delivered by Prof. Phillips
Cullet, Professor of International and Environmental Law at
School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London
and Senior Visiting Fellow at Centre for Policy Research,
New Delhi. Water security means different things to different
people, but it’s important to focus on local points of view.
One of the central challenges with regard to water security
remains on the issue of accessibility, followed by availability
of water. At present, policymaking processes primarily focus
on availability rather than accessibility. The issue of access to
water can also be interpreted in different ways but the question pertaining to the ‘needs’ require due importance in understanding the question of ‘access’. There is also an urgent
need to secure water-dependent livelihoods for mountain
communities and understand the links between water security and scarcity. In this regard, each mountain state must
develop frameworks for water security that are relevant to
their speciic needs.
SESSION 1:
RECEDING GLACIERS AND SNOW COVER AREAS
Moderator: Dr. Shrestha Tayal. TERI University
Summary
Important points discussed in this session:
• The importance of monitoring the health of glaciers, snow
ields and permafrost.
• The need to understand and map mountain permafrost,
which has been neglected.
• The involvement of local communities in monitoring and
mitigation activities.
The irst session under the theme ‘Water Security in the
Mountains’ focused on climate change and its impacts in
mountain regions, especially glaciers, snow ields and permafrost. As a glacier-dependent region, this session had a
special signiicance for Ladakh.
The discussion highlighted the importance of recognising
receding glaciers as an impact of human-induced climate
change. One of the most important points emphasised during
the session was the need to ill knowledge gaps in existing
knowledge pertaining to water sources in the mountains. For
instance, most studies focussed on visible sources such as
glaciers and snow ields, while neglecting the important role
played by mountain permafrost. As structures of these water
sources change, they have an impact on local ecological processes and communities dependent on them. For mountain
communities faced with threat from glacial lake out bursts,
the risks need to be mapped, understood and addressed.
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
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Ladakh 2016
Thupstan Angchuk: Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
Dr. Dorothea Stumm, ICIMOD, Kathmandu
BRIEF REVIEW OF SNOW COVER AND GLACIERS IN LADAKH
THE ROLE AND TRENDS OF GLACIERS SNOW AND
PERMAFROST: A TECHNICAL PERSPECTIVE
Field-based measurements of glaciers in Lahaul, Himachal
Pradesh and Stok Kangri in Ladakh, provide evidence of an
increase in temperature. There is, however, an urgent need
to understand Himalayan glaciers as they are diverse in nature. Such an understanding of the diversity of glaciers will
provide critical inputs to develop more sustainable solutions
to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Permafrost, which is described as rock or ground-material
below the surface that remains frozen for at least two consecutive years, remains neglected in current studies on water
security in the mountains and climate change. The layer of
the permafrost near the surface usually thaws in the warm
season and is called the ‘active layer’. However, this layer
cannot be observed from the surface. There is thus a large
knowledge gap in the information about permafrost, even
though modelling studies predict that the distribution of
permafrost is 14 times greater than glacier cover areas. However, it is dificult to measure permafrost directly and one has
to rely on indirect methods or proxies such as Ground Surface Temperature (GST) measurements. Such methods have
been used to measure permafrost in Langtang, Nepal since
2013, Ladakh since August 2016 and Kunjerab Pass area in
Pakistan since October 2016. There have are numerous additional indicators of the possible presence of permafrost in
different parts of Ladakh. The area around Ganglass Catchment in upper Leh town is a good example. Such research
activities are far more effective when they involve local communities in mountains areas to build scientiic capacity and
encourage youth to study science. This will expand current
knowledge on glaciers, snow cover areas and permafrost and
provide scientiic data and inputs to policymakers.
Dr. Smriti Basnett, Sikkim University, Gangtok
LIFESTYLE CHOICES, INNOVATIVE POLICIES WITH FOCUS ON
GLACIERS AND SNOW COVER IN SIKKIM
Melting of glaciers leads to the formation of supra-glacial
lakes, which expand to form larger lakes. The study of glaciers in Sikkim using area scaling method indicates that snow
cover thickness has reduced by an average of six feet. The
rapid melting of snow and glacier in the upper reaches of
Sikkim has had a negative impact on the yak herders that
use these areas. As a direct result of these changes, the next
generation of yak herders have started migrating to cities as
their traditional livelihood strategies are under threat. The
centuries-old practice of yak herding is now dying out in
Sikkim due to the impacts of climate change. Another issue
that needs attention is the smoke from traditional chulas
(hearths) that cause a deposition of black carbon on snow.
This needs to be addressed through outreach programmes
and the replacement of traditional chulas with smokeless chulas to reduce carbon deposition.
Dr. Joseph Thsetan Gergan, retired glaciologist
IMPACT OF GLACIER RETREAT AND MELTING PERMAFROST,
WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO LADAKH
The problem of receding of glaciers has overshadowed related issues such as permafrost. Water shortage crises are already emerging in Ladakh. For instance, Leh town depends
on a single glacier for its water supply, but this remains insuficient to meet the needs of the growing town. In contrast, the area around Phyang village located 15kms west of
Leh town, has eight glaciers and water resources remain under-utilised. Interestingly, there are no glaciers in the neighbouring village of Taru, whose residents depend on seasonal
melt from permafrost for water. Thus, the main sources for
water in a region like Ladakh include melt-water from snow
ields, permafrost and glaciers. The main challenge remains
to quantify the extent of permafrost in the region. Due to the
dificulties in measuring permafrost, it has been neglected
with most studies that primarily focus on glaciers. This has
resulted in a narrative of intense water scarcity as a major
source has not been included in these studies.
There is also an urgent need to gather and document information about climatic changes over the last few decades from
older generations. This will ill a major gap in current knowledge of recent history of extreme climatic events and changes
in these areas. There is a big divide between policymakers and
different stakeholders, especially people at the grassroots.
This divide can be bridged if data along with scientiic evidence and interpretations are taken to local communities and
they are involved in discussions and interactions to explore
collective solutions. These steps need to be taken urgently as
large scale migration are already taking place in Ladakh with
communities moving lower down from mountains sides to
valley loors, due to the effects of climate change. There is
also a need to explore if lakes formed by melting of glaciers
in the upper reaches of these valleys can be converted into
harvesting zones to prevent such migrations.
Policy recommendations from the session:
• Long-term monitoring of glaciers is critical to generate accurate and reliable data on changes and potential risks of
water scarcity and disasters.
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Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
• There is an urgent need to build scientiic capacity amongst
mountain communities, as they are one of the main stakeholders in achieving water security, to help monitor the
health of snow ields, glaciers and permafrost.
• Develop glacial research centres across the Himalayas,
which will work with local communities and the larger
scientiic community around the world to share data, indings and relevant knowledge and skills.
• Ensure that artiicial glaciers are built closer to natural glaciers to augment their cover.
• Develop simple strategies such as snow fences using stone
walls to increase the extent and period of snow cover.
• Increase the area of recharge in the head water regions
of streams and rivers. This can be done by using natural
recessional features of the mountain.
• There is an urgent need to map and study mountain
permafrost across the Himalayas. As of now, very little is
known about the nature and extent of mountain permafrost, especially in regions such as Ladakh.
• Develop market for locally-made products made from materials such as yak wool. This will help diversify livelihood
strategies for mountain communities that depend on pastures in high altitude regions near glaciers and snow ields.
SESSION 2:
WATER FOR MOUNTAIN AGRICULTURE
Moderator: Dr. Rajan Kotru, ICIMOD
Summary
Important points discussed in this session:
• The importance of documenting traditional rights over
water resources.
• The need to recognise springs as a source of water in
mountain regions.
• The importance of involving communities in studying and
managing water resources.
There is a growing uncertainty about water supply around
the world due to human-induced climate change. This uncertainty is more acute in the mountain regions. Growing
population, changing value systems, pollution, toxic emissions from vehicular use and unregulated tourism have
caused glaciers to recede at an alarming rate. Glacial melt
and spring waters are the lifeline of communities that live
in the mountains and special efforts need to be taken to address this uncertainty of water supply in the Himalayas.
The uncertainty, especially water scarcity, can lead to conlicts
as evident in the Cauvery river dispute between Karnataka
and Tamil Nadu. There have also been international conlicts
over water as observed in the disagreements between India
and Pakistan over interpretations of the Indus Water Treaty.
Around 64 million people in the 11 Himalayan states of India depend on glacier melt and spring water. These states
also share these water resources with each other, as well as
communities across international borders. Thus, these water
resources need to be managed proactively and collectively
before they lead to conlicts in the future.
Such water managements systems must include upstream
and downstream links as well as local, state and national
governmental agencies and non-governmental ones. Institutions, both governmental and non-governmental ones, must
take up key issues and required action to ensure that these
management systems function as intended.
Dr Joseph Hill, Xavier Institute of Social Service, Ranchi
IRRIGATION SYSTEMS OF LADAKH’S FARMING COMMUNITIES:
SURVIVABILITY OF TRADITIONAL IRRIGATION PRACTICES IN
THE MODERN ERA
Rapid social changes are taking place in Kargil-Ladakh, which
have impacted traditional Farmer-Managed Irrigation Systems (FMIS). These systems have been an important strategy
for water security and now face challenges in terms of policies, sustainability, food security and governance.
Policy or legal processes include land revenue settlement
that is underway in Kargil district after a gap of 100 years.
The settlement process poses a challenge to FMIS in terms of
documenting irrigation rights and customs. For instance, JM
Baker, who conducted research in Kangra valley in Himachal Pradesh, published a paper in 2003 (Himalayan Research
Bulletin) in which he concluded that ‘codiication of social
customs, practices and law during land settlement remains
full of contradictions and lack transparency’. In addition to
these issues, the old records are partially illegible due to their
poor condition and the use of a language and script that is
not understood anymore. In many cases, the records are also
not up-to-date and often not accessible by villagers, who are
not aware of the content of these records. There have been
many cases in other parts of the Himalayas where villagers
have used such records to defend water rights claims.
The land revenue settlement process in Karchay Khar and
Gyaling villages, which have around 20 FMIS were studied
between 2013 and 2015. At the time of research, the government had inished the survey of Gyaling and recorded
water rights and customs in the new land settlement. The
rights and customs in Karchay Khar, especially Dambisthang
and Bro Lungma yurba (channel), had not been recorded
yet. The Dambisthang and Bro Lungma yurba are productive
lands and relieve pressure for the whole village.
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Ladakh 2016
There are also questions over the sustainability of Irrigation
Department projects. External agencies have started to intervene in FMIS with a dramatic growth in the number of governmental and non-governmental agencies contributing to
the maintenance and construction of irrigation channels. For
instance, villagers requested help from government agencies
to concretise damaged sections of Dambisthang yurba. The
project, which was earlier done by community members,
was awarded to a contractor who hired non-local labourers
to perform the task.
These issues also impact human needs, especially food security. In the past, people in Kargil district were largely self-suficient as they grew their own food but have now become
dependent on resources from outside the region. The elders
blamed the younger generation for losing interest and lacking skills for farming. According to scholars like Osmaston,
who studied Ladakhi agriculture in 1994, these traditional
systems produced yields comparable to Europe’s intensive
farming systems. There is an urgent need to integrate food
security and human needs, when analysing farming and irrigation systems. Lastly, there are issues related to governance
and party politics that negatively affect relationships within
village communities, as well as the working of governance
institutions such as village Panchayats and the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils that are often out-of-sync
with each other.
Roshan P. Rai, Darjeeling Himalayan Initiative
WATER SECURITY IN THE DARJEELING HILLS, UNRAVELLING
SEEN AND UNSEEN FORCES
Darjeeling is facing acute water shortage, despite being a water-rich district that is fed by monsoon rains and snowmelt.
Like many mountain regions, springs remain one of the main
sources of water in Darjeeling. The water crisis has worsened
with the decrease in spring discharge. However, the issue of
high water deicit is rather complex.
The Upper Lanku area in rural Darjeeling depends on three
springs for water supply. The water discharge in these
springs has declined over the past decade and the recharge
zone is administered by the Forest Department, who have
not granted permission for recharge interventions. Urban
Darjeeling has a centralised water management system,
which does not acknowledge springs as a source of water for
residents. Since the springs are ignored, there is no policy
for their conservation in the face of challenges such as rapid
urbanisation, commercialisation, concretisation, contamination and reducing discharges.
Siddharth Patil, Advanced Centre for Water Resources
Development and Management (ACWADAM), Pune
POLICY PERSPECTIVES ON GROUND WATER EXTRACTION
ISSUES IN MOUNTAIN REGIONS
There is need to understand the dynamics of groundwater.
In the Indian Himalayan regions, groundwater is mainly
about springs that support about 64 million people. These
springs are the lifeline of these regions and are used for various activities, including drinking and irrigation, in addition
to their ecological functions.
It is paradoxical that despite being a storehouse of springs,
there is very little data on groundwater in the Himalayas. The
current data sets for the region focus on hand-pumps and
bore-wells, with little or nothing on springs. This lack of data
means that springs are not safe. While depletion of spring
discharge due to climate change is an obvious challenge,
there are several others that are not even known. There is
thus a need to study and understand spring water and methods to preserve and quantify them.
Another important issue is that of aquifers, which serve as
sources for springs. Over-extraction from these aquifers can
harm the population that depends on them for water. Springs
provide water at a speciic discharge rate based on the rate
at which aquifers discharge water. In the Himalayan region,
aquifers may extend from one valley to another, depending
on the rock structure. This calls for a need to change the
current ridge-to-valley approach for studying aquifers to a
valley-to-valley approach. At the same time, sanitation and
drinking water programmes must be planned in the context
of geological and aquifer features of a landscape to improve
their eficiency.
Unregulated drilling for underground water in aquifers has
affected the equilibrium between springs and aquifers in the
Indian Himalayan region. This has resulted in acute shortage
and erratic distribution of drinking water. Since demand for
water will continue to increase, there is a urgent need to
initiate spring rejuvenation programmes.
Policy recommendations from the session:
• Integrate processes for equitable distribution, sustainability and transparency in projects carried out by different
agencies and should include active participation by local
communities.
• The need to reine and rationalise policies and regulations
for water extraction of groundwater through deep boring
in mountainous regions.
• Document and acknowledge urban springs to initiate measures to conserve them and delineate critical zones of recharge for environmental management.
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Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
• Involve communities in collection of data, planning and
management of water resources.
• Change design of various national and state-driven programmes on watershed development, drinking water and
sanitation to make them community-driven and ensure
that they are in tune with the geological reality of the area
in which they are being implemented.
• The rights and responsibilities of irrigation systems should
be documented in new government records. The affected
communities must be a part of this process to ensure that
they understand the records of their FMIS.
• Traditional farming skills and practices need to be rationalised with pastoral and agricultural skills added to
school curricula in mountain regions.
• Government departments and agencies must integrate
traditional farming practices in their programmes and
provide support for its sustenance. Such practices have
been time-tested and require support with regard to market-linkages to sell local produce.
• Government and non-governmental agencies must spread
awareness about rain-water harvesting technique to allow
people to beneit from them and recharge groundwater.
but decrease in the number of days of rain. This causes water
to drain away rather than seep into the ground and contributes to a fall in water table levels and deterioration of water
quality. Others factors include pollution and changing land
use patterns. Atmospheric pollution, especially emission of
greenhouse gases such as carbon, contributes to temperature rise with variable effects on climatic systems. Changing
land use is driven by the demands of a rapidly industrialising
and urbanising society, which contribute to depletion and
pollution of groundwater.
Around 80% of India’s water resources are used for irrigation and sourced from canals and groundwater. Over the last
three decades, the contribution of canal irrigation has declined steadily, while groundwater extraction through tube
wells has grown rapidly. However, water supply from this
sources has also started to decline and there is an urgent
need to develop innovative techniques to conserve and augment scarce fresh water sources.
However, the use of modern tools and techniques of water
management are also leading to new challenges. For instance, concrete is being used to build irrigation canals and
bore wells are reaching deeper into underground aquifers.
While this ensures that water reaches the point of use, there
is no seepage to help replenish groundwater.
SESSION 3: WATER CONSERVATION TECHNIQUES –
TRADITIONAL AND NEW
Minakshi Arora, Arghyam, Bengaluru
Moderator: J.C. Kuniyal, GB Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment &
Development
WATER CONSERVATION AND PRESERVATION TECHNIQUES:
ISSUES, CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS
Summary
Important points discussed in this session:
• The importance of conserving water resources through
community participation.
• The need to use local resources and communities to conserve water.
• The urgent need to integrate successful conservation practices in policy frameworks.
Glaciers are the main source of water in the Indian Himalayan region. This is supplemented by streams, rivers, lakes,
ponds and groundwater. In recent times, this region has
faced problems of water scarcity, which not only affects the
basic right of access to drinking water; but also threatens
the livelihoods of millions of people, especially farmers. A
number of factors are responsible for the steady decline in
water resources.
One of the most important factors is climate change, which
impacts hydrological cycle. Extreme luctuations in precipitation rates may translate in increase in the amount of rainfall
The Uffrainkhal region in Uttarakhand state is spread across
three districts; Pauri, Chamoli and Almora. Villages in this
district not only suffered from a scarcity of drinking water,
but also from problems such as ecological degradation, deforestation and frequent forest ires.
Local community members decided to ind and implement a
workable and sustainable solution to the issue of forest ires,
deforestation and greening of barren lands—all of which
were linked to a falling groundwater table in the area.
The irst step they took was to pool local seed varieties to
rejuvenate the forests. However, they lacked resources
(seeds and nursery for local plants), governance/ownership,
and awareness about the problems and solutions. These
challenges were addressed with the support of local school
children, who collected resources to develop a nursery and
spread awareness in the community. The governance issue
was resolved by involving representatives of the local community through the Khankar Danda or the Gram Sabha.
The community countered the risk of forest ires through water conservation work such as the Chaal-khal—recharge pits to
collect rain water. The pits were dug between rows of trees to
decrease soil erosion. Around 30,000 to 40,000 Chaal-khals of
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
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Ladakh 2016
different sizes were built across 136 villages. The villagers then
started greening barren lands and planted around four million
trees. The women folk then started spreading awareness and
developed a symbol to designate the household responsible
for protecting the forest on any given night.
As a result of these efforts, the barren hills have become green,
as four to ive million trees have been planted over an area of
506 sq. km. This has increased humidity levels and prevented
forest ires. Fourteen springs have been revived and ive of
them have been marked for integration with the government
water supply plan. A total of 136 villages with 30,000 individuals have directly beneited from these activities.
Tsering Norphel, Leh Nutrition Project, Leh-Ladakh
Sonam Wangchuk, SECMOL and Ice Stupa Project, Leh
ARTIFICIAL GLACIERS: A HIGH ALTITUDE WATER
CONSERVATION AND HARVESTING TECHNIQUE
Artiicial glaciers are a low-cost water-harvesting technique
suited for high altitude cold desert regions to ensure supply
of water at the beginning of summer. At the start of winter,
glacial melt water at different altitudes are diverted through
distribution channels to a shaded area, preferably on the
north face of the mountain. These channels are designed to
ensure a regular supply of water to shallow pools lined with
stone embankments. The water then freezes to ice during
the three to four months of winter to form an artiicial glacier. These artiicial glaciers are located as close as possible
to the village, so that when temperatures rise, the water
reaches the ields when required.
The concept of artiicial glaciers is a successful and eficient
water conservation technique at high altitudes as a response
to climate change-induced water scarcity. Around 80% of Ladakh’s farmers are dependent on snow and glacial-melt water for irrigation and domestic use. In General, glacial-melt
water drains into the river in the winter, while insuficient
water is available during the crucial sowing season in summer. Artiicial glaciers ensure supply of water during this crucial period.
In addition, to the economic beneits this provides to farmers and pastoral communities, artiicial glaciers also help recharge groundwater reserves, rejuvenate springs and reduce
social conlicts over resource use.
Though the project has been successful and beneitted communities that live in the mountains, the technique faces
many dificulties and constraints. This includes scarcity of labourers during the winter months to monitor and maintain
the water distribution channels, the lack of access roads that
increases the cost of material and labour.
The artiicial glacier idea has been developed further into
the concept of building ice stupas. An ice stupa is a coni16
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
cal structure formed by spraying water from pipes at high
pressure generated by using the natural slope of a mountain.
These structures can be formed anywhere, where water can
be routed through pipes. An experiment was recently conducted to siphon water from a glacial lake in Sikkim. There
is a need to explore if water from such glacial lakes can be
used to build ice stupas.
Pem Norbu Sherpa, Government of Sikkim
DHARA VIKAS PROGRAMME: CONSERVATION AND
PRESERVATION OF RAIN-FED STREAMS AND SPRINGS
Glaciers, snow-melt, lakes, streams and springs are the main
sources of water in the Himalayan region. Thus, in a place
like Sikkim, the water supply system becomes defunct when
springs dry up. This is a major cause for water scarcity in rural Sikkim, which is forcing people to switch to piped water.
There have been efforts to dig trenches to revive dry areas to
resolve the issue of water scarcity.
Climatic changes and increased usage of water have intensiied the problem of water scarcity. The maximum temperature in the capital city of Gangtok has been rising steadily at
an average rate of 0.2 degrees Celsius per decade and annual
rainfall has been increasing at the rate of nearly 50mm per
decade. Despite the increase in rainfall, the number of days
with rain has been declining steadily. The trend over the
last few years shows an acceleration of these patterns, with
winters becoming warmer and drier. This erratic rainfall and
dry winters have forced people to collect rain in trenches to
recharge aquifers.
The Government of Sikkim’s Department of Rural Management and Development and Department of Science and
Technology, started the Dhara Vikas Programme in September-October 2008 to conserve spring water. A conceptual
framework for the programme was developed through the
participation of different stakeholders and scientiic agencies. As part of the programme, various initiatives were carried out, including exposure visits, meetings with water user
groups, Gram Sabha meetings and district-level orientation
programmes for awareness, and implementation of Dhara
Vikas Programme. Job card-holders and local village Panchayats were taken on board and para-hydrogeologists were
also consulted to recharge aquifers in south Sikkim.
Around 100 ha were taken up in recharge areas. Surveys were
carried out of water resources, interactions were held with
water users, geological assessments were carried out and a
inal survey of the recharge area were done by a technical
team, Panchayat members and water users. Recharge ponds
and trenches were constructed at strategic places to collect
rain water to revive springs. The monthly water discharge
rates were monitored at each collection point from February
to March, 2013-14. The 2009-2016 data collected with the
help of WWF indicated that water discharge by springs has
increased, which implies that aquifers have been recharged.
Such a project cannot move without people’s participation.
In this regard, awareness and sensitisation programmes play
a very important role. A website was also developed (www.
sikkimsprings.org) to collect and disseminate information
in the form of a spring database, a spring atlas, weather
data, springs, lakes and streams that have been conserved.
In 2012, Sikkim was declared as a resource state after this
successful initiative.
In the next stage, the programme will try to identify if aquifers are linked in a network or isolated. For such an exercise,
it’s important to understand the different types of aquifers in
the Himalayan region. At the same time, it’s important to use
local knowledge to understand needs in the context of the
unique geology and hydrology of a landscape.
• The planning and execution of projects related to water
management and climate change adaptation must include
active participation from local communities.
• There is an urgent need to learn lessons from successful
practices in different mountain regions. These lessons
must be included in policy frameworks to manage vital
resources such as water.
PARALLEL SESSION:
LEGISLATORS & POLICYMAKERS MEET
Theme-based discussions
Moderators:
Shri. P. D. Rai, Member of Parliament, Sikkim
Dr. Sonam Dawa Lonpo, Chief Executive Councillor, LAHDC, Leh.
Important points discussed in this session:
Mr. Vengota Nakro, Sustainable Development Forum Nagaland, Kohima
SUCCESSFUL TRADITIONAL PRACTICES AND THE NEED TO
CONVERGE SUCH PRACTICES TO POLICY
There are several successful traditional water conservation
practices that need to be integrated with policy. Climate
change has had an impact in Nagaland with an increase in
annual precipitation and a decrease in rainy days. Extreme
rainfall events over a few days have emerged as a big concern, along with the gradual warming of average temperatures.
One example of successful traditional water conservation
practice is the zabo system developed in Kikruma district of
Nagaland to harvest rainwater. This included afforestation
in catchment areas and development of feeder channels in
forested areas, siltation tanks, water harvesting ponds, and
open irrigation channels leading to paddy ields. Generally,
villagers are able to harvest water from these ponds three to
four times each year.
This system provides water, when rainfall is scarce and allows villagers to grow several crops, including rice paddy.
This has provided water security and helped improve agricultural productivity and inancial returns. It has also helped
recharge aquifers and springs. This system is now being adopted by villages in other regions too. There is an urgent
need for convergence of conservation practices in policy to
achieve water security.
Policy recommendations from the session:
• There is an urgent need to explore overlaps between science, technology and traditional ecological knowledge
and practices to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
• The importance of understanding and addressing the
problems of water security and skills in the mountains.
• The need for the 11 mountain states to work together to
ensure that policies and schemes are geared towards the
challenges of mountain regions.
• Meaningful dialogues between policy and traditional practices of resource management.
This session was attended by legislators and policymakers,
including elected representatives such as Members of Parliament, Members of Legislative Assemblies, Members of Legislative Councils, and Councillors from Ladakh Autonomous
Hill Development Council as well as government oficials
representing Government of India and state governments,
and representatives of non-governmental organisations. The
discussions in this session were structured around the main
themes of Sustainable Mountain Development Summit-V: Water Security and Skills for Development in the Mountains, and
speciic concerns related to development in the mountains.
The irst half of the session focussed on discussions about
causes, challenges and solutions to water-related issues in
mountain regions. The important issues that were brought
up were related to receding glaciers, water scarcity, depleting groundwater, the rapid increase in population and the
resulting rise in demand for water and the lack of speciic
policies to address these problems in mountain regions. A
lot of emphasis was laid on the need to curb unsustainable
and exploitative use of groundwater, the need to revitalise
drying springs and pasture lands and integration of water
security issues in policies for the mountain states. Another issue that was discussed was the draft National Water
Framework Bill, 2016 and the proposal of the Parliamentary
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Ladakh 2016
Standing Committee to bring water on the Concurrent List—
whereby Government of India and state governments will
have to work together to legislate and act—and similar initiatives being explored by the government to bring unity to water-related laws. There were suggestions that water should
be made a fundamental right on the lines of right to education, the need to align water-related laws with Supreme
Court of India’s directives, the need to develop a framework
to resolve inter-state water conlicts, and the need to check
deforestation in the Indian Himalayan region.
In addition, some of the discussions focussed on proactive
measures to achieve water security, such as water harvesting
strategies to augment the current supply of water. Similarly, there is a need to develop and revive community-based
water management systems such as the churpon system
in Ladakh to ensure a fair distribution of water resources.
Once this system fell into disuse, villages across Ladakh have
started experiencing water scarcity, uneven distribution and
conlicts over access to water. There is thus a need to align
such practices with formal policy frameworks for effective
resource management.
There is also a need to explore the use river water, such as
the Indus in Ladakh, to meet the needs of local communities. A sewage treatment plant is being developed in Leh to
recycle waste water from Leh town for use in agriculture.
However, there is a need to also engage with security forces
stationed in the mountain regions to check their sanitation
practices. Open defecation facilities in army camps not only
cause problems for villages in the vicinity, but also have a
negative impact on the environment.
In this regard, four Government of India institutions are relevant to mountain regions. These are National Institute of
Himalayan Studies, National Mission of Himalayan Studies,
National Institute for Hydel Projects, and Global Planning
Plant. The institutions have the expertise to carry out technical studies and pilot projects with regard to water-related
issues.
The second half of this session focussed on discussions
about Skills for Development in the Mountains. The mountain regions have a rich heritage of traditional skills and a
culture that encourages hospitality and work hard. However,
the regions face several challenges too. This includes access
to knowledge and data, infrastructure development in terms
of roads and digital connectivity, industries and transportation. These challenges prevent mountain communities from
optimising the use of available skills and resources. One of
the solutions for this challenge can be to focus on making
better use of traditional skills, while also developing new
skill sets, creating institutions that nurture skills etc. It is also
important to tap sustainable forms of technology for implementation in mountain regions and institute skill development centres in mountain regions. These are important to
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Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
ensure that these processes do not stop after the initial funds
are exhausted. Entrepreneurship is another area that needs
to be encouraged, especially to develop business models
suited for mountain regions.
This session ended with consensus amongst the participants
to bring together stakeholders from all 11 mountain states
in India to create a task force. This is an important irst step
towards building consensus on developing and redesigning
government schemes for mountain regions.
TOPIC-SPECIFIC DISCUSSIONS
Moderator: Mr Conrad Sangma, Member of Parliament, Meghalaya
The second session focussed on two topic-speciic discussions; links between livelihoods and conservation in the
Himalayas and the challenge of feral dogs in mountain regions.
UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
Secure the Himalayas: Securing Livelihoods, Conservation,
Sustainable use and Restoration of High Range Himalayan
Ecosystems
This presentation highlighted the importance of Himalayan
ecosystems and the vital services such as water, food security, mineral resources and medicinal products, which sustain nearly one-third of the world’s human population. The
Global Environmental Fund Trust has committed funds of
$12 million to restore damaged ecosystems and fragmented
habitats. This project is called Secure Himalayas and focuses
on reducing threats to Himalayan ecosystems and securing
sustainable livelihoods to build resilient communities and
protect threatened and endangered species. The project will
be implemented in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim,
and Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir.
The main objective of the project is secure the Himalayas as a
source for fresh water, hydropower, unique livestock breeds,
mineral resources, and medicinal plants, while conserving
it’s rich diversity of cultural and ecological knowledge. The
Himalayas face many threats, especially in terms of climatic
change and anthropogenic pressures, which are undermining the integrity of its ecological processes. The project aims
to address these challenges by strengthening institutions
and management practices and develop livelihood strategies
to promote socio-ecological resilience amongst mountain
communities. As these communities beneit from conserving
their natural resources, they can be transformed into guardians of their biodiversity.
World Wildlife Fund for Nature
MANAGEMENT OF FREE-RANGING DOGS IN THE HIMALAYAN
CONTEXT
The World Health Organisation estimates that India is home
to 25-30 million domestic dogs. From this, feral dogs are
emerging as the biggest threats to wildlife across the Himalayas. Their populations are increasing rapidly in many wilderness areas, especially around army camps, where compete
with natural predators and pose a signiicant threat to other
biodiversity.
In addition, feral dogs also kill livestock, wild ungulates
and the young of birds that breed in the Himalayan regions. Feral dogs, thus, pose a signiicant threat to human livelihoods as well as biodiversity. There is an urgent need to consider the scale of this problem and its
impact on Himalayan communities and biodiversity.
This will also require dialogues with the security forces to
proactively reduce the number of feral dogs around their
camps.
Policy recommendations from the session:
• Explore ways to bridge the gap between knowledge and
data, while also improving access to information for all
stakeholders.
• The need for the 11 mountains states to work together
to ensure that mountain-speciic policies and schemes are
adopted by Government of India for the Himalayan region.
• The need to regulate and sensitise hotels, guest houses
and other users about the sustainable use of water
• The need to enhance skills amongst local communities
and provide opportunities to use these skills meaningfully.
• The need to rationalise policies and schemes with localised needs and knowledge in the mountain regions.
Theme 2
SKILLS FOR DEVELOPMENT IN THE MOUNTAINS
The twelfth Five-Year Plan (2012-17) is nearing completion and the target of 8% GDP growth remains elusive. The plan
document also outlined the need for policy development by Government of India and the states to provide employment to
educated youth, especially through growth in the agricultural, manufacturing and infrastructural sectors. The planning
document envisioned that the growth should be fast as well as inclusive and sustainable. The inclusivity includes factors
such as gender, class, caste, ethnicity, religion, and geography.
The report submitted by a task force constituted by the Planning Commission in 2008 titled, Problems of Hill States and
Hill areas and ways to ensure that they do not suffer in any
way because of their peculiarities, recognised the slow pace
of development in the Indian Himalayan Region as compared to other parts of the country. The report also highlighted the ecological fragility and the multiple challenges in
implementing conventional development initiatives in these
regions. The launch of The National Mission for Sustaining
the Himalayan Ecosystem, the only location-speciic mission,
along with seven other thematic missions under the National
Action Plan for Climate Change, is a clear indication of the
importance of the Himalayan region.
Among other recommendations, the task force emphasised
the need to re-shape policies to it the unique challenges
of the mountain regions in national planning, especially in
terms of good governance and harnessing of social capital
at the grassroots. Other recommendations included increasing focus on agro-horticulture forestry, technology development, connectivity, market linkages and skill development.
In addition, it emphasised the potential of cottage industries
in the context of tourism, as this added value to locally available raw materials and generated employment.
The National Policy on Skill Development was irst formulated in 2009. It was revised in 2015 and renamed as the
National Policy on Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
This policy provides a framework for skill development activities in the country and also sets targets for skilling and
up-skilling 500 million people by 2022 across India. Other
initiatives include the National Skill Development Mission,
Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojna and Skill Loan Scheme.
Apart from increasing employment and growth, the mission
also aims to harness the potential of working individuals in
the age group of 15-59 years, which is expected to increase
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
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Ladakh 2016
steadily.
mountain regions.
The focus on skilling has become a necessity in the context
of uneven patterns of employment and productivity across
the country. Nearly 93% of the working population is in the
informal sector, which is plagued by sub-scale enterprises
and low productivity. Around 58% of this working population is in the agricultural sector, which accounts for 15% of
India’s GDP. According to data released in 2012 by Government of India’s National Statistical Service, only 4.69% of the
total workforce in India has undergone formal skill training
as compared to 68% in the U.K, 75% in Germany, 52% in
the U.S.A and 96% in South Korea. In the context of emerging economies like India, Nobel Laureate Peter Diamond’s
work on search costs in labour markets is very important. It
helps explain the mismatch between demand and supply of
labour. He argues that just as measured unemployment does
not fully relect the actual availability of workers, so also the
measured vacancies do not fully relect the actual availability
of jobs, due to the lack of education, training and skills.
SESSION 4:
SKILLS REQUIRED IN THE MOUNTAINS
The challenges in achieving the objective of the policy include limited skilling capacity (3.1 million) and the lack of
convergence between school education, skill development
programmes and institutional mechanism for research development. Also, in keeping with the policy’s emphasis on inclusivity and equity, special attention needs to be given to youth
in the North-Eastern states, J&K and the other mountain states.
The irst keynote address was delivered by Jyotsna Sitling,
Joint Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. Economic systems in mountain regions are signiicantly different from the plains. While mountain regions
generally have adequate social capital, natural capital and
inancial capital (in terms of vulnerability), they lack physical
capital. Thus, skilling must be viewed from a livelihood perspective in the context of vulnerabilities to natural disasters
and seasonal luctuations. Though Government of India and
state governments advocate policies but there is a need to
focus on participation in the process of policy development
and implementation. At the same time, there is a need to
standardise skills and streamline market conditions to absorb skilled youth.
Mr Sushil Ramola, Chairman of B-ABLE delivered the second keynote address. Mountain regions are rich in natural
and human resources but are constrained by the lack of development. As a result, youth are driven to other areas in
search of employment and livelihood. In this regard, skill
development can help bridge the gap between aspirations
and opportunities. There has been a signiicant shift in skill
development over the last decade, which is an opportunity
for mountain regions. Different areas must focus on speciic
skill sets in sectors where it enjoys an advantage (such as
hospitality or disaster risk management). In this regard, a
task force is necessary to understand and adapt schemes for
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Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
Moderator: Ms. Jyotsna Sitling, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
Summary
Important points discussed in this session:
• The need to align skill development policies with the context in which they are being implemented.
• The importance of involving different stakeholders in any
scheme for skill development.
• The need to study market needs and youth preference as
well as traditional and modern skill sets to ensure a more
sustainable form of development.
Dr Sapna Poti,
National Skill Development Corporation, New Delhi
ISSUES IN SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN
MOUNTAINS
The National Skill Development Corporation was established in 2009 and marked a major shift from the national
scale to a more regional focus. Skilling in the mountains has
to be contextual as the social and environmental conditions
are signiicantly different from the plains. Often, people in
the mountains are reluctant to relocate to other areas. Skilling should thus focus on traditional sectors such as agriculture, handicrafts and handlooms as well as sectors such as
adventure sports, soccer, archery, culinary arts, logistics,
performing arts, media, culture and tourism to encourage
self-employment.
The major challenges for skilling in mountain regions include issues of connectivity (roads and digital), lack of infrastructure development for skill training due to low population densities, and lack of skill training providers. Other
challenges are similar to the plains, such as the lack of seed
funding, need for strong market links, infrastructural support for packaging and logistics and incubators for entrepreneurial endeavours.
Training in skill and entrepreneurship can be effective only if
it focuses on sectors relevant to the area, grooms local training providers, uses unutilised infrastructure such as polytechnic colleges etc, and focuses on arts and crafts unique
to the region In addition, skill and entrepreneurship policies
and schemes must convergence with other schemes such as
MGNREGS, Swachh Bharat Mission, Smart Cities Mission etc
and develop links between entrepreneurs and funding institutions and incubators.
employment and a higher average household income.
Ms. Mrinalini Shrivastava,
State Institute of Capacity Building, Gangtok
Some important aspects of the exercise carried out in Sikkim:
MOUNTAIN STATE SKILLING FOR EMPLOYABILITY: CASE
STUDY OF SIKKIM
• Commitment of the state to create a youth-friendly environment
Mountain states in India face a range of different problems,
including ethnic violence, lack of jobs, poor infrastructure
and environmental risks. These regions are characterised
by industrial backwardness; the lack of employment opportunities and low skill base. This can be addressed by concentrating on livelihood-linked skilling, placement-linked
skill training and self employment-based skill training. For
instance, a combination of these approaches have been
used in Sikkim since 2004 to develop links with sectors
such as hospitality, tourism, airlines, information technology, retail, healthcare, education, beauty and wellness.
The entrepreneurship-based livelihood training targeted
sectors such as tourism, agriculture, organic farming, apiculture, horticulture, food-processing, construction and
tailoring.
• Tapping NGOs and development of Public-Private Partnership models by forming consortiums
Government of Sikkim has developed a resource centre in
the form of the State Institute of Capacity Building (SICB).
SICB has carried out numerous projects in collaboration
with partners such as Indo-Swiss Social Enterprise, B-ABLE
and Tomorrow’s Foundation to create a pan-east and northeast partnership in more than 10 sectors and several trades.
SICB has also implemented donor projects and achieved
98.3% placements and consolidated Sikkim as a regional resource centre for skill development. SICB follows a model
that ensures that policy, processes and institutions work in
tandem to achieve the desired objectives.
• Facilitate youth leadership in different spheres and decision-making
For placement-linked skill training, SICB initiated community-level awareness, mobilisation and beneiciary identiication, followed by counselling, screening and training of
beneiciaries and inally job placements with all statutory
compliances. For self employment-based skill training, it
followed a similar process, except that it ended with entrepreneurial training. In addition, other support was also
extended to entrepreneurs, such as entity formation, brand
building and marketing, accounting, and compliance and
certiication. In addition, support for credit linkage and documentation support, production and supply chain support,
storage and transportation facilities and shared/ mobile production units, retail support was also provided.
The main strength of the project was its focus on people
from remote areas and communities from disturbed areas.
The training and placement helped participants gain conidence, increase their knowledge, develop a positive outlook, and earn a higher salary. This in turn had an impact
on development of the community, especially in terms of
perception of women and marginalised sections, increase in
• Provision for counselling, mobilisation and outreach
• Development of effective hand holding mechanism
• Promotion of vocational training in secondary schools to
inculcate skills necessary to overcome economic challenges
• Need to create a task force to look into future prospects
• Development of model career counselling centres
• Pool funds for research and implementation of a threeyear action plan
• Representation on the basis of context vis-à-vis uniformity
of government schemes
• Action research for new technologies to generate employment and removal of obstructions in revenue business
• Develop lead and ancillary skill pools
Dr. Sonam Wangchok,
IALS/Himalayan Cultural Heritage Foundation, Leh
THE EXPERIENCE OF SUSTAINING TRADITIONAL SKILLS IN
LADAKH
Several traditional skills in Ladakh have been on the verge of
extinction due to lack of application or due to completion
from new products. This includes skills such as traditional
art, basket-weaving and restoration of religious monuments
such as Buddhist chorten (stupa)
A systematic approach is necessary to revive traditions skills.
This starts with a revival of interest and appreciation of the
skills amongst crafts-men/women, followed by exploration of
new innovations and techniques to make the skill more versatile. It is also important to encourage a wider appreciation
of traditional skills as a means to earn a livelihood, especially
in the context of tourism. In this regard, workshops are an
important strategy to impart knowledge and skills to youth
and for experimentation with development of new products
as souvenirs for tourists. The revival of traditional skills to
make handmade paper has not been very successful as most
efforts have so far focussed on monks, rather than youth.
Similarly, stone carving is another major skill in Ladakh that
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
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Ladakh 2016
requires urgent intervention before it is forgotten entirely.
These experiences and lessons needs to be institutionalised
through the formation of a skill- centre to propagate, exchange and show case local skills and organise skill fairs. All
such efforts must include local stakeholders if it is to be sustained in the long-term.
Mr Karma Bhutia, iShippo, Bengaluru
ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN SIKKIM
In stark contrast with the general trend of limited digital connectivity in mountain regions, 100% of Sikkim’s population
have access to internet. This is a unique opportunity to explore various internet based options, such as e-commerce.
An entrepreneur must focus on economy, ecology and ethics, while also incorporating traits of S.H.E.R.P.A.—Sensible,
Helpful, Empathetic, Reliable, Passionate and Accessible.
The irst task for a successful entrepreneur is to identify the
market, arrange for appropriate infrastructure and funding
and to work passionately. One must also avoid the EMI trap
for repaying loans and the tendency to hire individuals with
sub-optimal skills.
A business idea must be tested before it is scaled. Feedback
from the test is an important way to improve the plan of
action and the product. It always helps to have a good mentor to discuss and clarify doubts. An entrepreneur must also
ensure that account books are balanced and clean, which is
crucial when approaching potential investors and funders.
Entrepreneurship is a challenging task with phases of dejection and loneliness, which makes it important to remember
the main motive for starting the initiative. It’s smarter to focus on solving problems rather than on proits or revenue.
A practical approach to entrepreneurship is critical, especially in the mountain states. While Sikkim is the only state with
universal internet access, the possibilities of digital connectivity must not be ignored. If development of digital connectivity is prioritised, skill enhancement and capacity-building
must be carried out simultaneously.
Mr Moses Kunzang, LAHDC, Leh
ENTERPRISING LADAKH: PROSPERITY, YOUTH ENTERPRISE
AND CULTURAL VALUES
Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh (LAHDC, Leh) developed the Youth Enterprise Policy in 2004 with
funds from the European Union. The research was carried
out by LAHDC, Leh, Druk Padma Karpo Educational Society,
Shey and SP Jain Institute of Management, Mumbai.
The Youth Enterprise Policy raised important questions
about the manner in which Ladakhi youth should be educat22
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
ed to encourage economically-productive activities. It also
highlighted the need for a conceptual framework to determine existing opportunities, required skills and the changes
required in the education system. The policy also emphasises the need for self-reliance, environmental conservation
and reduction of skill gaps in the tourism industry. It identiied inadequate infrastructure, remoteness from the market
and the lack of role models as the main challenges.
The policy recommends the establishment of a Ladakh Youth
Enterprise Support Agency dedicated to discuss and address
issues related to youth. The policy speciies 11 economic zones—such as agri-business and horticulture—derived
from the Vision 2025 document of LAHDC, Leh, to develop
products and provide employment. The policy recommends
the formation of student groups and the need for awareness camps and sensitisation programmes, with a long-term
strategy to initiate skilling at a young age. Unfortunately, the
Youth Enterprise Policy was never adopted and implemented
in Leh district.
Dorjay Wangchuk, Jammu and Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute, Leh
PROMOTING ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN LADAKH
Jammu and Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute ( JKEDI) promotes entrepreneurship across J&K, including Ladakh. JKEDI started a seed capital fund scheme
in 2010/11 and adopted a single-window in 2012. The institute has been funding irst generation entrepreneurs in
the district to generate self-employment and empower local
communities.
Under the scheme, 65% of the seed capital is provided by
Jammu & Kashmir Bank at an interest rate of 10% per annum
and the remaining amount is funded by the state government. JKEDI has also implemented a scheme with different
eligibility criteria to enable start-ups with loans upto 8 lakhs
at an interest rate of 6% per annum.
JKEDI has also been involved in spreading awareness about
various schemes, selection of candidates, counselling of selected candidates, training and post-sanction surveys to monitor
how the funds are used. Between 2012 and 2016, a total of
116 people have beneitted from these schemes and a total 16
crores have been disbursed, with a success rate of 95%.
Policy recommendations from the session:
• There is an urgent need for context-speciic policies for
skill development.
• It is important to focus on the aspirations of youth and
address job placements and self-employment separately.
• Increase skills in traditional and non-traditional sectors to
diversify skill sets, preserve local culture and provide dispersed employment opportunities.
• Focus on improving skills across sectors, such as agriculture, services and manufacturing, to build human capital
and capacity in the economy.
• Ensure convergence across departments at all levels of the
state and central government to provide maximum impact
with minimum expenses.
• Address limitations, especially in terms of infrastructure,
connectivity and service delivery.
• Explore the use of technology for skill enhancement to
foster new ideas, bring innovation to products, and widen
the network of interaction and potential markets.
• Explore collaborations between government agencies,
NGOs, research institutions and individuals to form consortiums to enhance knowledge exchange and increase
the number of stakeholders.
• Replicate success stories in other regions after careful examination and context-speciic adaptations. This can be
initiated as a pilot model before being scaled up.
• Undertake detailed documentation of traditional practices
and skills to conserve local culture and prevent the loss
of traditional knowledge in an increasingly standardised
global world.
SESSION 5: INTEGRATION OF INSTITUTIONAL AND
INDIVIDUAL CAPABILITY BUILDING FOR ENHANCING
SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE IN MOUNTAIN STATES
Moderator: Mr. P.D. Rai, Hon’ble Member of Parliament, Sikkim
Summary
Important points discussed in this session:
• The need to critically study current agricultural practices
in the mountains.
• Integrate traditional practices to make agriculture more
sustainable.
• Build linkages with different institutions and stakeholders
in planning and execution of agricultural reforms in the
mountains. .
The session started with a tribute to the late Dr. Pushkin Phatriyal and the late Dr. T.S. Papola, who have both played a
key role in highlighting the developmental imbalances in India\s economic growth and shaped IMI as an institution. The
rest of the session was dedicated to discussions around the
agreement between the Food and Agriculture Organisation
(FAO) and IMI to explore strategies to increase the sustainability of agriculture and allied ields in mountain regions.
Mr John Paulraj, Integrated Mountain Initiative, New Delhi
STRENGTHENING INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITIES IN
AGRICULTURE FOR SUSTAINABLE MOUNTAIN DEVELOPMENT
IMI will be implementing the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s Technical Cooperation Programme (FAO-TCP) in all
mountain states of the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR). The
Indian Himalayan Region is ecologically and culturally diverse with complex processes related to agriculture, natural
resource management and development. The geographical
diversity of the region acts as a constraint on the one hand,
and enabled high productivity on the other. Constraints include weather conditions; dispersed population; small and
underdeveloped markets; poor transport, communication
and infrastructure, which have an impact on food security
in this region. The major problems of the IHR include low
population density, dependence on natural resources, dependence on rain and glacial melt for agriculture, poor understanding of food production and high livestock numbers
in relation to pastures. In the context of climatic changes
and the increasing demand on food production, there is an
urgent need to address the issue of future food security in
India.
In this context, FAO and IMI are developing an action plan
and building partnerships with stakeholders in all Indian Himalayan states. FAO’s strategic objective is to increase and
improve provision of goods and services from agriculture
forestry and isheries in a sustainable manner.
• Organisational Outcome 201: Producers and natural resource managers adopt practices that increase and improve the provision of goods and services.
• Organisational Outcome 204: Stakeholders make evidence-based decisions in the planning and management of
the agricultural sectors and natural resources to support
the transition to sustainable agricultural sector production
systems
The two-year project will focus on strengthening the institutional capacities of mountain communities in agriculture
and allied sectors. The TCP will be a one-of-its-kind project
that will help build networks and capacity of institutions
across the mountain states of the Indian Himalayas. The FAO
project will enhance IMI’s outreach capability and institutional base across the IHR through workshops with different
stakeholders to build partnerships, disseminate information
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
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Ladakh 2016
and strengthen existing networks.
Mr Amba Jamir,
Sustainable Development Forum Nagaland, Kohima
IMI’S ROLE IN INTEGRATING AGRICULTURE/ALLIED SECTORS
IN MOUNTAIN DEVELOPMENT
There is an urgent need to document traditional agricultural
practices and conduct ield research to inform policy. For
instance, the practice of shifting cultivation in Northeast India combines knowledge and skills related to forestry and
agriculture. Traditional cultural systems and small-scale farm
units include adaptive measures. Farmers in mountainous
regions use diverse farming options to negotiate various
challenges. There is, thus, an urgent need to look at culture
with regard to food and food-systems. This not only includes
production levels and food security, but also covers issues
such as food sobriety with regard to policy and cultural
rights.
There is a need to integrate agriculture, agro-forestry systems, horticulture, animal husbandry and dairy farming
with forestry and natural resource management in terms of
institutional practices and policies. Other related issues include markets, livelihoods, land tenure, access regimes and
reforms, value addition, gender inclusion, involvement of
youth and use of local seed varieties and traditional knowledge systems.
However, such integration faces a major challenge with regard to poor understanding of mountain regions and their
traditional farming systems. These systems have been poorly
documented, are linked with other services, remain largely
unorganised, and suffer from poor infrastructure development. There is also the issue of policy neglect in these regions, which the states are not always able to address. There
is also the added challenge of integrating new technologies
in these practices and the unpredictable impacts of climate
change.
Despite these challenges, there are several opportunities in
these agricultural practices. This includes a well developed
body of traditional knowledge, rich agro-biodiversity and
diversiied livelihood strategies. These practices produce
niche products, which require low-inputs to create high value products, and remain open to adaptations.
Mr Sunder Subramaniam,
Development Consultant and Policy Advisor
in mountainous regions, there has been a 16% increase in
the number of programmes to address the issue. Since 2015
or so, there has been a surge in multi-sector programmes
across several states focussed on biodiversity conservation
and agriculture. While this has been an important development, there is a need to expand these programmes to other
states. In this context, IMI provides several advantages with
its expertise and network across the IHR to study agricultural
systems. On the other hand, FAO provides a global context
to discussions on agriculture and food security. These advantages form the basis for the technical cooperation between
FAO and IMI.
Ms Binita Shah,
Supi Agriculture Research Group, Uttarakhand
INTEGRATION OF INSTITUTIONAL AND INDIVIDUAL
CAPABILITY FOR ENHANCING SUSTAINABILITY AGRICULTURE
FOR MOUNTAINS
Discussions on agriculture in the mountains must focus on
processes such as optimum productivity, high value and low
volume products, forward linkages, technology and action
research, climate change, policy development and natural
resource management. There is a need to integrate different
stakeholders with each other. The three main stakeholders
in agriculture are public sector institutions (those that come
up with ideas, generate resources etc); non-governmental
organisations and the individual. Agriculture is a complex
process that needs intervention from other agencies, depending on the socio-economic context.
In Uttarakhand, one of the main challenges is conlict between humans and wildlife, followed by the lack of implementation of forest policies and increasing outmigration by
youth. There is need to create market opportunities and consumer awareness in the context of increased expenditure on
dietary and functional foods, where mountain regions enjoy
a unique advantage
One such example is that of millets, which is often described
as the grain of the future. However, value addition for millets
is poorly developed, knowledge integration remains slow,
conidence amongst farmer is low and there is limited policy support from the government. However, the farmers that
do persevere through these challenges do reap beneits by
growing millets. For any interventions in agriculture to be
successful, it is important to be clear about the project idea,
foster expertise amongst NGOs, plan to extend support for a
gestation period, and develop hubs of sub-sectors.
SHARING EXPERIENCES OF FAO –TCP’
According to a study carried out between 2000 and 2005,
around 300 million people are vulnerable to mountain
food insecurity. Along with the increase in food insecurity
24
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
Policy recommendations from the session:
• The documentation and study of traditional agricultural
practices is critical.
• There is a need to critically study the strengths of current
practices, such as adaptability and traditional ecological knowledge systems. Such an understanding will help
improve the sustainability of agricultural practices in the
mountains.
SESSION 6:
ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND SUCCESS STORIES
Moderator: Mr. Sushil Ramola, B-ABLE
Summary
Important points discussed in this session:
• The need to integrate traditional skills, designs and local
materials with a market orientation.
• The importance of working with local communities to develop programmes to improve livelihoods and conserve
biodiversity.
• The need to develop mountain-speciic entrepreneurship
models and schemes.
There are several challenges to living in a mountainous region. Despite these constraints, there are several success
stories from mountain areas that have served as a beacon
for others to emulate. The spirit of entrepreneurship is now
taking root in different parts of the Himalayas. These initiatives often emerge from a mix of inherited skills, culture and
the modern aspiration to conserve this heritage while generating value.
Ms Rashmi Bharti, Avani, Uttarakhand
LIVING SUSTAINABLY IN THE HIMALAYAS
There is a need to re-establish and strengthen the bond between humans and the planet. In this context, the idea of
skilling is based on the recognition of what one has and its
application to different situations. The work at Avani has focused on community action and participation. It works in
160 villages spread across two districts, which are mostly inaccessible by road, in the state of Uttarakhand. It focuses on
working with local villagers to make products using material
available in and around the village.
Kumaon Earthcraft, a self-reliant cooperative, was established
to revive hand-weaving and hand spinning. The cooperative
comprises of women, who are primarily farmers and artisans,
and has helped them earn a sustainable source of livelihood.
Around 1, 400 families in 64 villages have collectively generated around 2 crores in little more than a decade.
Natural dye products have also been successful. Though
artiicial colorants are very harmful, they are present in everything that is consumed and worn. In contrast, natural
colours prepared by villagers are non-toxic and environmentally friendly. Avani has helped revived the old art of making natural dyes. The success of such products provides an
incentive to villagers to plant, nurture and harvest the produce from trees. This helps conserve local biodiversity and
remove invasive plant species.
Avani products are exported to fashion brands and marketed
with the tagline, ‘farm to fashion’. The project values local
knowledge, resources and skills and gives villagers a sense of
dignity. It also encourages people to remain at home in the
mountains instead of migrating elsewhere. A project is more
sustainable if it strengthens traditional skills, rather than try
to introduce new ones. As part of the project, village women are managing solar programmes to earn decent inancial
returns without leaving the village. Many villagers have used
these resources to construct homes and send their children
to school. In addition to preparing natural dyes, some villages are also harvesting Avani Himalayan Indigo, which can
be grown even on wastelands. Avani provides a template of
creating rural livelihood opportunities through the preservation of traditional crafts, using appropriate technology, and
farm-based activities.
The project faces many challenges, which includes the loss of
traditional livelihood strategies that are not valued by locals.
Also, the wages paid by the government for artistic work remain very low, while policies for industrial and commercial
use of such skills remain ambiguous. One of the main challenges, however, remains the lack of accessibility to markets.
In addition, the lack of community centres is another challenge in the efforts to preserve skilled labour in villages. At
the same time, water and energy also need to be conserved
as they play a vital role in the survival of crafts.
The project also enjoys many advantages. For instance,
there is a big market for organic products but this cannot be
tapped without a certain level of organisation. This presents
an opportunity for mountain states, which can be encouraged through better access to capital and the use of clean
technologies.
Mr Jigmet Takpa,
Department of Wildlife Protection, Ladakh Region
ECOTOURISM: A NEW LIVELIHOOD ALTERNATIVE AND
CONSERVATION OPPORTUNITY IN HEMIS NATIONAL PARK
Home stays in Ladakh has been a major success. The idea for
such an initiative is based on the need for villagers to have
alternative sources of income in addition to agriculture. This
was realised through micro-level planning surveys conducted
across Leh—which also provided inputs to develop the Vision
Document 2025. The home stay project has been functional
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
25
Ladakh 2016
in Ladakh for more than a decade and is an important part of
the eco-tourism initiative being implemented in the district.
Ladakh’s rich biodiversity, cultural heritage, natural beauty,
raw materials for local handicrafts and access to renewable
sources of energy, means that it is well-suited for eco-tourism. As home stays became popular with tourists, several
women self-help group were established to manage various
aspects of the eco-tourism initiative. The process is initiated through village-level training programmes to manage
home-stays and eco-tourism initiatives. These initiatives have
helped villagers increase their generate income; provide better education to their children, improve personal hygiene,
and increase personal nutrition level. The villagers were also
trained to make souvenirs and handicrafts for sale to tourists. The Department of Wildlife Protection also collaborates
with villagers to hold regular cleanliness drives.
Before these initiatives, there was intense pressure on natural resources in rural areas. This resulted in intense episodes
of human-wildlife conlict, even as unregulated tourism exerted further pressure on local resources. The department
responded by carrying out micro-level planning and developing systems to regulate tourism, especially in biodiversity-rich areas. As part of these exercises, the department
started collaborating with villagers to develop home stays
and other ecotourism facilities using renewable energy technologies. This has now been institutionalised with the establishment of the Ladakh Snow Leopard Foundation, which is
a society of LAHDC, Leh. It is now responsible for managing
ecotourism and landscape-level conservation along with village communities.
Ms Seno Tsuhah, North East Network, Nagaland
WEAVING STORIES OF CHANGE: THE WEAVERS OF CHIZAMI
In the 2000s, an initiative was started to encourage women
in Chizami, Nagaland to weave. While weaving was earlier
done only for domestic use, this initiative was meant to make
weaving a source of income in the context of the demand
hand woven products. The initiative was meant to create alternative livelihoods for women, preserve traditional skills
and design motifs through the use of a decentralised production model that allowed women to perform other tasks too.
nomic backgrounds. The process has enabled an interesting
blending of traditional products and modern ideas, including traditional Naga sarongs and cushion covers.
The process has been documented on ilm, which has resulted in nine documentaries on the initiative. In addition
to economic empowerment, the initiative has also improved
the social status of women in Naga society, helped support
local weaving traditions and conservation natural resources.
The initiative still faces many challenges, such as frequent
power cuts, the lack of managerial skills, shortage of funds,
lack of access to appropriate technology and tools, an absence of functional networks to sustain the initiative and a
shortage of skilled labour as weaving is time-consuming.
Dr. Tsering Stobdan, Defence Institute of High Altitude
Research, Leh
SEABUCKTHORN FOR SUSTAINABLE MOUNTAIN
DEVELOPMENT
Seabuckthorn has emerged as one of Ladakh’s prized products. Despite its scope and potential, the supply of seabuckthorn remains low. This delicate fruit had no commercial
value till 2001 and its potential was realised with the production of Leh Berry juice. The fruit is a rich source of Vitamin C
and all parts of the plant have medicinal value. The plant has
been used in the Amchi system of medicine for several centuries to cure various ailments. According to research carried
out by DIHAR, seabuckthorn is only grown on 29 sq kms or
0.064 hectares of land in Leh district. DIHAR estimates that
2,400 hectares of land or 0.99 percent of land is required to
grow seabuckthorn to meet the current demand. Currently,
305 crores is being generated by collecting plant material
like pulp and leaf. The current demand for seabuckthorn is
estimated to be around 300 metric tons (MT), while the supply is 50MT. There is a vast untapped potential demand for
seabuckthorn. For instance, Indian Army uses this plant as a
special ration in high altitude.
Seabuckthorn is a rich source of omega 3 fatty acid and has
several medicinal beneits. In addition, the plant is also used
as irewood, while its roots control erosion and ix nitrogen
to increase soil fertility. An estimated 67.4% of the people
who work in seabuckthorn plantation are women.
Many women started to incorporated new designs and blend
traditional icons with contemporary motifs in products meant
for the market, while many introduced their own designs.
In addition to generating income, this initiative has helped
women participate in decision-making and explore leadership roles. As a result of this, two women were elected to the
village council for the irst time in the history of the village.
There is an urgent need to tap the potential of this plant, not
only for its health beneits but also for its potential to generate a sustainable source of income in the mountain regions.
One of the irst steps in this regard is to conduct research on
seabuckthorn to develop various products and appropriate
technologies.
The Chizami initiative started with seven weavers and now
has more than 400 participants from different socio-eco-
Policy recommendations from the session:
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Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
• There is a need to improve the quality of seabuckthorn
by using speciic varieties and new methods of cultivation.
• There is a need to develop community centres to facilitate
participation by villagers in various initiatives to enhance
livelihoods strategies.
• There is a need to identify and grow plants that are not eaten by wild herbivores, which will reduce conlicts between
humans and wildlife.
• Emphasise projects that use local materials, work at a
small scale and are decentralised, as these enjoy greater
success in mountain regions.
Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Dr Nirmal Singh lighting the ceremonial
lamp during the inaugural session of SMDS-V on 20 September, 2016.
• Ensure that initiatives and projects being implemented in
mountain regions respect and integrate traditional skills.
• It is critical to enhance economic and social security measures to promote ecosystem regeneration.
• There is a need for local, inter-district, inter-state, regional
and international cooperation for entrepreneurship initiatives.
• Develop mountain-speciic policies for skill development
with convergences between different schemes, such as
Skill India, Digital India, and Start-Up India.
• Create conducive platforms for consumer education, facilitate interface between craft producers and consumers.
The registration team with Deputy Commissioner, Leh, Sh. Prasanna Ramaswamy G., IAS (centre
left) and SMDS-V Convenor, Sh. Jigmet Takpa, IFS.
• The cultural right of hill communities needs to be upheld.
Policies need to be developed that encourage pride and
economic viability of traditional skills.
• Support community institutional building, provide incentives to farmers who grow their own raw material, explore
convergence of local livelihoods with schemes like MNREGS.
• Gender transformation and gender-inclusive policy interventions are needed to address needs, gaps and rights of
people in mountainous regions.
Visiting fellow, Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi and London University, Prof. Philippe
Cullet delivering his keynote address.
Musical performances by Ladakhi artistes during a summit dinner.
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
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Ladakh 2016
Selection of papers
Water Security in the Mountains
PHILIPPE CULLET. Senior Visiting Fellow, Centre for Policy Research, Delhi. Professor of Environmental Law, SOAS - University of London
WATER SECURITY – A CENTRAL LAW AND POLICY CONCERN
The question of water security has become a central issue
over the past two decades. It is the focus of national and
state-level policy. This is relected in:
National Water Policy, 2012: 1.2(i) ‘Large parts of India
have already become water stressed. Rapid growth in demand for water due to population growth, urbanisation
and changing lifestyle pose serious challenges to water
security.’
Draft Nagaland Water Policy, 2016: 6.2 Six-pronged strategy: ‘In order to address the concerns, challenges and
ensure water security, future welfare and rights of future
generations (...)’.
At the same time, while the literature and some policy documents refer directly to water security, various policies and
laws make no reference to water security.
The irst question that arises is the meaning of water security.
For such a common term, it is surprising to see that different
actors understand it in quite different ways. Water security
may thus include some or all of the following:
• Water security as enough drinking water for each person
• Water security as the ability to grow crops in keeping with
physical availability of water
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Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
• Water security as availability of water for all water uses,
which can be sourced elsewhere and its availability at the
local level can be inluenced by external factors
Water security is often discussed at the local level but requires consideration of issues at different levels: state, national, international, global.
There is a need for cooperation to achieve water security.
This is true at all levels:
• At local levels, water security for all requires frameworks
for inter-sector allocation (between different sectors), which
is insuficiently regulated today.
• At regional levels, water security for all requires cooperation, for instance, between Himalayan states and states
downstream that beneit from the water and suffer from the
consequences in case of looding. This is true domestically
(inter-state) and internationally (for instance, Nepal-India).
• At the international level, water security in mountain states
requires, for instance, effective cooperation on action to address climate change, which cannot be addressed otherwise.
WATER SCARCITY AND WATER SECURITY
Water scarcity is often seen as the main factor threatening
water security. Physical water scarcity is indeed a major issue
in many places, including Ladakh.
At the same time, the dominant discourse on water scarcity
hides other very important issues, such as seasonal loods,
areas beneitting from regular rainfall etc.
Water security is about much more than availability of water
and a large part of the problems that exist are in terms of
access to available water. Some of the main constraints on
access include economic (e.g. price) and social (e.g. caste)
factors.
WATER SECURITY: LAW AND POLICY DIMENSIONS
Water security has been addressed in law and policy terms
largely in a top-down manner, despite the recognition that
water is a local resource.
The law and policy framework is divided into different sectors, such as different laws for different water bodies (e.g.
surface/groundwater) and for different water uses (e.g. irrigation, drinking water)
There is a lack of overall water security perspective in legal frameworks at present. Yet, there is recognition that a
broader view needs to be taken, as conirmed by the Jammu
and Kashmir Water Resources (Regulation and Management)
Act, 2010 that takes an important step to bring different sectoral issues under one roof (though not providing an overall
framework legislation). As part of the next step, states like
Meghalaya and Rajasthan have started drafting framework
for water legislation.
LIMITATIONS OF CURRENT LAWS TO REALISE WATER
SECURITY
The current framework for realising water security is lacking
in various dimensions:
• Water security is still often equated in water laws with state
control over resources (eminent domain)
• Innovations that may contribute to water security are not
fully implemented, as in the case of the right to water that
‘exists’ but is not relected in any water law
• The strong link between land and water rights gives undue
prominence to individual landowners in managing a common resource.
RECENT UNION-LEVEL INITIATIVES:
NOVEL AND CONTROVERSIAL PROPOSALS
The lack of a set of common principles for all water and all
water bodies has been acknowledged as being problematic.
This has led to different initiatives by Government of India.
• Proposed framework legislation has been mooted to ensure that water conservation and use is governed by a single
set of principles and is informed by a coordinated framework. This is in effect a reaction of the central government to
the lack of state-level initiatives from where such framework
legislation should have emerged a long time back and where
it should in principle be adopted as water is a state subject.
• A new groundwater model legislation to replace the model
legislation on groundwater drafted in 1970 (and amended
up to 2005) whose limited scope has shown its limitations
in a fast evolving groundwater scenario across the country.
This model legislation is meant to be adapted and adopted
by states, in consonance with the mandate that states have
over (ground) water regulation.
• A renewed proposal to bring water on the concurrent list.
The December 2015 report of the Parliamentary Standing
Committee on water resources re-stated an earlier proposal
to bring water to the concurrent list, a move that would divest states of some of their control over water.
Existing initiatives by the central government level pull in
different directions. This requires evaluation of necessity at
different levels of the water sector.
DRAFT NATIONAL WATER FRAMEWORK BILL, 2016
The Draft National Water Framework Bill, 2016 constitutes
an attempt to bring some degree of coherence to water laws,
starting with a set of common principles, which does not exist so far as groundwater and surface water are still governed
by different legal regimes.
The Draft National Water Framework Bill, 2016 also seeks to
bring water law in line with Supreme Court directives. This
includes the recognition of the fundamental right to water
that the Supreme Court recognised more than 20 years ago
but is not yet relected in water legislation. This includes
the Supreme Court’s stricture that water must be seen as
a ‘public trust’, which implies that a state cannot claim full
ownership of water but must act as a ‘trustee’ on behalf of
everyone.
The Draft National Water Framework Bill, 2016 also seeks to
provide a general framework for fostering water security, in
particular by emphasising that conservation is as important
as use. It proposes to do this through the introduction of
water security plans.
Finally, the Bill also addresses some inter-state issues, which
have partly been addressed by the central government level
(e.g. Inter-State Water Disputes Act, 1956) and seeks to build
on this by, for instance, providing a set of principles for inter-state water conlict resolution.
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
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Ladakh 2016
SUSTAINABLE GROUNDWATER MODEL ACT, 2016
LESSONS FOR MOUNTAIN STATES
The Sustainable Groundwater Model Act, 2016 takes steps
to modernise the old legal regime, including the Groundwater Model Bill 1970/2005 itself modelled on the old legal
regime.
Water security is being integrated in policy thinking at the
national level and needs to be given content at the local level. This is imperative in a context where the main regulatory
mandate over water is given to states.
The Sustainable Groundwater Model Act, 2016 takes the
form of a model legislation that is for states to adapt to their
circumstances and adopt as state legislation.
Some of the new initiatives taken, in particular the Sustainable Groundwater Model Act, 2016 are positive to the extent
that it provides an updated regulatory model in line with
needs and current times.
The rethinking was made necessary by:
• The rapid increase in the use of groundwater
• The dramatic depletion of groundwater
• The introduction of new legal principles that require updating of legal frameworks related to groundwater.
Some of the key elements of the Sustainable Groundwater
Model Act, 2016 are:
• The recognition of groundwater as a public trust. This constitutes a complete break with the past where groundwater
was essentially deemed to be under the control of individual
landowners.
• The new legal regime is centred on groundwater security plans that bring to the fore the need to build regulation
around conservation and use, rather than only around regulation of uses as has been the case until now.
• The new legal regime is linked to an institutional framework
based on the principle of subsidiarity, which is in line with the
recognition of groundwater as the most local source of water.
The irst mandate over groundwater is thus at the Panchayat/
municipality level, with mandates moving to higher levels of
governance when aquifers span more than one panchayat/
municipality and say be at the block or district level.
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Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
At the same time, Sustainable Groundwater Model Act, 2016
is a positive step only if each state adapts the framework to
their needs and circumstances. This was not done in the past
(speciically in the context of groundwater) and the result
has legislated that are unsuited to the task and so often not
implemented.
Mountain states should remember that to emphasise the
need to keep water as a state subject, necessary initiatives
and actions need to be taken, including development of legislation to ensure that there are no major gaps in the legal
framework that may justify the need for centralisation.
States must thus not only apply themselves to the task of
developing modern and updated groundwater legislation,
but also make sure that they recognise that the state is located between the local (panchayat/municipality) and central
government. Constitutional prerogative of a state should not
distract it from ensuring appropriate decentralisation of regulatory control over water.
Brief Review of Snow and Glacier Studies and Climate Fluctuations
in the North-Western Himalaya (NWH): An Appeal for Holistic Approach for Water Resource Management
THUPSTAN ANGCHUK, School Of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University. AL RAMANATHAN, School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University. MOHD
SOHEB, School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University. ARINDAN MANDAL, School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University. NAVEEN PANDEY,
School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University
ABSTRACT
With the ongoing debate and discussion around the world, snow and glaciers studies are increasingly becoming
one of the important aspects of climate
change studies and water resource
management. Glaciers and snow in the
Himalaya are sensitive to the variations
in climate forcing. The high-altitude
regions of Himalayan Mountains have
the highest concentration of glaciers
outside the Polar Regions. Glaciers in
the North-Western Himalayas (NWH)
are one of the most fragile and least
studied. Various glacier studies across
the NWH from the past few decades
has revealed glacier mass loss in-terms
of area and volume but it also shows
the non uniformity and diverse behaviour of glaciers within and outside
the region. However, glaciers monitored in the Karakoram region show
different results, heterogeneous trends
has been observed some are losing
mass and some either advancing or
in equilibrium stage. These diverse
results are due to unique behaviours
and dynamics of glaciers in Himalayan
regions, which differ widely from east
to west and from north to south. Long
term meteorological data particularly
the temperature and precipitation has
been studied from the existing weather
stations of NWH. The study shows that
NWH region has warmed signiicantly
during the study period i.e from 1901
to 2002 and at a higher rate than the
global average. Further it shows no
trend in winter precipitation but decreasing trend in summer precipitation for almost same study period. We
could infer the positive correlations
between the glacier mass loss and the
meteorological data but to draw a conclusion based on limited studies will
be premature and problematic. Under
the warming climate scenario management of water resources has become
a challenging task. We have to implement various harvesting techniques to
fulil our needs. Holistic approaches
from various ields need to be taken to
mitigate and minimise the challenges.
To ind robust solutions, one needs to
incorporate both the traditional knowledge as well as scientiic expertise.
Government should support various
projects to monitor the snow and glaciers of the NHW to minimise the uncertainties from this data sparse region
and as well as to project and manage
the future availability of water.
INTRODUCTION
The Himalayas, which are also known
as the ‘Water Tower of Asia’ (Immerzeel et al. 2010), has become a major
attraction for researchers. Geomorphologically, it is the highest and largest
mountain region on the planet. With
a unique and fragile ecosystem, it is
home for millions of people and provides resources for billions of people
in areas downstream. These mountains
are one of the essential store houses of
snow and glaciers and are often known
as the Third Pole. The melt of ice from
the glaciers, the perennial snow and
permafrost from these frozen reservoirs add to various drainage basins
in the Himalayas, ultimately give birth
to some of the largest rivers of Asia e.g
the Indus, the Ganges and the Brahmaputra. These rivers are the lifelines of
millions of people in the downstream
region. The water of these rivers is
used extensively for domestic needs,
irrigation and hydropower generation
and thus has a direct impact on the environment and also on the socio economic structures of the country.
The Spatial and temporal knowledge
and information about snow and ice
are valuable not only as water resources but also as important indicators of
climate change. Snow and glaciers are
very sensitive to meteorological parameters especially to temperature and
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
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Ladakh 2016
precipitation. Any small changes in either of the parameters, will signiicantly affect the snow and glacier behaviour
and health. Snow and ice have significant impacts on ecosystems and also
has an inluence on climatic systems.
Currently mountain glaciers around
the world are experiencing a period
of recession. The rate of recession in
the past few decades has accelerated
as reported from the different parts
of the globe. However, the scenario of
Himalayan glaciers is quite different
from rest of world. Heterogeneous
trends have been observed across the
Himalayan belt. Some of the glaciers
in the Karakorum region are advancing, while glaciers of central and eastern Himalayas are retreating and also
some glaciers are in equilibrium state.
Though, we have a board perspective
of the changes taking place in the Himalayan Region but so much has to be
done and understood regarding the
dynamics and behaviour of snow and
glacier across the Himalaya. The precipitation characteristic is not uniform
along the whole stretch; the Western
Himalayas receive precipitation during
the winter due to the Westerlies and
the Eastern Himalayas gets the precipitation mainly during the Indian Summer Monsoonal months. This complex
topography, climate and high altitude
area makes it the best place for the formation of mountain (valley) glaciers.
There are 9,575 glaciers in the Indian
Himalaya covering an area of 37,466
km2 (Raina et al, 2008; Sangewar et al,
2009). Only few glaciers in the Indian
Himalaya have been studied by various
organisations, institutions and universities. Glaciers of the Himalayan region
are not well documented because of
multiple reasons such as inaccessibility
of the area and lack of manpower and
resource person. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop a platform where
manpower can be trained and motivated to take up monitoring and scientiic
research on multidisciplinary aspects
of Cryosphere.
32
REVIEW OF PUBLISHED PAPERS AND
DISCUSSION
Schmidt et al (2010) measured the
glacier area change between the years
1969 to 2010 in the in the Trans-Himalayan Kang Yatze Massif, Ladakh, with
the help of multi-temporal remote
sensing approach. During the study
period glacier has lost mass about 14%
(0.3% yr-1) from 96.4 to 82.6 km2 and
the average ice front retreat amounts to
125 m (3 m yr-1). Within the study period it shows a high decadal variability
in the ice loss with the maximum mass
loss between 1991 and 2002 (0.6% yr1), followed by a low rate since then
(0.2% yr--1). One of the important indings of the study was, due to high variability in the glacier results and even
a lack of variation during the study
period of some glaciers. The indings
of this study must not be extrapolated
for the region, without knowing the
properties and behaviour of a glacier,
e.g glacier type and size. Further it has
raised the urgent need of glacier studies especially in the Trans-Himalayan
region of Ladakh, where data is sparse
and people are dependent on the snow
and melt water of glaciers also to minimise the uncertainties of the Himalayan glaciers.
Kamp et al (2007) studied the glacier
luctuations in the Greater Himalaya
range of Zangskar region from 1975
to 2008 with the help of remote sensing data. During the period, various
glaciers have been analysed and they
found that glaciers are receding from
the 1970s but the trend s not uniform.
Different periods show different luctuations and they also encountered
certain anomalies where glaciers show
either no change or small advance but
they were limited to glaciers with high
levels relief and which covered large
areas and altitudinal ranges. Similar
results have been observed by other researchers too. See for instance, Pandey
et al. (2011).
Ganjoo et al (2014) investigated the
glaciers of Nubra valley, Karakoram (La-
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
dakh) for different time periods from
1969 to 2001. Out of 114 glaciers they
monitored, 39 glaciers (34%) showed a
gain in the area, 43 glaciers (38%) lost
mass, whereas 32 glaciers (28%) show
no change in area. Maximum area of
56 km2 has been lost between 1969
and 1989 and only 4 km2 between
1989 and 2001 suggesting the slowing down of glacier retreat in Nubra
valley. Ganjoo et al (2014) mentioned
the complexity and heterogeneous results of the glaciers studies in the valley
and concluded that it is premature to
draw any conclusion based on limited
understanding. The complexity and
variedness has been related to various
factors such as topography, micro-climate and glacier type etc.
Bhambri et al (2013) studied the Karakoram glaciers focused on upper Shayok valley for different periods of the
year 1973 to 2011 based on available
satellite data. They investigated the
area change of different glaciers including surging type glaciers and found no
signiicant changes during the study periods. However, further analysis shows
that glaciers have decreased slightly until 1989 followed by a slight increase till
2002 and 2011. Overall there were no
signiicant changes in the glacier area,
though they observed advances in glacier tongues since 1989. Other studies
such as Copland et al. (2011) reported
an increase of glacier surge activities
after 1990 in the western and central
Karakoram region. Few glaciers have
been identiied as surging types, including Rimo, Chong Kumdan, Kichik
Kumdan and Aktash glaciers in the eastern Karakoram (Raina and Srivastva,
2008). Several periodic advancement
and blockage of river by Chong Kumdan glacier have been reported and
subsequent damage downstream areas
after sudden breakage of moraine dam
lake (Raina and Srivastava,2008; Hewitt
and Liu, 2010).
Viste et al (2015) studied the snowfall in the Himalayas with the help of
different models and reanalysis data.
By applying strongest anthropogenic
forcing scenario (RCP8.5), the models
project reduction in annual snowfall by
30-50% in the Indus Basin, 50–60% in
the Ganges Basin and 50–70% in the
Brahmaputra Basin by 2071–2100. The
reduction of snow have been linked to
increasing temperatures, as the mean
of the models show constant or increasing precipitation throughout the
year in most of the region. Likewise
Shekhar et al. (2010) has compared the
snowfall of Karakoram with three other
mountain ranges in the western Himalayas during 1984–2008, and found
that snowfall had been reduced in all
the ranges, though less in the innermost Karakoram as compared to the
outer ranges.
Bhutiyani et al (2010) investigated climate change and precipitation variations from 1866-2006 in north-western
Himalayas ( Jammu and Kashmir and
Himachal Pradesh). The study shows
no trend in winter precipitation but
decreasing trend in the summer precipitation. Similarly in another study
conducted by Bhutiyani et al (2007)
on temperature trends across the
north-western Himalaya in the 20th
century based on automatic weather
stations from Leh, Shimla, Srinagar and
others parts of the regions, reveal that
NWH has warmed signiicantly during
the study period (Srinagar and Shimla
(1901–2002) and Leh (1901–1989))
and at a rate higher than the global
average. The study further states that
unlike other mountain regions, the increasing trend of mean temperature in
the NWH is due to the rapid increase in
the maximum temperature rather than
minimum.
Kääb et al (2012) investigated the glacier mass changes across the Himalayas
for the period 2003-08 by combining
two elevation data sets, the sparse laser measurements from the Ice, Cloud
and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat)
and the Digital Elevation Model (DEM)
from the Shuttle Radar Topography
Mission (SRTM). Maximal regional
thinning rates were 0.66 + 09 metres
per year in the Jammu– Kashmir re-
Figure 1: Study region and trends of elevation diferences between ICESat and SRTM over 2003–08.
gion. Conversely in the Karakoram region, glaciers thinning were just a few
centimetres per year. Figure 1: Shows
the glacier mass changes across the
whole Himalayan belt.
Various glacier studies across the NWH
from the past few decades has revealed
glacier mass loss in-terms of both area
and volume but it also shows the non
uniformity and diverse behaviour of
glaciers within the region as well as
outside the region. However glaciers
monitored in Karakoram Range show
different results, heterogeneous trends
have been observed with some losing
mass and some either advancing or
being in equilibrium. These diverse
results are due to unique behaviours
and dynamics of glaciers of Himalayan
region which differ widely from east
to west and from north to south. Long
term meteorological data, particularly temperature and precipitation has
been studied from the existing weather
stations in the NWH region. The study
shows that NWH region has warmed
signiicantly during the study period
i.e from 1901 to 2002, that also at the
rate higher than the global average further it shows no trend in winter precipitation but decreasing trend in the
summer precipitation for almost same
study period. We could infer the positive correlations between the glacier
mass loss and the meteorological data
but to draw a conclusion based on limited studies is premature.
Recently, the authors as part of the Glacier Research Group in JNU carried out
a review of several published papers by
compiling and comparing the datasets
(different methods) related to glacier
change with climate over the past few
decades (See Mandal e al, 2016). We
chose two well studied glaciers Chhota
Shigri and Hamta glaciers in Pir Panjal
range in the Western Himalayas. Significant mass loss during the study period
was observed. Even for the same year,
different methods show different results; however, all results depict negative mass loss on both the glaciers.
Data from the Indian Meteorological
Department (IMD) shows a signiicant
increase in average temperature for the
entire country and huge variability in
precipitation particularly in the state
of Himachal Pradesh. Temperature and
precipitation plays important role in
governing the mass balance of glacier.
Thus, it can be said that the glaciers of
Lahaul and Spiti region are losing mass
due to changing weather conditions,
especially the increasing air temperature. However, long-term MB and climate data will provide a better insight
to understand and predict the future
scenario of glacier health in this region
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
33
Ladakh 2016
(Mandal et al 2016).
With neither uniform nor clear picture
of climate change and global warming
around the world particularly in the Himalayan region, it has become necessary, to understand the micro climate
of the region and to estimate the contribution of snow and ice melt runoff
to various rivers across the region. It
is important to ask questions such as
what is the present status of glaciers
and snow on the Himalayan region?
How snow cover changes and glacier
mass loss will affect water resources
and the environment ? What are their
degrees of environmental impacts?
Several outbursts of glacier lakes have
been reported from various studies
hence it is necessary to monitor the
glaciers frequently to understand the
physical properties, behaviour as well
as to mitigate such hazardous events.
SUMMARY AND FUTURE OUTLOOK
Heterogeneous spatial and temporal
glacier results have reported from the
NWH especially from the Karakorum
region, hence also shows the sensitivity and complexity of the Himalayan
glaciers. These diverse results are due
to unique behaviour and dynamics of
different glaciers which differ widely
from east to west from north to south.
The complex topography, climate and
environment are the driving force of
these signiicant differences of the Himalayan glaciers. Even glaciers from
the same region differ signiicantly
due to its interaction between various
components example atmospheric circulations, topography and geology etc.
Therefore, we need to understand the
entire stretch of Himalayan glaciers
rather than focus only on various micro
physical properties, components and
its role towards the glaciers. Glaciers
in the NWH are small and fragile due
to its topography, environmental condition and climate. It receives scantly
of precipitation and also it is a dry arid
region so even a small change will have
large impacts on glacier behaviour and
34
health. Though glacier studies in these
remote and hash environment is challenging but remains critical to understand the impacts of climate change
in the region, to assess glacial contribution to the regional water resources. Declaring the state and fate of the
Himalayan glaciers based on limited
studies may lead to incorrect and misleading conclusions.
We are currently experiencing global
warming and climate change, even as
our basic necessities have increased
exponentially. Thus, we are facing
several challenges and need to come
up with indigenous alternatives and
adaptive measures. Various harvesting
techniques like artiicial glacier and ice
stupas should be critically evaluated
and if found to be useful, implement in
other areas. There is thus a need for a
holistic inter-disciplinary approach that
includes participation from scientists,
policy makers, decision makers and
end users to tackle the various issues
whether it is scientiic related or social or economic ultimately it will have
large impacts on our environment as
well to the society.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors are thankful to Jawaharlal
Nehru University, New Delhi, India for
providing all the facilities. Department
of Science and Technology (DST),
Govt. of India provided inancial support for ield works and trainings. We
also acknowledge support from various agencies in India and abroad.
REFERENCES
Bhambri, R., Bolch, T., Kawishwar, P.,
Dobhal, D.B., Srivastava, D., and
Pratap, B. 2013. Heterogeneity in
glacier response in the upper Shyok valley, northeast Karakoram,
The Cryosphere, 7, 1385–1398
Bhutiyani, M. R., Kale,V. S., and Pawar,
N. J. 2007: Long-term trends in
maximum, minimum and mean
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
annual air temperatures across
the Northwestern Himalaya during
the twentieth century, Climatic
Change, 85, 159–177, doi:10.1007/
s10584-006-9196-1
Bhutiyani, M. R., Kale, V. S., and
Pawar, N. J. 2010. Climate change
and the precipitation variations
in the northwestern Himalaya:
1866–2006, Int. J. Climatol.,
doi:10.1002/joc.1290.
Copland, L., Sylvestre, T., Bishop, M. P.,
Shroder, J. F., Seong, Y. B., Owen, L.
A., Bush, A., and Kamp, U. 2011 Expanded and recently increased glacier surging in the Karakoram, Arct.
Antarct. Alp. Res., 43, 503–516.
Ganjoo, R.K., Koul, M.N., Bahuguna,
I.M., and Ajai. 2014. The Complex
Phenomenon of Glaciers of Nubra
Valley, Karakorum (Ladakh), India. Nat. Sci., 6, 733-740. http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ns.2014.610073.
Hewitt, K. and Liu, J. 2010. Ice-dammed
lakes and outburst loods, Karakoram Himalaya: Historical perspectives and emerging threats,
Phys. Geogr., 31, 528–551
Immerzeel, W. W., Van Beek, L. P. H.,
Bierkens, M. F. P. 2010 Climate
change will affect the Asian water
towers. Science 328:1382–5
Kääb, A., Berthier, E., Nuth, C., Gardelle, J., and Arnaud, Y. 2012
Contrasting patterns of early
twenty-irst-century glacier mass
change in the Himalayas, Nature,
488, 495–498
Kamp, U., Byrnr1, M., and Bolch, T.
2011. Glacier Fluctuations between 1975 and 2008 in the Greater Himalaya Range of Zanskar,
Southern Ladakh, J. Mt. Sci., 8:
374-389 DOI: 10.1007/s11629011-2007-9
Mandal, A., Ramanathan, AL., Angchuk,
T., Soheb., M., and Singh, V.B.
2016. Unsteady state of glaciers
(Chhota Shigri and Hamtah) and
climate in Lahaul and Spiti region,
western Himalayas: a review of recent mass loss, Environ. Earth Sci.,
75:1233, DOI 10.1007/s12665016-6023-5
Pandey, A., Ghosh, S., and Nathawat M.S. 2011. Evaluating
patterns of temporal glacier
changes in Greater Himalayan
Range, Jammu & Kashmir, India.
Geocarto International, DOI:
10.1080/10106049.2011.554611.
Raina, V. K. and Srivastava, D. 2008.
Glacier atlas of India. Bangalore:
Geological Society of India, 316 pp.
Sangewar, C. V. and Shukla, S. P. 2009
Inventory of the Himalayan glaciers: a contribution to the international hydrological programme.
An updated edition, Kolkatta,
Geol. Surv. of India, (Special Publication 34)
Schmidt, S. and Nüsser, M. 2012.
Changes of High Altitude Glaciers
from 1969 to 2010 in the Trans-Himalayan Kang Yatze Massif, Ladakh, Northwest India, Arctic,
Antarctic, and Alpine Research,
44(1):107-121, DOI: http://dx.doi.
org/10.1657/1938-4246-44.1.107.
Shekhar, M. S., Chand, H., Kumar, S.,
Srinivasan, K., and Ganju, A. 2010.
Climate-change studies in the
western Himalaya, Ann. Glaciol.,
51, 105–112, doi:10.3189/172756
410791386508,.
Viste, E. and Sorteberg, A. 2015. Snowfall in the Himalayas: an uncertain
future from a little-known past,
The Cryosphere, 9, 1147–1167.
Impact of glacier retreat and melting permafrost with
Special reference to Ladakh range
J.T. GERGAN. Retired glaciologist. Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology
T
he Indian-Eurasia continental collision is one of the most
amazing aspects in the tectonic
history of Earth. Tectonic evolution of
Himalaya had a strong impact on the
climate beyond that of the Indian subcontinent. North West trending Ladakh
Batholith has signiicant position in the
tectonic history of Himalayas as it form
part of the Trans Himalayan Batholith system that deines the southern
boundary of the Tibetan Plateau and
Ladakh the Northern boundary of India, which extends East of Bhutan. Ladakh Batholith lies between Karakoram
Range on the northeast and Zanskar
Range to the southwest in Ladakh. Shayok River originating from the snout
of Rimo Glacier lows between Karakoram and the northeastern lank of
Ladakh range, and along the Shayok
suture; Indus River lows westwards
from its source at Mount Kailash in
southwestern Tibet, along the Indus
suture on the South west, between the
Ladakh and Zanskar ranges.
glaciers in the Ladakh Range mark
the southern boundary of Karakoram
Anomaly as glaciers of Ladakh range
show no evidence of surging. They are
primarily inluenced by the monsoon
climate regime, there by an intermediate zone bordering the Karakoram
Anomaly to the north and the western receding Himalaya to the south
(Chudely et.al. 2016).
Glaciers in Ladakh range are retreating
as are a majority of the glaciers in the
Himalayan and Karakoram ranges. Unlike the Karakoram glaciers, which exhibit widespread surge-type behaviour,
The Ladakh Batholith represents the
northern buttress against which the Himalayas have been deformed (England
and Searle 1986). Sedimentary successions of Indus Molasse are deformed
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
35
Ladakh 2016
as they have been thrust northwards
towards the Ladakh Batholith from
early Miocene till recently (Sinclair and
Jaffey 2001). Digital elevation models
analysis of Ladakh Batholith reveal a
high degree of variance in the morphometric character of the transverse
catchments that drain south-westwards
into the Indus valley versus those that
drain north-eastward into the Shayok
valley. The 16 catchments that drain
into the Indus valley are signiicantly
shorter and thinner, and also have a
lower mean elevation and lower proportion of their area at high elevation
than the six equivalent catchments that
drain into the Shayok valley ( Jamieson
et.al. 2003).
The glaciers on the northern slopes
of the Ladakh Range are larger as
compared to glaciers on the southern
slope. This has lead to the development of larger glacial lakes in the catchments of tributaries of Shayok River
lowing from Ladakh range. As a result
the sizes of recessional glacial lakes are
much larger as compared to the glacial
lakes on the southern slopes of Ladakh
range. Glaciers on the southern slopes
are smaller and hence form smaller
recessional lakes. These glaciers have
receded to such an extent that their
response to current rise in global temperature is more by surface melting of
the glacier, rather than recession along
the length of glacier; this is evident by
the low rate of recession of these glaciers. Surface melting of glacier is also
evident by the number of supra glacial
channels over height of 5,500m asl on
the surface of the glacier
The climate of Ladakh is cold arid with
desert conditions. Precipitation occurs
during the summer months, when
monsoons are forced northwards.
Tectonic uplift of Greater Himalayan
range to south of Ladakh has reduced
the northward penetration of the Indian Summer monsoon into Ladakh;
being the likely cause of the reduction in moisture lux that reduce glacier accumulation (Owen et.al. 2006).
Moist monsoonal air mass moving
36
northwards is forced to ascend by the
Himalayan orographic barrier; this
enhances condensation and cloud formation, which ultimately controls the
triggering duration high intensity of
precipitation events (Bookhagen et.al.
2005). In winters temperatures can go
as low as – 250 C. The loss of most of
the water through rapid snowmelt in
spring means that vegetation cover is
minimal and discontinuous in Ladakh
(Fort 1983). In recent years, the impact
of the Indian summer monsoon across
the great Himalayan orographic barrier
has increased. Cloud burst of August
2010 over the Ladakh range caused
massive damage to life and property, a
case of intensiied monsoonal precipitation on leeward side of the orographic barrier. Possibly such events have a
repeat cycle of about 100 to 60 years.
Climate changes associated with the
retreat of glaciers since the end of the
last ice age played an important role
for the migration of early inhabitants
of Ladakh to settle in the deglaciated
valleys and on the alluvial fans of the
tributaries of the Indus and Shayok rivers. Inhabitants of Ladakh owe a great
debt unconsciously to Quaternary Ice
Age. Current global warming has accelerated the rate of glacial retreat to such
an extent that the inhabitants of Ladakh are forced to adapt to fast depleting glacial melt water, which has been
supplying water for irrigation and domestic needs for several centuries. Chhewang Norphel, glacier man of Ladakh, has made an effort to overcome the
shortage of water in Ladakh by creating
artiicial glaciers. Precipitation snow/
rains and glacial melt water recharge
ground water. Traditionally, ground
water was not pumped for irrigation or
daily use by the people of Ladakh. The
perennial springs and seasonal springs
were used for domestic purposes. Over
the years, people of Ladakh have perfected a system to utilise and optimise
the limited glacial melt water supply.
As glaciers retreat, lakes are usually
formed behind the newly exposed terminal moraines. Many of these glacial
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
lakes provided much needed water to
the inhabitants of Ladakh. These sources of life-sustaining water have caused
many Glacial Lake Outburst Floods
(GLOFs) with devastating impacts. This
is evident from the large number of
boulder strewn across the alluvial fans
on the slopes of Ladakh and Karakoram
mountains. Remains of drained out glacial lakes in the head waters of tributaries of Indus and Shayok rivers are
mute witnesses to numerous instances
of GLOFs in geological and historical
time, which is clearly seen in Google
Earth images of the region. GLOFs, or
any other kind of lood, wreak havoc
with unrecoverable destruction to settlements, farmlands and loss of life;
which disturbs the livelihood of inhabitants for long periods of time. Many a
time, they are forced to shift to safer
locations. Flash loods in the last century in Ladakh have been recorded in
the state government’s land revenue
records. However, they have not been
well recorded in scientiic literature. Ladakh witnessed several GLOFs during
the 1930s, of which Chong Kumdan
Glacier Lake Outburst remains the best
documented and monitored GLOF of
Ladakh (Hewitt 1982) till date. The
lash lood on 26th July 1934, which
nearly destroyed Hundar village in Nubra valley (personal communication,
Zamul Abedin) was caused when one
of the three recessional lakes in the
head waters of Hundar Tokpo burst
its banks. The remnants of these three
drained out glacial lakes are clearly visible in the Google Earth imagery of the
region.
GLOF in Karakoram Range are by and
large caused with the blocking of river by surging glaciers. Chong Kumdan
glacier surged and blocked Shayok river, forming a 16-km long lake with an
average width of 1.6km in 1929 (Hewitt
1982). On the other hand, GLOFs in
the Ladakh ranges are caused by the
bursting of recessional glacial lakes.
In recent years, GLOFs have been triggered by prolonged low intensity rains
followed by localised intense rains for
short periods of time in the head waters of tributaries of Indus River. These
GLOFs have caused considerable damage to life and property but the magnitude of these GLOFs were not large
enough to receive due attention from
the scientiic community and administration. They were usually passed off
and recorded as loods in land revenue
records.
Rapid melting of permafrost has further accelerated the bursting of glacial lakes. Subsurface ice contained
in terminal moraine and melting of
permafrost is similarly affected by climate change, causing persistent impact
on natural and human systems. The
problem of melting of permafrost is
not observable spatially and therefore
its presence and possible changes are
frequently overlooked. This problem
has not received its due attention in
the country. As a matter of fact, the
melting of mountain permafrost and
its recession to higher elevations is not
well documented in comparison to the
recession of glaciers, as mountain permafrost is more dificult to investigate.
Unlike glaciers or snow, permafrost is
usually concealed beneath the active
layer and therefore excluded from
effective observation with e.g. satellite-based remote sensing. Permafrost
can be identiied locally with direct
measurements in boreholes, excavated
pits, or with geophysical methods (Gruber et.al.2016). Ladakh being in the
lee ward side of the Great Himalayan
range with a cold arid climate, it is ideal
for conducting a detailed study of permafrost, especially mountain permafrost. Melting of mountain permafrost
makes considerable contribution to
melt water discharge from the glaciated
catchments in Ladakh. Seasonal freezing of ground is also responsible for
holding of water in winters and releasing it slowly in spring. The impact of
melting permafrost has direct bearing
on the catchment hydrology as slopes
are major contributors to stream low.
Phutase glacier lake outburst loods in
the headwaters of the stream lowing
through Leh town, and Phyang Tokpo
glacial Lake Outburst loods in August
2006 were triggered by bursting of recessional lakes by prolonged low intensity rains, followed by short spells of localised intense rains in head waters of
these two streams. In the preliminary
ield investigations of Phutase Glacial
Lake in the summer of 2007 and 2009,
it was observed that the moraine dam
collapsed with melting of permafrost
and ice core in the terminal moraine
with increase of atmospheric temperature, bursting of glacial lake was
triggered by the short spell of intense
rains. Increase in temperatures has increased the surface melting of glacier
above the elevation of 5,500 masl. This
is evident by the number of supra glacial channels on the surface of Phutase
glacier. Melt water from these supra
glacial streams played a major role in
the increase of melt water low into the
glacial lake. However, glacial melt water was not enough to ill these lakes
rapidly; this was compensated by the
long spell of rainfall and by rapid melting of permafrost. This is evident by the
number of streams trickling into the
lake from valley slopes. Phutase glacial
valley has well developed periglacial
and mountain permafrost morphological features.
Flash loods in Nimo-Basgo in the intervening night of 4th and 5th August
2010 and in Leh between 01:30 and
02:00 AM the following day claimed
many lives with massive destruction
to infrastructure. These loods were
caused by localised events of extreme
intensity of rainfall in a short spell of
time. Occurrence of such events in the
geological past and over the last few
hundred years are exempliied by a
number of geomorphological features
on the slopes of the Ladakh range of
mountains. These types of events seem
to have a return period of 60 to 100
years (based on discussion with elderly
people in Ladakh, which needs to be
authenticated). It is necessary to make
a distinction between Cloudburst and
GLOFs trigged by intense rains. As the
proper distinction is not made, GLOFs
do not receive their due attention.
.
There is an urgent need for formulation of strategies to effectively mitigate risk of GLOFs. Nearly 60% of
inhabitants of Ladakh are settled on
the southern slopes of the Ladakh
mountain range. Indus River is of little use to local populace of Ladakh as
it lows deep down the valley, except
for few settlements along the banks of
the river. Considering the importance
of glacial lake on southern slopes of
Ladakh range for people of Ladakh,
it is suggested that these glacial lakes
be monitored regularly, and develop
and implement appropriate engineering interventions to decrease the risk
of GLOFs. Efforts have to be made to
exploit the maximum amount of water
for use by people living downstream by
minimum appropriate engineering interventions. At present a small percentage of water lowing from some of the
glaciers of Ladakh is utilised. The melt
water from small glaciers like Phutase
glacier, which lows through Leh town
is not enough to meet the growing
need of the town. Sudden release of
water by GLOFs causes damage to infrastructure and disrupts agriculture
activities and large amounts of water
go unutilised. With planning and proper investigations, melt water of these
recessional glacial lakes can be utilized
to its optimum. Many of the recessional features can be utilised to conserve
and control low of melt water downstream. Phutase glacier in the head waters stream lowing through Leh town
would be ideal for initiating such an
intervention. The controlling of water
low from glacier and higher reaches of
valley during summers would go a long
way in enhancing the depleting ground
water reserves of Ladakh. This would
to some extent reduce the rapid reduction of permafrost. This would also
increase the area of seasonal ground
freezing of near surface ground water
to some extent. In turn, this would
considerably enhance stream low
during summer months.
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
37
Ladakh 2016
In recent times, lash loods related
to rains have deinitely increased. Detailed geomorphological investigations
and mapping is required to prepare
hazard maps of the region. There are
a number of potentially dangerous glacial lakes in the Eastern Karakoram and
Ladakh ranges. Glacial lake formed by
the surging of two tributary glaciers,
which has blocked the melt water lowing from Kunzang Glacier; forming a
lake that is approximately 1,100m long
with a width of approximately 600m,
in head waters of Kunzang Lungpa, a
tributary of Shayok River in the Eastern
Karakorams. This lake needs urgent
monitoring and detailed investigations
to reduce the possibility of bursting of
this glacial lake. There are number of
potentially dangerous glacial lakes in
the head waters of Hundar and Kharu Tokpo tributaries of Shayok River
lowing from the slopes of Ladakh
range. These glacial lakes need urgent
monitoring considering the number of
remnants of drained out lakes in the
catchment of tributaries of Shayok. The
\GLOFs that occurred on 26th of July
1934 in Hundar Tokpo and Kharu Tokpo in August 1982 indicates the vulnerability of glacial lakes bursting in catchment of tributaries of Shayok river. An
interesting case of blockage of Kharu
Tokpo by a rock glacier is observed in
Google Earth imagery of the region.
At present, Kharu Tokpo seems to be
lowing below a rock glacier, which
needs to be conirmed through ield
investigations.
Glacier lakes in Ladakh need to be
studied in detail and inventory of these
glaciers needs to be prepared, identifying potentially dangerous glacial lakes
in the region and plan for the optimum
utilisation of water from these lakes. An
38
early warning system for GLOFs needs
to be established for potentially dangerous glacial lakes. Many lives were
saved during the loods in Phyang Tokpo August 2006, by the quick thinking
of villagers in the higher reaches of the
village, who warned the people in lower reaches of the valley through mobile
phones of the lash loods. The impact
of melting of permafrost on the occurrences of GLOFs needs to be investigated in detail urgently.
REFERENCES
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M. R. 2005. Abnormal monsoon
years and their contol on erosion
and sediment lux in the high arid
north west Himalaya. Earth and
Planetary Sciences Letters, 231,
131-146.
Chudly, T., Miles, E., Wilis, I. 2016.
Monsoon-inluenced glacier retreat in the Ladakh Range, Jammu
and Kashmir. EGU General Assembly 2016, held 17-22 April, 2016 in
Vienna Austria, p.166
England, P., Searle, M. 1986. The Cretaceous-Tertiary deformation of the
Lhasa Block and its implications
for crustal thickening in Tibet. Tectonics 5, 1 – 14
Fort, M. 1983. Geomorphological observations in the Ladakh area (Himalayas): quaternary evolution
and present dynamics.In: Gupta,
J.V. (Ed.), Stratigraphy and Structure of Kashmir and Ladakh Himalaya, Hindustan Publishers,
Delhi, India
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
Hewitt, K. 1982. Natural dams and
outburst loods of the Karakoram
Himalaya Hydrological Aspects of
Alpine and High Mountain Areas,
Proceedings of the Exeter Symposium, July 1982 IAHS Publ. no
138.
Jamiesona, S.S.R., Sinclair, H.D.,
Kirsteinb L.A., Purvesc, R.S. 2003.
Tectonic forcing of longitudinal
valleys in the Himalaya: morphological analysis of the Ladakh
Batholith, North Indian Geomorphlogy
Owen, L.A., Caffee, M.W., Bovard,
K.R., Finkel, R.C., Sharma, M.C.
2006. Terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide surface exposure dating of
the oldest glacial succession in
the Himalayan orogen: Ladakh
Range, northern India: Geological Society of America Bulletin,
v.118,p.383-392.
Stephan G., Renate, F., Emilie, G.,
Panday, P., Schmid, M., Stumm,
P.W., Yinsheng., Z, Lin Zhao 2016.
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permafrost and permafrost thaw in
the mountains of the Hindu Kush
Himalaya region, The Cryosphere
Discuss., doi: 10.5194/tc-2016104, 2016
Sinclair, H.D. and Jaffey, N. 2001. Sedimentology of the Indus Group, Ladakh, northern India: implications
for the timing of initiation of the
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Monsoon-Inluenced Glacier Retreat in the Ladakh Range, India,
Presentation made at EGU2016
The irrigation systems of Ladakh’s farming communities:
Survivability of traditional practices in the modern era
DR JOE HILL. Assistant Professor, Xavier Institute of Social Service (XISS), Ranchi, Jharkhand.
ABSTRACT
Kargil district in trans-Himalayan Ladakh is undergoing rapid change in the
early 21st century. Due to a deicit of
rainfall in valley bottoms, irrigation is
necessary to grow cereals, vegetables
and herbs, trees, bushes, shrubs, and
fodder. Roughly a half of Kargil district’s land is under barley, one-quarter
under fodder, the remainder under
wheat, pulses, vegetables and oil seed.
The majority of the gross area sown is
irrigated by Farmer Managed Irrigation
Systems (FMIS). Despite its importance
for the water security of the bulk of the
district’s population, these FMIS are
facing several threats. This paper makes
four broad recommendations. First, the
current survey and settlement procedures underway in the district should
include documentation of the rights
and responsibilities attached to FMIS,
especially those constructed in the past
hundred years for which no rights have
been recorded. Second, it is important
that Irrigation Department projects to
renovate FMIS involve locals, both in
planning and construction activities.
Third, traditional farming skills and
practices need to be preserved and
utilised, for which a multi-pronged
strategy is required, i.e. by including
agriculture in the school curriculum,
by supplying local grain types through
the Public Distribution System (PDS),
and by preserving and utilising elders’
farming knowledge. Finally, division of
communities along party political and
other lines is damaging village-level institutions and development schemes.
Water security implies good governance
(Cook & Bakker, 2012), so care must
be taken to check factionalism at the
grassroots and to ensure proper coordination between various stakeholders
in the development process, including
villagers, Nambardars, Sarpanches,
Councillors, Junior Engineers and other bureaucrats, elected oficials, political parties and religious leaders.
INTRODUCTION
Kargil is Ladakh’s less known half. It
has undergone rapid change in the
past few decades. After Indian independence, the villages in the district were
mostly self-suficient. However, population growth and resulting land subdivisions along with political economic
developments, these villages have became dependent on outside resources.
In 2013-14, a total of 11,454 ha of land
was cultivated in Kargil, of which 47%
was under grim (barley), 24% fodder,
18% wheat, 8% pulses, and 3% vegetables and oil seed (GoJK, 2014). Data
from the 1991-1992 Agricultural Census shows that 81% of households had
marginal landholdings (less than 1 ha),
a further 11% had small landholdings
(1-2 ha), and 6% had small-medium
landholdings (2-4 ha) (GoJK, 2011:
25). Several major irrigation projects
are underway in the district, such as
the ₹36 crores Parchichik project that
was started in 2008 and aims to irrigate
10,000 ha1. In 2014, the Naib Tehsildar for Sankoo shared his view that
land is no longer the prime source of
revenue for villagers. Survey data for
Karchay Khar village2 shows that 85%
of households have members who have
migrated to work as labourers in the re-
cent past, while the remainder have at
least one person working outside the
village. Migratory work is seasonal and
an important source of earnings; however village-based livelihoods remain
paramount to the well-being, food
security and lives of a majority of the
households.
In Kargil district, due to a deicit of
rainfall in valley bottoms3, cultivation
of grains, vegetables and herbs, trees,
bushes and shrubs, and fodder is only
possible by the channelling of snowmelt and spring water to farmland via
Farmer-Managed Irrigation Systems
(FMIS). Karchay Khar Gram Panchayat, where research was conducted in
2013-15, has at least 20 such FMIS (Hill,
2014). The management of each and every FMIS is guided by a set of rules and
rights that exist to ensure the channel’s
proper maintenance and equitable distribution of water to farmland (Labbal,
2000; Wacker, 2007). This paper argues
that FMIS, vital for the water security of
these village communities, are under
threat for a multitude of reasons, e.g. increase in cash economy, non-farm employment, government programmes,
education system, and factionalism.
1
Sadiq Ali, personal communication, June 28,
2013.
2
27 households were randomly selected from a
total of 59 households in Karchay Khar mohalla.
3
Hartmann (1983: 136), quoted in Gutschow
(1998: 445), compiled statistics over 30 years
(1931-1960) and determined an annual precipitation for Kargil of 306 mm/annum.
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
39
Ladakh 2016
This paper’s theoretical perspective
draws on the water security literature.
Cook and Bakker (2012) critically examine the use of the concept of water
security in academic and policy debates
based on a review of 418 articles and
reports. They ind that the concept has
multiple deinitions, and is increasingly being used across disciplines; since
the 1990s the concept can even be considered an “emerging paradigm”. Four
broad themes are identiied, pertaining
to water availability, human vulnerability to hazards, human needs, and sustainability (with surprisingly little emphasis
given to military security). The authors
argue in favour of a ‘broad and integrative conceptualisation of water security’
(ibid: 94). This paper takes such an approach. It looks at water security from
four angles, namely legal (land revenue
settlements), sustainability (Irrigation
Department projects), human needs
(food security), and governance (party
politics at the grassroots)
Figure 1: Page one of Karchay Khar’s Riwaj-i-Abpashi
LEGAL ANGLE: LAND REVENUE
SETTLEMENTS
After a gap of 100 years, a land revenue
settlement is underway in Kargil district. By 2013, settlement operations
for ive of the smallest of Sankoo Tehsil’s 36 villages were completed. The
Tehsildar estimated that 31 years will
be needed to complete the settlement
for Sankoo’s remaining villages. The
settlement process and its documentation of irrigation rights and customs affect FMIS in several ways. Baker (2003)
shows how the colonial codiication
of social customs, practices, and law
during the land settlement was fraught
with challenges and contradictions. For
example, the extraction and classiication of local irrigation knowledge and
rights shifted power relations among
local groups, undermined the basis of
authority of ‘water-masters’ (‘Hrkongpa’ and ‘Helbie’ in Kargil), shifted the
terms and contexts of water disputes
from local, oral and civil to general,
written and state-centred, and expand40
Figure 2: Karchay Khar village and its irrigation systems in 2014
ed the presence and inluence of the
state at the local level (ibid.). Coward
(1990) suggests that the irrigation
rights documented during the land
revenue settlements of the 19th and
early 20th centuries continued to provide much of the social glue required
by water users to operate and sustain
their irrigation systems. Both Baker
(2003) and Coward (1990) show how
irrigators used the record of irrigation
customs to successfully defend their
water rights’ claims against competing
interests (e.g. creation of new channels
or infringement of water entitlements
Sustainable
WATER
SECURITY
Mountain Development Summit V
by state or other groups).
In recognition of the importance of the
recording of irrigation rights and customs in the current settlement, ield
research in 2013 and 2014 sought to
ind out if the land revenue settlement
and re-assessments of the early 20th
century, which recorded each village’s
irrigation rights and customs in the Riwaj-i-Abpashi are still relevant today,
and if irrigation rights and customs
are being recorded in the new settlement. To answer these questions, the
irrigation systems of two revenue vil-
lages, Karchay Khar and Gyaling, were
investigated. Gyaling was taken as a
case study to examine how water rights
and customs are being recorded in the
new land revenue settlement, because
its survey has been completed. Besides
talking with farmers, interviews were
conducted with government oficials
such as the Tehsildar and Patwaris at
Sankoo Tehsil and the Archives Oficer
at Kargil’s Muhaiz Khana (Record’s
Room).
Comparison of Karchay Khar’s 1910
Riwaj-i-Abpashi (Figure 1) and contemporary irrigation practices reveal that
the same rules are followed with minor adjustments to account for demographic changes and land sales (Hill,
2014). Several major FMIS have been
constructed since Indian independence, namely Dambisthang yurba (in
1950-60) and Bro Lungma yurba (yurba is the local word for an irrigation
channel) in the1980s, the rights and
customs of which have hitherto not
been recorded by the government (Figure 2). The villagers themselves have
sophisticated institutions to manage
these channels and to resolve any disputes that arise (inter- and intra-community). For example, Dambisthang
yurba has a system of water rights
based on the original 36 right-holders
(one being the village mosque, another
being a household that gifted its land
for the construction of the channel).
Its 12-day system of turns dedicates
four days and nights of water to three
groups of 12 households respectively.
The channel also has a dedicated “Helbie” and an annually selected “Hrkongpa”, both of whom are remunerated for
their services.
Gyaling’s 1910 Riwaj-i-Abpashi mentions only three irrigation channels,
however 20 years ago a fourth channel,
Shagaran Kuhl, was built to supply water to the land of 33 households. Shagaran Kuhl has not been recorded in the
current settlement, and moreover, the
details from the Riwaj-i-Abpashi section of the 1910 settlement are not
transcribed into the new settlement,
WATER SECURITY
which does not have a Riwaj-i-Abpashi
section. Gyaling’s Nambardar and other villagers told us that the new settlement was completed in 2006 over a
two month period. During the process
nobody asked for details about their irrigation systems, and so these were not
recorded. Sankoo’s new Naib Tehsildar, Mohd Abass, said that under the
new settlement, if there’s no new irrigation system in a village, then there’s
no need to record water rights. He was
of the view that for the villages where
the settlement has been completed,
there has been no need to record any
water rights. Yet this research showed
otherwise—that in Gyaling such rights
had not been recorded (Hill, 2015).
SUSTAINABILITY OF IRRIGATION
DEPARTMENT PROJECTS
Only in recent decades have outside
agencies, such as government and
NGOs contributed to the maintenance
and sometimes construction of village
infrastructure, including FMIS. Yet,
there are few if any studies that critically examine how such interventions
interact with communities of water users and their management of irrigation
channels. The need for external agencies to intervene in FMIS in Asia’s high
mountain valleys arose due to changes partly external to the region, e.g.
geo-political and economic developments, and partly internal, e.g. changing livelihood options and aspirations.
Combined with its engineering roots,
contemporary irrigation policy is largely guided by an instrumental rationality, resulting in the promotion of standardised solutions that are assumed
to have general applicability, hence
transferability (Boelens, 1998; Vincent,
1995: 124). However, the normative
and organisational arrangements that
sustain FMIS relect the underlying
property grid formed during initial construction, because the rights and obligations developed during construction
are reproduced through the use, maintenance and repair of irrigation systems
(Coward 1986). Thus, standardised
approaches that fail to honour existing
water rights and build upon existing social arrangements are unlikely to yield
positive results (Coward, 1990).
Karchay Khar’s oldest FMIS serve the village’s most productive land while other smaller channels were developed to
serve areas of land on which grass and
alfalfa are grown. The village’s two longest irrigation channels were constructed after Indian independence without
government support. The seven-km
long Dambisthang yurba sources its water from Bro Lungma and Barsoo River.
Starting in 1951, its construction took
18 years to complete. Local government
provided only a little dynamite to help
villagers. Developed by 34 households,
who were each allotted land at Dambisthang, its water is distributed according to the contribution of labour made
during construction. Village elders (especially Sheikhs and Akhoons4) make
and enforce certain rules pertaining to
such FMIS (see Hill 2014: 17). The ivekm long Bro Lungma yurba serves a
large area of land where 55 households
grow alfalfa, much of it for sale to Indian
Army and the government’s Sheep Husbandry Department. This 30-years-old
irrigation channel sources its water from
snowmelt at its headwork located at an
altitude of 3,800m above msl. Each year
at least three working days are spent
repairing Dandikhor yurba, while up
to two weeks of repair work is required
for Dambisthang yurba. For this reason,
villagers seek support from government
agencies to concretise sections of the
channel that are deemed weak.
Irrigation development projects are
largely executed by the Public Works
Department (PWD) in Ladakh. In 2011,
₹2 crores, to be spent over a period of
10 years, were earmarked by the Ladakh
4
Akhuns are clergy who have not travelled
abroad for their studies.
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
41
Ladakh 2016
In July 2015, unusually heavy rainfall
caused rivers across Kargil to swell,
washing away the head works of irrigation channels across the district. In each
of the three villages visited in 2015—
Gyaling, Stakbourik, and Karchay
Khar—irrigation channels’ head works
were destroyed by the torrential lows.
Dambisthang yurba’s concretised headwork, completed in the irst year of
the above-mentioned PWD project,
was ruined. Later that year, however,
as revealed during a visit in September
2016, the section was rebuilt at a cost
of ₹1.5 lakhs. In this regard, the villagers of Karchay Khar were lucky because
many of Kargil’s villages are yet to receive support to repair and strengthen
the head works of their FMIS (Dolkar,
2016).
Photo 1: Villagers repair collapsed section of a FMIS in 2013
Photo 2: Concretised section of FMIS in 2016 (same section shown in Photo 1)
Autonomous Hill Development Council, Kargil (LAHDC, K), for the improvement of Dambisthang yurba. According
to the PWD’s Junior Engineer, in charge
of this project, in the irst year ₹25 lakhs
was spent on concrete lining and support treatment at the headwork, and in
2012, ₹5.5 lakhs was spent on support
work in three places between the headwork and village. The Junior Engineer
explained that if set correctly, concrete
lining can have a lifespan of 50 to 75
years. The Junior Engineer prepares a
tender for whichever sub-project is to
be implemented each year, and several contractors apply, having to front
‘insurance’ money as they do so. The
selected contractor will complete the
job, striking a balance between quality
and cost, for what remains of the project funds is his payment. Some villagers
42
stated their unease with this non-transparent process because it encourages
corruption. Yet, this way of working in
engineering projects, the norm across
India, has been introduced to Ladakh.
In 2013 and 2014, the villagers were
happy with the project. They mentioned that due to the 2011 work on
Dambisthang yurba’s headwork, they
now only spend 3 to 5 days at the start
of the year repairing the channel as
compared to 15 to 20 days in the past.
The villagers have retained their ability
to repair irrigation channels themselves
using local materials. In June 2013,
a section of Dambisthang yurba collapsed. Within a couple of days the villagers had repaired the collapsed channel section with remarkable skill and
cooperation (Photo 1). This section was
still functional two years later, in 2015.
Sustainable
WATER
SECURITY
Mountain Development Summit V
Also in 2015, the Irrigation Department’s Junior Engineer had awarded a
tender for the renovation of a section
of Dambisthang yurba close to its head
work, to a contractor living in another
of Barsoo valley’s villages, who in turn
had hired a gang of Nepalese labourers
to undertake the work. Karchay Khar’s
Sarpanch explained that his villagers
had insuficient money to bid for the
contract, and that this sub-project’s
contractor is allowed to hire whoever
he pleases to undertake the work. Besides alleged sub-standard work and
corruption, the ten-year long Irrigation
Department project to renovate Dambisthang yurba may negatively affect
the management of the FMIS, because
water users are themselves not undertaking all the renovation works. One
farmer even said that the work was too
tough for him and his villagers.
In the autumn of 2015 and spring
and summer of 2016, ₹45 lakhs were
spent concretising over 200m of Dambisthang yurba (Photo 2). Positively, users of the FMIS were involved: the work
was undertaken by 12 Nepalese and ive
local men from Karchay Khar, and was
overseen by Abdullah, who is the longterm and hard-working “Helbie” for this
FMIS.
HUMAN NEEDS ANGLE:
FOOD SECURITY
The Nambardar of Karchay Khar revenue village recalled how in his father’s
time, villagers sold their wheat and
barley to purchase whatever outside
goods they needed, such as clothes
and other food items. In 2014, the
(now late) Haji Hassan, recalled how
they used to exchange their barley for
kerosene and oil in Kargil town. His father used to go to Skardu, Srinagar, Leh
and Changthang to trade sheep’s wool,
salt, apricot, rice, dal (pulses) and tea.
The Nambardar, Mohd Issa, said that
his village used to supply about 20-40
quintal of wheat to Kargil each year,
yet nowadays about 120-180 quintal
of rice and wheat lour are supplied
to the village each year through the
Public Distribution System (PDS). The
Nambardar thinks that the Agricultural
Department should work with village
elders to teach the younger generation
how to farm properly. He and other
village elders’ believe that the younger
generation have lost interest and never
learnt skills required for farming.
Today’s youngsters give too
much water on the irst irrigation, whereas actually only a
little is needed. The same with
fertiliser; too much of which
spoils the land. Youngsters
don’t know about seed, farming, fertiliser...In the old days,
if we sowed wheat for two
years, on the third year we’d
grow peas, but nowadays not
so many people understand
this (Mohd Issa, April 2014).
Based on his work in the Zangskar region of Kargil district, Osmaston (1994,
as cited in Mankelow, 1999) suggests
that traditional Ladakhi farming practices can produce yields comparable
to those of Europe’s intensive farming
systems. Mankelow (1999) shows that
growing taller crops using chemical
fertilisers helps to offset fodder shortages, yet questions the role agricultural
inputs play in exacerbating divisions
WATER SECURITY
within communities along wealth and
status lines. At the Agricultural Department’s ofice in Baroo (Kargil town),
a document titled ‘Annual working/
action plan for 2013-14’ provides data
showing that though 46.8% of the
net sown area is under barley/grim,
no modern varieties have been introduced5. Two high yielding varieties
(HY Vs) of wheat, ‘HD 1553’ and ‘Sonalika’ have been introduced, and there is
a fodder development programme and
a pulses programme too. In Karchay
Khar, I conducted a PRA exercise with
farmers to understand the pros and
cons of different wheat varieties. The
farmers listed six varieties, of which
one was an introduced HY V called
‘Mexican’. Though Mexican gives a
yield higher than that of local varieties
(ranging from 14% to 320% higher), it
needs chemical fertilisers which harden the land, is dificult to harvest, and
does not satisfy hunger and nutrient
requirements. In 2016, the Nambardar
of Karchay Khar said that his villagers
only sow traditional varieties of barley,
and that Sonalika and Mexican varieties of wheat had been introduced and
are grown only on certain ields. Food
security and human needs ought to
be properly conceptualised to ensure
farming systems and irrigation systems
continue to function.
Elders are worried that the schooling
system discourages youngsters from
engaging in farming and other traditional livelihoods. In 2016, I visited a
middle school in Kargil district to see
what information was being provided
to children through their school textbooks. The teachers complained that
the textbooks, prepared by the Jammu
and Kashmir State Board of School
Education, are in part inappropriate
for Ladakhi children, and also contain
some factual mistakes. In the class VIII
Geography textbook, Chapter 4 is titled “Agriculture”. On its irst page the
students are informed that chemicals
are an input to agriculture and that
subsistence farming has a low output.
Are such statements factually correct?
Can agriculture, livestock management
and so on be given more attention in
the curriculum? Another way that traditional farming systems are being undermined is through the PDS, which
provides rice and wheat to households.
As suggested by Rigzin (2016), barley
and wheat should be procured locally
and supplied to households through
the PDS system.
GOVERNANCE ANGLE: PARTY
POLITICS AT THE GRASSROOTS
Governance matters to water security,
because good governance is an imperative for the successful management
of multiple stressors on the water environment (Cook & Bakker, 2012). In
Ladakh, two democratic systems of
governance overlap with one another: Panchayati Raj and LAHDC, Kargil.
Indeed, LAHDC, Kargil overrides the
third tier of Panchayati Raj, namely the
Zilla Parishad. These two systems are
also out of sync with one another. In
the Barsoo valley, which branches off
the Suru valley at Sankoo, the two political parties, the National Congress
(NC) and the Indian National Congress (INC), are allied with the Islamia
School, Kargil (ISK) and Imam Khomeini Memorial Trust (IKMT) respectively6. Two of the 26 elected Councillors
to the LAHDC, Kargil are elected from
the Barsoo valley. In 2003, the Councillor elected by the Thasgam-Thuina
constituency stood with the NC, independent of ISK and IKMT. Later in
2008, he stood again with the support
of the ISK, and won with a large margin. In the third election to form LAHDC, Kargil in 2013, he lost to his rival
5
Though according to GoJK (2011: 28) ‘improved
seed’ of grim was distributed from 1996 to 2000,
and 2006 to 2010, along with seed of wheat and
vegetables.
6
Even Sheikhs and Akhuns of the same household can be divided in their loyalties to either ISK
or IKMT.
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
43
Ladakh 2016
(an INC candidate), despite having the
backing of ISK.
CONCLUSION AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
In the 2011 Gram Panchayat election,
at a time when the Councillor was
from NC, an NC candidate won the
post of Sarpanch in Karchay Khar. Yet
in 2013, two years into the Sarpanch’s
ive year stint, an INC candidate was
elected Councillor to Thasgam-Thuina
constituency. This means that the Sarpanch and his Gram Panchayat might
be side-lined by the Councillor for the
three years that remained of their term.
The Sarpanch was of the view that party politics does not affect intra-community relationships, “Hum miljulke
baithe hain” ( We have lived together). However another villager pointed
out that not all the supporters of the
respective political parties and Islamic
schools talk to one another, and attend
one another’s functions, ceremonies
and rituals. These political divisions
have implications on the unity of communities and the allocation of development resources to and within LAHDC,
Kargil’s constituencies and Gram Panchayats. For example, it’s probably not
a coincidence that Karchay Khar was
awarded ₹10 crores for Dambisthang
yurba’s renovation when its Councillor and Sarpanch were from the same
party, which also controlled LAHDC,
Kargil at that time. Roughly ₹76 lakh of
the ₹2 crores allocated to Dambisthang
yurba has been spent, but it’s not clear
if the remainder will be made available
now that the opposition party controls
LAHDC, Kargil.
Water security, which has different
meanings to different stakeholders,
allows us to see the value of irrigation
water not only as an input to agriculture but also as contributing to food
security and human well-being. This
paper focused on FMIS, which provide
water to the majority of Ladakh’s villages, making them inhabitable. These
irrigation systems are intertwined with
other traditional livelihood systems,
like those of agriculture, livestock
rearing and silvi-culture, meaning that
changes to one will affect the others.
Developed over centuries, FMIS function by a complex system of traditional practices that are now under
threat, ironically by some of the very
structures and programmes that are
designed to support villagers. All government structures and programmes
have two sides, a positive one, which
makes life easier in the short-term, and
a negative one, which erodes traditional knowledge and customs.
Katpa (2016) recommends the streamlining of convergences between the
Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act
and the LAHDC Act, to avoid ambiguity and conlict of interest. Hardassi
(2016), commenting on the political
crisis facing LAHDC, Kargil in 2016,
opines that the stalemate will have a
negative impact on governance and development planning in the district.
44
• This paper’s irst recommendation
relates to one “legal” dimension of
water security, the ongoing land revenue settlement in Kargil district. The
rights and responsibilities attached
to irrigation systems, especially those
constructed in the past century, i.e.
since the last settlement, ought to be
documented in the new government
records. This is necessary so that communities can maintain ownership and
control over their productive resources. This study shows that in Gyaling
village, a recently constructed irrigation system’s details were not recorded in the new settlement. Also, it was
found that the previous settlement’s
Riwaj-i-Abpashi had not been transcribed into the new settlement. The
old Riwaj-i-Abpashi, it can be noted,
is in such a poor condition that it cannot be read by the current Patwari. An
awareness campaign is needed to ensure that communities understand and
make efforts to record the details of
the rights and customs associated with
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
each of their FMIS during the ongoing
settlement. Though it will be fraught
with challenges (Baker, 2003) such an
exercise will be worthwhile.
• The second recommendation relates
to the ‘sustainability’ angle of water security. Can the Irrigation Department
develop a system that will allow FMIS
renovation projects to be given to the
users of that particular FMIS? Currently
tenders are given, allowing powerful
contractors to monopolise the work.
Maybe this is necessary. Regardless,
it is important that arrangements are
made so that locals themselves undertake and complete these works, with
the support of engineers and the use
of non-local skilled labourers as necessary. There is a danger that channels will be over-concretised, which
will lead to dependence of villagers
on outside funds and materials for the
maintenance of their FMIS. In the medium to long term, experience shows,
many FMIS may fall into disrepair and
become defunct, in part due to the
loss of traditional knowledge, and in
part due to changes in community and
societal relationships. Nevertheless,
locals are appreciative of support from
government departments. To develop a
system appropriate for the mountains,
sensitisation of relevant government
oficials may be required.
• As farming practices are intrinsically
connected to the water of FMIS, this
paper’s third recommendation relates
to the “human needs” dimension of
water security. Traditional seed varieties and farming skills and practices
need to be preserved, which requires
a multi-pronged strategy. A debate is
needed regarding the promotion of
“modern” farming practices (HY Vs,
chemical inputs) by the Agricultural
Department—is this the right approach
for farming in high mountain valleys?
Agriculture, livestock management and
other traditional livelihood practices
need to included in the school curriculum, which will help the younger
generation to not only maintain their
interest in agriculture but also to take
pride in their culture and way of life.
Local grain types (e.g. barley and
wheat) rather than imported rice and
wheat should be provided through the
PDS. Elders’ farming knowledge needs
to be preserved and utilised, which can
be achieved if relevant government line
departments respect and strengthen
traditional farming. Only if traditional
agriculture and a holistic food security
are respected can FMIS maintain their
relevance and survive in the coming
decades.
• The fourth recommendation relates
to the ‘governance’ dimension of water security, by raising concern about
the divisiveness of party politics and
of other political institutions. While
democracy is a good thing, division of
communities along party politics and
other lines is damaging to village-level institutions and can undermine the
success of village-level development
schemes. The government should take
steps to reduce factionalism, to minimise the siphoning of funds, and to
bring together all the stakeholders, because ‘an integrative approach to water
security brings issues of governance to
the fore, and thus holds promise as a
new approach to water management’
(Cook & Bakker, 2012: 94).
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society. Unpublished BSc Dissertation, Oxford Brookes University.
Rigzin, T. 2016. Understanding the
NFSA controversy. Stawa, 3(6),
10-11.
Vincent, L. 1995. Hill irrigation. Water
and development in mountain
agriculture. London: Intermediate
Technology Publications.
Wacker, C. 2007. Can irrigation systems disclose the history of the
villages in Ladakh? The example of
Tagmachig. In Recent Research on
Ladakh 2007, edited by J. Bray and
N. Tsering Shakspo. Leh: J&K Academy of Art, Culture & Language.
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
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Ladakh 2016
Water Security in the Darjeeling Hills, unravelling seen and unseen forces
ROSHAN P. RAI, Darjeeling Himalayan Initiative, DLR Prerna. DEEPENDRA SUNAR, WWF-India. PRAFUL RAO, Save the Hills. LAKPA TAMANG, University of Kolkata.
ABSTRACT
Water crises are spreading across South
Asia at an alarming rate, and the water
stressed areas include unexpected locations such as Darjeeling, West Bengal, India, where rainfall is plentiful.
Darjeeling Himalaya receives a high
amount of rainfall, primarily during
the monsoon months and range from
an annual average of 4,000mm to
5,000 mm in the southern slopes to
2,000mm to 2,500mm on the leeward
side. This rainfall pattern and the high
forest that covers 38.23% of the district
area (State of Forest report 2010-11)
makes water stress in this landscape an
ironical phenomenon. The daily water
deicit in urban areas is 1,332,500 gallons in Darjeeling, 502,750 gallons in
Kurseong and 300,000 gallons in Kalimpong (Municipality Reports).
This paper attempts to unravel the
complexity of the issue to understand
the cause of water stress. Upper Lanku
in rural Darjeeling depends on three
main springs for water. According to
anecdotal reports, all three springs
have shown a decline in discharge over
the past 10 to 15 years. WWF-India conducted a study in 2013-14 and found
that the major recharge zone lies under
the jurisdiction of the Forest Department, which is yet to grant permission
for recharge interventions.
In 1850, Darjeeling Municipality developed a centralised water management
infrastructure between1910 and1930.
The system originates in Senchel Wildlife Sanctuary, with two lakes located
15kms upstream from Darjeeling and
a storage capacity of 33m gallons of
water that is recharged by 26 springs.
This centralised system does not acknowledge the 90 odd natural springs
in the town that are also used by people. These urban springs have diverse
46
community-based management systems that have evolved over time and
are now facing challenges due to rapid
urbanisation, market forces, upstream
concretisation and contamination and
reducing discharge.
Kalimpong Municipality in 2016 woke
up to drilling of groundwater, which divided the town sharply between groups
that supported and opposed the work.
The drilling brought to the surface a
host of issues related to policy gaps,
downstream and inter-generational inequity, ownership and access as well as
questions about sustainable water management in an urban mountain-scape.
This case study will help identify gaps
in National Water Policy 2012, Wetland
Conservation Rules 2010, Groundwater extraction rules in the context of a
mountain region and propose relevant
recommendations.
Key Words: water crisis, Darjeeling Himalaya, springs, aquifers, recharge, water security, governance, equity
DARJEELING AND ITS ‘WATER CRISIS’
The National Water Policy 2012 points
to “Large parts of India have already become water stressed where issues related to water governance have not been
addressed adequately. There is wide
temporal and spatial variation in availability of water’. Darjeeling Himalaya
illustrates this scenario of water stress
and availability with all its complexity.
Darjeeling Himalaya, West Bengal, India receives plenty of water through
rains in the monsoon and snow-fed rivers. Despite being a water-rich region,
Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong
are experiencing water crises. This situation extends to large sections of rural communities in the region too, but
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
goes under-reported. In the context of
growing water insecurity in South Asia,
it is critical explore the irony of this water crisis in the water-rich region of the
Darjeeling Himalaya.
The irst issue to explore in this regard
is whether the water crisis is a natural
or a human-induced phenomenon.
The lows of water are complex and in
many instances, issues of water security are a result of power relationships
and location in the landscape. It is also
a relection of management visions and
ideologies that bring about key questions of equity, access and inclusion.
In a rapidly urbanising region such as
Darjeeling Himalaya, the rural-urban
divide with regard to water and the
issue of marketisation are key debates
with regard to inter- and intra-generation water equity and water as a right.
Increasingly, water discourse is not
just about water that can be seen above
ground, but also about the ‘unseen’
water in the aquifers below the ground.
The luidity of water, especially below
the ground, shifts ideas of ownership,
governance and management beyond
traditional departmental silos. In the
Indian context, the Himalayas are constantly portrayed as water towers. Yet,
water policies are rarely contextualised
or adapted for the needs of the communities that live in these mountains.
The paper explores three narratives
documented through the involvement
of members of the Darjeeling Himalayan Initiative, namely DLR Prerna,
WWF-India and Save the Hills to highlight the seen and unseen forces of
water within two urban and one rural
context. This will help put a human face
to complex water lows, analyse the
‘crisis’ locally and ask critical questions
with regard to policies and practices for
sustainable water use in the Himalayas.
LOCATING DARJEELING
Darjeeling District is spread over an
area of 3,263 sq km, between an elevation of 92 m to 3,539m above msl and
accounts for 3.68 % of the total area of
West Bengal (Pradhan and Bhujel 2000).
It is the only hill district in the state
with three sub-divisions; Darjeeling,
Kurseong and Kalimpong, with Siliguri
in the foothills and plains. Darjeeling is
part of a trans-boundary landscape with
Nepal in the west, Bhutan in the east
and Sikkim in the north. Darjeeling’s
topography includes the terai, lowland
foothills, and mountains. Darjeeling
belongs to the lower or outer Himalayas with long ranges generally running
north to south and consists of a mass of
mountainous spurs and ridges.
TRANS-BOUNDARY BIODIVERSITY
LANDSCAPE
Darjeeling is part of the Eastern Himalayas, which has been recognised
as one of the world’s biodiversity
hotspots (Myers et al. 2000). It is also
of geo-political importance due to its
proximity to Nepal and Bhutan. The
Himalayas are geologically young (Xu
1993) and is rich in biodiversity due
to its location at the juncture of two
continental plates and has representative species from both ecological biozones. There is considerable climatic
variability along the topography of
these mountains. The moisture-laden
monsoon winds bring a deluge of rains
along the eastern end of these ranges,
which has a richer biodiversity ( WWF
and ICIMOD 2001). The southern
slopes of these ranges get much higher
precipitation (4,000 to 5,000 mm) than
the leeward sides (2,000 to 2,500 mm).
GORKHALAND AND THE DEMAND
FOR STATEHOOD
It is important to highlight the
long-standing demand for Gorkhaland,
as a separate state from West Bengal, by
the people of Darjeeling. The demand
comes from a regionally marginalised
mountain community that is socially and ecologically different from the
rest of the state and whose identity
is not acknowledged at the national
level. In 1988, the region was given
a degree of autonomy in governance
in the form of Darjeeling Gorkha Hill
Council (DGHC) and Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) in 2011.
This political and historical narrative is
important as various elements of the
Integrated Mountain Initiative’s vision
is playing out in the microcosm of the
Darjeeling Himalayas. There are issues
of regional marginalisation, politics of
identity, exclusion and implementation gaps, low of goods and services
downhill without re-investment lowing uphill and a lack of understanding
or an attempt to understand the socio-ecology of Darjeeling. This scenario is played out in the case of water,
which has several different roles: basis
of life, element of power relationships,
ownership, equity, conlicts, disasters,
religious beliefs and policy gaps.
WATER IN THE DARJEELING
HIMALAYAS
The most visible water systems in the
Darjeeling Himalayas are the innumerable streams and rivers that low
through the landscape, most of which
are perennial and originate in glaciers,
snowmelt and groundwater recharged
by rainfall. Of them Teesta river is the
largest; originating in the Teesta Khangshe glacier in north Sikkim, and joined
by numerous tributaries streams that
drain Sikkim and the Darjeeling Himalayas. Rangit river, which originates in
west Sikkim from the Rathong glacier
and is fed by smaller rivers such as
Rammam and Little Rangit, originating
from the Singhalila range in Darjeeling
hills, is one of the larger tributaries of
Teesta. In the sub Himalayan regions
of Darjeeling, the Teesta is joined by
tributaries such as Leesh, Geesh, Chel,
Neora and several others that add to
its volume. The river inally empties in
the Brahmaputra in Bangladesh after
travelling 315 kms from its source. The
trans-boundary basin of the Teesta river
encompasses 12,159 sq kms, of which
10,155 sq km are in India and 2,004 sq
km are in Bangladesh.
Innumerable smaller rivulets and
streams, locally known as kholas shape
the waterscape of Darjeeling. These
kholas are celebrated in religious beliefs, folk tales and ind place in songs
of all communities that reside in this
area. They are one of the main sources
of water for drinking and agriculture.
At the micro-level, people have strong
connections with water on a daily basis
through the many springs that drain
the mountain landscape. Springs or
dhara(s) are the points where groundwater comes to the surface. Springs are
discharge points of groundwater and a
crucial water resource, supplying the
immediate need of drinking water in
mountains and a key element of human
life and well-being. Groundwater in the
form of mountain springs provides water security to a signiicant proportion
of Darjeeling’s rural and urban population. Various geo-hydrological factors
determine if a spring is perennial or
seasonal. ‘Irrigation practices in the
higher altitude are also mostly banking
on springs or initial order streams, fed
by the springs’ (Central Ground Water
Board report, 2014). These springs are
fed by groundwater and are largely recharged by rainwater iniltration. The
Himalayan region is blessed with adequate rainfall, but an overwhelmingly
high proportion of this precipitation
is restricted to the monsoon season
and adequate groundwater recharge
is hampered by high levels of surface
runoff (Tambe et al, 2013). The springs
also have a strong cultural connection
in the form of choko pani: sacred,
clean and pure water, which includes
traditional conservation practices
(Lama and Rai forthcoming)
Much of the debate and discussion
about water in this mountain region
has primarily revolved around what
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Ladakh 2016
is seen above the surface, with little
attempt to understand what lies beneath. IN addition to surface water,
there are groundwater aquifers that
are underground and mostly ignored.
The groundwater situation has not
been studied in-depth, and in the context of Darjeeling, yet to be brought
into the foreground of water-related
discussions. It is critical that these
unseen aquifers are brought into discourses about water for multiple reasons, including sustainable use and
climate-prooing. ‘In the present situation of growing population and also
due to climatic aberration, availability
of groundwater in springs and streams
in mountainous terrains is becoming
scarce day by day. This has warranted
the necessity of deciphering groundwater from further deeper sources as also
to make the spring and lower order
stream sources adequate and perennial
by adopting various scientiic measures
so that sustainable water supply may
be continued’ (Central Ground Water
Board 2014).
The Darjeeling Himalayas are deined
by the monsoons and is water-rich. The
water crisis needs to be deconstructed
at various levels to get a better understanding of the current situation. This
deconstruction is attempted through
three case studies that will provide insights to the complexity of the issue to
delineate possible solutions.
DARJEELING MUNICIPALITY:
CENTRALISED AND DECENTRALISED
Darjeeling Municipality was established
in 1850 and is regarded as one of the
oldest municipalities in India. In 2011,
the municipality had a population of
120,000 and covered 13.81 sq km. Darjeeling is located at an average elevation of 6,982 ft (2,128 m) above msl.
The annual total rainfall in Darjeeling
town luctuates between 1,870mm and
3,690 mm.
The water supply system of Darjeeling
town consists of 26 springs from Sen-
48
chal Wildlife Sanctuary located about
15 km away from the main town. The
water from the springs are collected
and fed to the two Senchal lakes, inaugurated by the Hon’ble Lady Jackson
in 28 February 1932. The combined
capacity of the two lakes is 33 million
gallons (north: 20 million gallons,
south: 13 million gallons). This water
is distributed through a combination of
pipes and tanks across the town. The
existing water supply installations were
meant for a population of about 15,000
in 1910-1915. A number of water supply installations, like Khangkhola Station, Rambi water line, Sindhap lake
(capacity 15 million gallons), Bokshi
Jhora and Bangla Khola were added to
augment the water supply. However,
this could not cope with the rapid rise
in population of the town and a ‘water
crisis’ in the dry period (December to
May) has become a constant feature
over the last two decades or so. The
crisis during the last few years or so
has worsened due to the drastic reduction in the volume of water discharged
in natural springs. The water deicit in
Darjeeling can be as high as 1,332,500
gallons per day. This crisis is further
compounded by the massive inlux of
tourists, students and migrant workers
to the town. Part of the reason for the
‘water crisis’ is that almost 95% of the
system of about 35 km of transmission
main and 83 km of distribution main
(excluding service lines and public
hydrants) pipelines and valves were
laid when the water supply system was
established in Darjeeling town with
patchwork repairs (Darjeeling Water
Works Department report 2012).
‘According to a water engineer at the
Waterworks Department interviewed
in early 2014, the loss of water in
transmission from Senchel lakes to the
township is around 30–35% of the water supplied. The employee commented that about as much again could be
lost within the distribution main. This
means that another 30–35 per cent of
the water supply could be lost after
a mere 65–70 per cent of the town’s
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
water capacity reaches the distribution
centre’(Drew and Rai 2016). The crisis
has led to the development of a lucrative private water trade with over 120
tankers, hand-pushed carts, water carriers and private pipe lines from different water sources.
The water crisis has become synonymous with Darjeeling town and the dysfunctional Senchel system dominates
conversations around water in Darjeeling. Suggested interventions revolve
around augmenting, repairing, adding
a new lake or augmentation through
the Balason River Project. When examined closely, the debate over Senchel
is usually from the perspective of water-haves and the water-privileged.
The stories of a large segment of the
community, who depend on myriad
springs around the town, are never
discussed or entertained. Access to
municipal water as a right is never discussed, as many of these communities
are totally dependent on springs for
water and have no municipal lines.
Thirty two such springs have been
identiied (Boer 2011), which are accessed and managed by communities.
A more in depth study of the springs
of Darjeeling Town has expanded this
number to over 90 springs (personal
communications Lakpa Tamang, 2016).
The access and management systems of
these springs are diverse, ranging from
oral, well documented, restricted to
members, open access and individually-managed. These springs can be seen
in the heart of Darjeeling Town, such
as Lal Dhiki and Giri Dhara, and also
on the outskirts, such as Bhotay Dhara
and Mull Dara Dhara. They are mostly managed by Gaon Samaj or village
community-based organisations. These
Gaon Samaj are based on geographical
membership and provide welfare services during births, deaths and marriages and help resolve conlicts onvolving
its members. Within the geographies of
the Gaon Samaj that have springs, they
have included its management within
its ambit. These Gaon Samaj provide
critical services to the community and
in many cases manage and distribute
water in areas not supplied by municipal water. This is an everyday example
of decentralised and eficient management systems. However, their impact is
limited as their interventions are limited to their Gaon Samaj boundaries.
In the Darjeeling Municipality context,
it is evident that large sections of the
population are not connected to the
municipality water grid and depend on
local springs, partially or completely
for water. It is interesting that an old localised self-governance institution such
as Darjeeling Municipality does not include these urban springs in its water
discourse and policy. Responses to the
water ‘crisis’ is always a centralised
extractive solution of bringing water
from outside the town limits to augment its network of tanks and pipes.
This seems to be a colonial hangover of
a centralised management outlook of
accessing water from outside the urban
built environment, failing to acknowledge the pool of water below the town
that emerges through these myriad
springs and provide water to those excluded by the distribution system. This
centralised system of water extraction
also fails to acknowledge equity issues
of water as urban needs are prioritised
over rural communities. Thus, Darjeeling demands its rights over water from a
distance of 15 kms and terms the needs
of communities like Rungbool, located
directly below the Senchel lakes as ‘illegally tapping’. This scenario of urban
rights over water from a distant source
being prioritised over those of communities living next to the source is continuously played out by the municipalities in Darjeeling and numerous other
urban spaces in India. This centralised
system of water management from a
distant source does not acknowledge
decentralised sources like the 90-odd
springs of Darjeeling. Since it ignores
these springs it lacks the vision and understanding to conserve and recharge
them. In the context of Darjeeling
Municipality, there have been no hydrological studies of aquifers and their
recharge zones, which results in the
lack of plans for their management and
conservation.
Hydrological studies should be the
key for the development of the town.
In the absence of such a study, the development of the built environment
does not take into consideration the
impacts they have on spring discharge.
For instance, the process of concretisation has dramatically reduced recharge
resulting in decreased lows. According to anecdotal reports, around 20
back, a 20-litre vessel would ill in ive
minutes, which now takes 15 minutes
and is further compounded by the fact
that lines have grown longer around
springs (Drew and DLR Prerna community conversations 2016). The rapid and random construction has also
led to landslides and destruction of
springs, which makes life extremely dificult for communities that are entirely
dependent on springs for water. Thus,
a hydrological study would indicate
critical recharge zones where development is prohibited.
This is not just about developing a conservation plan but also a question of
converging a decentralised approach
with the existing system to help communities better manage the low of
their springs, whether it be better storage systems or reducing contamination
impacts. In Darjeeling, waterways are
also carriers of waste, and with increasing waste many of these springs are
critically threatened with contamination.
The combination of centralised and
decentralised management systems, a
convergence of colonial and traditional would be the way to move forward
towards water security in Darjeeling
Municipality. Recognition of the community-managed springs are critical
with growing crisis and marketisation
of water, which results in short-term
water extraction projects as witnessed
in Kalimpong.
DRILLING FOR SOLUTIONS IN
KALIMPONG
The article ‘Concerns spring from
borewells’ (The Telegraph, June 3,
2016) highlighted the delicate issue
of digging borewells in Kalimpong
for groundwater extraction. The irst
privately commissioned borewell extracted almost 6,000 litres of water
each day and seemed to be the ideal
solution for this water scarce town that
had been battling severe water crises
for decades. Ten more borewells were
proposed by the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration and supported by a
feasibility study conducted by a world
renowned hydro-geologist to address
the ‘water crisis’ of the town. This was
met with resistance by environmentalists who questioned the sustainability
and equity of such a venture and demanded a proper study to understand
the issue.
The District Administration swung into
action and the State Water Investigation Department (SWID) concluded
that the borewells were dug without
permission as mandated by the West
Bengal Groundwater Resources (Management, Control and Regulation) Act,
2005 further adding that for extraction
of water beyond 50 cubic meters, permission had to be sought from the State
Level Ground Water Resources Development Agency. SWID also highlighted lapses on its part and mentioned
that impacts of digging borewells ‘on
a young mountain like the Himalayas’
need to be considered. Following this,
the Kalimpong Municipality suspended
the drilling, until a scientiic study of
the area was conducted.
Kalimpong is an important town in the
Darjeeling Himalayas with a population
of 49,403 people (Census 2011) and
spread over 23 wards in 3.5 sq kms.
The town centre is located on a ridge
connecting two hills, Delo and Durpin
at an elevation of 1,247m and 1,704m.
The Teesta river lows in the valley below, separating Kalimpong from the
state of Sikkim. The town is a major
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
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Ladakh 2016
hub for agricultural in the sub-division,
which has served as a gateway to Tibet.
The town is different from Darjeeling
in that the town merges seamlessly
with agricultural communities.
A report by Kalimpong Sangrachan
Samity and Gorkha Dukha Niwarak
Samelan, 2012 states that water supply
system for Kalimpong was developed
under British rule. The inadequacy of
water supply necessitated the Neora
Khola Water Project. The report suggests that the water crisis is a management issue and not due to the lack of
water. ‘Kalimpong requires about 10
lakh gallons of water every day and half
of the need is met by the Neora Khola Scheme. About 7,500 households
receive water for about 30 minutes
every second or third day, depending
on the availability of water and the rest
depend on natural springs and streams
to meet their water needs.’(The Telegraph 29 September 2015). This situation means that the town has a water
deicit of 300,000 gallons per day.
In this context of a water deicit, boring
of wells becomes a tempting and immediate solution, especially when the
irst one at the top of the hill supplies
6,000 litres of water per day. Yet, one
cannot overlook other voices: ‘A proper survey needs to be conducted before
the mountains are drilled. The impact
of drilling the fragile mountains needs
to be studied, the type of aquifers beneath the surface needs to be understood, the quality of water needs to be
tested and the amount of water that
can be extracted needs to be carefully
analysed before such an adventure can
be allowed.’ challenged Wing Commander Praful Rao, Save the Hills and
vetted by Dr. R. K. Bhandari, renowned
expert on landslide and disasters. This
is a very polite response to the drilling
and requires one to read between the
lines. ‘Proper survey needs to be conducted’ questions the authenticity of
the feasibility report conducted by the
world renowned hydro-geologist. With
the lead taken by Save the Hills, the feasibility report was requested by a num50
ber of organisations including DLR
Prerna but the document has not been
made public. Requesting a study on the
impact of drilling and the aquifers beneath is a tall order, when the region is
data insuficient and the Groundwater
Scenario of Himalayan Region, 2014
says ‘Hydrogeological data has been
generated through short-term water
supply investigations carried out for
defence establishments, railways and
tea gardens in the Darjeeling district of
West Bengal’, which excludes most of
Darjeeling. The same report addes that
‘The yield of a few such springs ceased
while the groundwater was intercepted
by a bore well at Namchi area, South
Sikkim. To avoid such a situation, it
is essential that a thorough survey of
the geological structures and human
settlements down below along the dip
direction of fractures is undertaken before selecting sites for the boreholes.’
The Namchi statement is critical, considering the report appears to have
been written with a rationale of understanding the amount of groundwater
available for extraction. It does point
to the fact that downstream needs to
be considered and the downstream is
not limited to visible water but also to
invisible water in aquifers. Groundwater extraction could reduce water supply for others, including future generations.
In case of the Kalimpong borewells,
a feasibility study was conducted by a
hydro-geologist but this is not available
in the public domain despite repeated
requests by different organisations.
Decisions about a public good such
as water cannot be taken based on the
basis of a feasibility report that is not
transparent. The notions of inter and
intra-generational equity, geographical
placement equity and carrying capacity
have to be taken into account.
Water crisis is not just an urban phenomenon in Darjeeling and the complexity is being experienced increasingly in rural Darjeeling too. The next
case elaborates the issue of complexity.
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
REJUVENATION OF SPRINGS IN
UPPER LANKU: BEYOND THE
FEASIBILITY REPORT
Upper Lanku is located in the District
of Darjeeling under Gram Panchayat
Unit Sittong III of Kurseong Block.
The village is very close to NH31A and
above the Teesta river. Forests around
the village are under Kurseong Forest
Division and are contiguous with Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary. Siliguri is
the nearest town. Upper Lanku has a
population of around 450 people. Agriculture is the main source of livelihood
for most of the villages, with a small
population engaged as labourers and
in government service. The main crops
of the village are maize, millet, soya,
ginger and broom grass. The main cash
crops are Darjeeling Mandarin (Citrus
sp) and broomgrass (Thysanolaena
maxima). Darjeeling Mandarin production over the years has gone down
and anecdotal reports reveal that crops
have shifted to a higher elevation.
Agriculture, as in most hilly areas, is
mostly rain-fed, and largely dependent
on springs. Livestock is reared by all
households as an additional source of
income with an average of ive to six
livestock heads per household.
The community of Upper Lanku depends on three springs for water: Saroj
Dhara, Birsing and Gokul Dhara. They
are located on the same hill side, almost along a fracture in the hill-side.
Saroj Dhara is highest of the springs,
followed by Birsing Dhara at 743m
above msl and Gokul Dhara at 724m
above msl. Around 200 households
depend on these springs for drinking,
their livestock and irrigation. Community narratives talk about how the
discharge of three springs has been declining over the past 10 to 15 years due
to deforestation in the catchment areas
of the spring. All three springs show
greater decline in discharge during
the winter months from November to
March during which villagers face acute
water scarcity.
WWF-India worked with Lanku Valley
Biodiversity Conservation Committee
and proposed to increase the discharge
of two springs through groundwater
recharge by reducing surface runoff.
This will result in overall landscape
level improvement in water availability
in the springs and streams in the lean
season. The expertise was provided by
the trained resource persons from Rural Management and Development Department, Government of Sikkim. This
team is a key part of the spring-shed
programme successfully implemented
by the state of Sikkim under the Dhara
Vikas Programme. Within ive years, it
has shown encouraging results by increased discharge of most springs under its intervention. This programme
was mainly implemented in droughtprone areas of the state in south and
west Sikkim, and so far more than hundred springs has been brought under it
(www.sikkimsprings.org).
A detailed study was conducted with
communities to identify and document
springs and their sources using Global Positioning System (GPS). This data
was detailed with land tenure, spring
discharge, trends of lean period discharge over the last decade, and the
number of households dependent on
the spring. To understand the springs’
basic characteristics, the geology of the
area was studied and observed to identify its recharge area. The study found
that a large chunk of the recharge area
fell within the jurisdiction of the Forest
Department under the Kurseong Forest
Division. A feasibility report was prepared in 2013 and community capacity
enhancement programmes were undertaken as part of the plan, which included physical land use changes and vegetative options in the recharge zones. A
letter asking for a permission to work
in the forest department area was submitted to the Forest Department in
February 2015 along with the feasibility report. Personal meetings with the
department were also scheduled, but
permission has not been granted even
after the assurance that no permanent
structures will be built in the area.
The Upper Lanku narrative throws a
number of critical issues of governance
and convergence when it comes to
groundwater management in the Darjeeling Himalayas. Darjeeling has 1,204
sq kmd recorded forest land, which accounts for 38.23% of the total district
land area when the state average is
13.38% (State of Forest Report 2010 –
2011). It has four designated protected
areas: Senchel Wildlife Sanctuary, Singhalila National Park, Neora Valley National Park and the Mahananda Wildlife
Sanctuary. All of these are catchment
sources for important rivers, streams
and natural springs. Darjeeling town’s
centralised water system originates in
Senchel with large constructions, yet
in Upper Lanku recharge interventions
could not be taken forward. There is
a clear demarcation of mandates between various departments and in this
case, the forest department has not
been able to expand its mandate to include artiicial recharge, even when the
identiied recharge zone is outside protected areas and degraded. In today’s
understanding of ecosystem services,
there is a need to review mandates
of departments with land tenure to
include recharge interventions in the
Darjeeling Himalayas.
TOWARDS WATER SECURITY IN
THE DARJEELING HIMALAYAS AND
BEYOND
The three narratives clearly highlight the
importance of springs in the Darjeeling
Himalayas, an issue that inds resonance
in the Central Ground Water Board report, 2014 in the context of the entire
Himalayan region. The challenges and
issues of the three narratives may appear
different in terms of their management
regime; ownership of underground water to ownership of recharge zone. Yet,
the common thread of groundwater
aquifers binds them together.
The National Water Policy, 2012 progressively highlights, ‘environmental
needs of the Himalayan regions need
to be recognised and taken into consid-
eration while planning’. It also narrates
the ‘need to document groundwater,
strengthen institutional mechanism
for its management, climate change adaptation and the use of a holistic and
integrated approach’. Even though it
recognises that the policy is generic for
the entire country, it is predominantly
focussed on downstream river basins
and fails to include mountain-speciic
issues to the extent that is required.
While there are many references to aquifers and streams in the document, there
is no mention speciically of springs,
which the Darjeeling case study highlights as being of utmost importance.
This lack of speciicity means that all
the good indicative measures outlined
in the policy could well be interpreted
to exclude springs and the mountain
people who depend on them.
This lack of inclusion is also relected at
the local level within the water scenario
of Darjeeling and Kalimpong, where urban springs are ignored. These are still
perceived as rural water sources even
when a large section of the town’s population are dependent on them. In the
case of Darjeeling, the centralised water
system of the municipality directly collects water from springs and acknowledges it but fails to account for the 90odd urban springs in the town itself.
The water extraction and management
system seems to be affected by a tunnel-vision in the context of urban areas
in the mountains, with inherent challenges related to equity and resilience.
An integrated management system
drawing from centralised and decentralised approaches is critical for
water security in the mountains. The
Wetlands Conservation and Management Rules 2010 and the Conservation
of Wetlands in India: A Proile 2007
provide good arguments for inclusion
of urban springs in policies. The 2010
Rules mention conservation plans that
include built environment plans, while
the 2007 Proile provides detailed arguments for the need to conserve urban wetlands for water security. Thus
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
51
Ladakh 2016
acknowledging urban springs in the
lines of the 2010 Rules and 2007 Proile would enable the conservation of
urban springs and the delineation of
critical zones of recharge and inclusions of built environment rules. This
are important elements for urban water security as well as regional water
equity of the mountains. Furthermore,
there is clearly a need for further reinement of policies of individual water
extraction through deep boring within
the context of the mountain landscape.
The Lanku case highlights need for an
integrated approach within the seen
and unseen nature of water. Here is a
community committed to undertake
water conservation initiative supported by competent resources but are
stuck due to issues of land tenure and
limited departmental mandates. In the
context of reports of decreasing spring
discharge and the fact that in Darjeeling, most of the recharge zones are in
forest areas, the issue of land tenure is
crucial. The National Water Policy 2012
states, ‘There is a need to remove the
large disparity between stipulations for
water supply in urban areas and in rural
areas’, and if Darjeeling town can have
their centralised water from within
Senchel Wildlife Sanctuary, why should
there be restrictions for the village of
Lanku to recharge their dying spring?
This narrative also has relevance for a
situation where the recharge zone is located outside its jurisdiction, which is
the case for most springs. Even for Darjeeling town, many recharge zones are
also located in areas designated as cantonment, temple, Governor’s House
and the zoo; none of which have a water recharge or conservation mandate.
In the Darjeeling Himalayas, the need
for rejuvenation of springs for ensuring
water security as an effective climate
change adaptation measure is irrefutable. This cannot happen till departmental mandates are expanded to a
point of convergence to take on holistic and integrated roles. The luidity of
water, and the spaces it occupies above
and below ground, while also lowing
52
beyond borders need to be acknowledged with responsibility that relects
governance and management of water
beyond traditional departmental silos.
There is a deinitive need for a mountain-speciic water policy that includes
the diversity of springs on which communities depend. This policy needs
to actively imbibe equity and social
justice at all levels. There is a need
to acknowledge the existence of large
data gap on aquifers that support these
spring discharges with adequate measures to address it. In the context of
rapid urbanisation and climate change,
long term strategies for recharge and
rejuvenation of springs is critical for
water security in the Indian Himalayas.
For this to happen, a multi-sector and
interdisciplinary discourse needs to be
further promoted that seeks to address
the seen and unseen forces of water.
REFERENCES
Boer, L. 2011. The perennial springs of
Darjeeling, a survey to community
based conservation. Internship Report. ATREE, Darjeeling.
Chettri, V and Ravidass R. 2016. Concerns spring from borewells, The
Telegraph, 6 June 2016
Directorate of Forests. State of Forest
Report 2010 – 2011, Government
of West Bengal,
Drew, Georgina and Rai, Roshan
P. 2016. Water Management in
Post-colonial Darjeeling: The Promise and Limits of Decentralised
Resource Provision, Asian Studies Review, 40:3, 321-339, DOI:
10.1080/10357823.2016.1192580
Government of West Bengal, 2005.
The West Bengal, Ground Water
Resources (Management, Control
and Regulation) Act, 2005
Kalimpong Sanrakshan Samiti and
Gorkha Dukha Niwarak Samelan,
16 May 2012, Report on the fact
inding visit to the water sources
of Kalimpong town.
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
Lama, Mahendra P. and Rai, Roshan P.
(forthcoming). Chokho Pani: An
Interface Between Religion and
Environment in Darjeeling, Case
Study
Ministry of Environment and Forests.
2010. The Conservation of Wetlands in India: A Proile 2007,
Government of India
Ministry of Environment and Forests.
2010. The Wetlands Conservation
and Management Rules 2010,
Government of India
Ministry of Water Resources. 2011. National Water Policy 2012. Government of India.
Ministry of Water Resources. 2014.
Ground Water Scenario of Himalayan Region of India, Government of India
Myers, N., R.A. Mittermier, C.G. Mittermier, G. A.B. da Fonseca, and J.
Kent. 2000. “Biodiversity Hotspots
for Conservation Priorities.” Nature, 403:853–858
Ravidass R. 2015. Kalimpong water
hope, The Telegraph, 29 September 2015
Sharma, E; Chettri, N; Tse-ring, K;
Shrestha, A.B.; Fang Jing; Mool, P;
Eriksson, M. 2009. Climate change
impacts and vulnerability in the
Eastern Himalayas. Kathmandu:
ICIMOD
Tambe S, Pem Norbu Sherpa, Nima
Tashi Bhutia, M.L. Arrawatia, Sarika Pradhan, and D.R. Nepal. 2013.
Enhancing the Hydrological Contribution of Mountain Ecosystems:
Environmental Change Adaptation
Experiments from the Sikkim Himalaya. Success Stories in Mountain Ecosystem Management,
Mountain Ecology Division SAARC
Forestry Centre, Thimphu, Bhutan
WWF-India. 2013. Rejuvenation of
springs in Upper Lanku, A feasibility report
Groundwater in the Mountains
HIMANSHU KULKARNI and SIDDHARTH PATIL - Advanced Center for Water Resources Development And Management (ACWADAM)
T
he mountain regions of India
include the Himalayan and
sub-Himalayan states, Eastern
and Western Ghats and other hilly
provinces such as the Aravalli ranges.
The mountainous regions of India are
primarily dependant on springs for
drinking water, domestic use and agricultural needs. Springs can be considered as the lifeline of these regions.
Springs also form important cultural
symbols while performing the crucial
role of providing base lows to rivers
and consequently help in maintaining
the ecological balance of a region. Climate change, especially erratic precipitation, is affecting spring discharges.
However, the cause-effect scenario for
spring depletion from climatic factors
is obvious. There are other reasons that
are not as obvious. On the other hand,
until recently, the groundwater assessments for large parts of the mountain regions of India did not consider
springs as sources that need to be understood and quantiied. The issues of
drinking water, sanitation and agricultural productivity are being addressed
in the hills without any consideration
of the differences between the plains
and peninsular India and the mountain
regions. This includes the implementation of watershed programmes for augmentation and drilling of bore wells for
providing access to groundwater.
Springs are point sources of groundwater discharge and although spring
water emerges and lows on to the
surface of the earth, springs are fed
by aquifers that is a system of rocks
capable of storing and transmitting
suficient quantities of water (to the
springs). Having established springs
as groundwater, it is important to note
that groundwater is a common pool re-
source and the effects of augmentation
by a few are enjoyed by many, while
on the other hand, the effects of over
extraction from the same aquifer by a
few—through wells—can also harm a
larger population dependent on them.
Such disturbances also impact the ecological lows in the form of reduced
base lows.
The Himalayan and sub-Himalayan
regions are characterised by complex
geological systems, with highly deformed rocks. Aquifers in this region often extend from one valley to the next
valley depending on the rock structure
and thus augmentation programmes
need to be modiied to include this
factor and change the ‘ridge-to-valley’
approach to a ‘valley-to-valley’ approach. At the same time, sanitation
and drinking water programmes that
are designed around spring-water need
to be planned in a way so as to incorporate the complexities in geology and
typical aquifer settings in order to improve the eficiency of the programmes
and to guard against situations where
well intentioned programmes end up
causing more harm in the long term.
Unlike wells, springs cannot be
pumped to extract water. While wells
are human-made sources of accessing
aquifers, springs are natural discharge
points of the aquifer that provide access
of water to people. Springs provide water at the speciic discharge rates that
are an effect of the characteristics of
the aquifer providing discharge to the
spring. Spring discharge represents a
discharging aquifer is some degree of
equilibrated state. However, drilling in
the same manner as has been followed
in the rest of India has begun in large
parts of the mountains backed by the
need to improve agricultural produc-
tivities, access to drinking water and
enable industrial growth, thereby affecting such equilibrium. Although the
sources of access such as springs and
wells are different, the resource from
which both abstract remains the same:
aquifers. Large scale drilling in the
mountains in the absence of regulation
and management principles will lead
to a competition between uses and users of groundwater and as experienced
in large parts of India, in addition to
creating a conlict between two types
of sources tapping the same aquifer.
This, in turn, will lead to iniquitous
access, distribution and availability of
drinking water in such regions.
Recharge especially in the mountains
will enable in mitigating the effects of
climate change but the natural limitations associated with springs need to
be factored in while trying to improve
access to cater to increased demand
for different uses of groundwater. The
changes in the designs of various national and state driven programmes
will have to be at a policy level. This
paper demonstrates the need for a separate policy for water in the mountains
by examining the factors that differentiate the spring fed landscapes in the
mountains from other landscapes in India. Factors such as access, distribution
and availability of groundwater from
an aquifer perspective, the unique geological conditions in the Himalayas and
how the combination of these call for a
complete redesign of the current programmes on watersheds, drinking water and sanitation in the mountains can
be packaged for a strong policy backing the protection and conservation of
springs, spring-sheds and aquifers in
the region.
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
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Ladakh 2016
Expedition to Lhonak Glacial Lake in Sikkim
SONAM WANGCHUK. Student’s Education and Cultural Movement of Ladakh. The Ice Stupa Artiicial Glacier Project.
G
lacial lake is a water body
formed in/under/beside and in
front of a glacier due to glacial
dynamics. Such high-altitude glacial
lakes are hazardous to human communities and infrastructure as they can
drain instantaneously and create devastating loods downstream. The formation of moraine-dammed glacial lakes
and glacial lake outburst lood (GLOF)
are a major cause for concern in countries such as Bhutan, Tibet (China), India, Nepal, and Pakistan.
Such a lake was reported in the South
Lhonak Glacier in Sikkim. Temporal
satellite data analysis from CORONA
to LISS III shows that the glacier has
receded by 1.9 kms between 1962
and 2008 and the formation of a moraine-dammed glacial lake at the snout
of the glacier. The probability calculations of a lake outburst returned a very
high value of 42% and peak discharge
estimate are 586 m3/s (cubic meter per
second).
The Ice Stupa Artiicial Glacier Project,
which was conceived and piloted in Ladakh, is regarded as a possible solution
for the problem of fast-melting glaciers,
glacial lake-formation and resulting
lash loods. It envisages draining and
re-freezing the water of these glacial
lakes to restore the ice that has been
lost.
To implement this vision, a four-member team from the Ice Stupa Artiical
Glacier Project participated in a threeweek long expedition to the Lhonak
Glacial Lake in North-West Sikkim. This
lake is located at an altitude of 5,200m
above msl along the border with Tibet
(China) border. It is only accessible by
a day-long jeep ride from Gangtok, followed by a four day trek over high pass-
54
es. The team camped for two weeks
at the lake through different weather
conditions to install the irst phase of
a siphoning system to drain the lake to
a safer level, until other measures are
developed to mitigate the risk.
The team successfully installed three
pipelines of roughly 140m each to siphon 150 litres per second or 13 million litres per day from the lake. At this
rate, a 1.5m drop in the level of the two
kms-long lake could be achieved by the
end of the next winter. Based on the results of the irst phase, more pipelines
could be installed to lower the lake by
5m, which will drain roughly 25% of
the water content of the lake to drastically reduce the risk it posed.
This would probably become the irst
project of its kind and scale in Asia
(possibly in the world).
Norbu Shara, Namgyal Tashi Hemis
Shukpachan, Surya Narayanan Balasubramanyan from Chennai and me. We
were given a warm send off by the top
bureaucrats of Sikkim State on 30 August 2016 from Gangtok.
After a day-long jeep drive from Gangtok and an acclimatisation halt in
Lachen/Thangu area, the team drove
to Thangu top where the vehicle road
ends and the yak trails starts.
Here is a visual account of the expedition:.
It was a four-day trek from the base
camp to Lhonak lake, which included
crossing of numerous streams and high
mountain passes.
This was an inter-departmental expedition that included scientists, engineers and oficials from departments
of the state of Sikkim. This included
Department of Science and Technology
(DST), Sikkim State Disaster Management Agency (SDMA), Department of
Mines and Geology, Water Resource
and River Development, Forests and
Wildlife, Indo Tibetan Border Police
(ITBP) and Indian Army. The team
from Ladakh comprised of Stanzin
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
The yaks carried a very unusual load
this time: 10-foot long plastic pipes
with quick clamp coupling, specially
made by Jain Irrigation Systems and
trucked from Maharashtra to Sikkim.
Round load on round bodies caused a
lot of mental and physical agony to the
yaks and their herders.
In this highly sensitive frontier region, the Chinese satellites may have
observed scores of ‘double barrelled
yak-mounted cannons’ advancing towards the border. These ‘cannons’
were meant to deal with a more serious
enemy called ‘Glacial Lake Outburst
Flood’ caused by climate change.
After covering the four-day trek in
three days, the expedition reached the
awe-inspiring lake on 6 September.
around in the lake as icebergs for few
days and then disappear.
The next day, we set off to survey and
measure different aspects of the lake
such as its out low, gradient etc.
This is what we found:
a) The gradient of the out-lowing
stream was roughly 1 in 20 for 200m
after which it becomes much steeper.
A rare occasion when security forces
were helping prevent a disaster, rather
being called in for disaster relief. The
ITBP and the Indian Army were partners in the expedition and sent ive
members each, equipped with wireless
communication and other equipment.
They have also committed to sending
updates on the lake collected by their
patrolling parties.
b) The approximate discharge through
the lake stream, measured using an
improvised loat was roughly 4.5 cubic
meter per second (or 160 cusec).
c) The depth of the lake had not been
measured before this expedition. In
the past, a DST expedition had tried
using digital sonar wave machine but
it did not function beyond its 80m
threshold. This time, the lake’s depth
was measured using a more sophisticated method by sending a probe
to the bottom of the lake at different
points. This high-tech probe was developed by illing socks with two kgs of
stones, which was submerged using a
combination of ordinary string and a
long measuring tape. This device gave
consistent measurements of 130m at
the centre, which decreased gradually
towards the shore.
Unforeseen Challenges
The biggest challenge faced by the expedition was not the weather or the
altitude, but getting pipes across in
time. As the roads between Maharashtra and Sikkim were looded, followed
by the problem of loading round pipes
on yaks, the duration of our stay at the
lake had to be extended by four days.
d) This measurement compelled us
to revise the estimated volume of the
lake. Earlier, the lake was considered
to be about 80m deep and the volume
was estimated to be around 56 million
meter cube. The new inding meant
that the lake held an estimated 70 million meter cube (or 70 billion litres).
The lake from different angles. The
chunks of ice loating on the surface
and settled in the lake had fallen from
the fast-melting glacier. They loat
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
55
Ladakh 2016
gerously strong stream. So, there was
no place to assemble the 150m long
train of pipes and a person could not
stand in the icy water for long. But necessity is the mother of invention and
we came up with an interesting solution to the problem that made things
much easier. In retrospect, I thanked
the heavens for ensuring that the
stream had no banks.
Meanwhile, along with the Siphon system, our team also installed DST’s lake
level sensor-cum-early warning system.
This is a remote sensing device that will
give real time data of lake’s level and the
thickness of the ice every half-an-hour
to computing centres located in Pune,
Thiruvananthapuram and Gangtok. This
will provide data on the lake level with
the siphoning system and in the eventuality of a breach of the lake wall, also act
as an early warning system.
Due to the delay in the arrival of the
pipes, we worked on installing the sensor and explored various facets of the
lake.
We closed the ends of the pipeline to
make the pipeline behave like a raft
and loat on the surface of the lake.
Nothing could be a latter ground than
this! In conceiving this idea, my highschool science lessons on Archimedes’
principle came handy. I was able to
precisely predict that if we closed the
two ends of the pipeline, the otherwise
heavy pipes would loat with exactly
3/4th of the pipe body above water and
1/4th submerged in water. Also, the
whole pipe train could then be transported downstream by loating it on
the rough stream, instead of making
porters carry them in cold water. That
is how the pipes behaved exactly as if
it was part of a script, when we inally
lowered the line in water. So, we had
trains of 150m long trains of pipes laid
on the lake surface.
Problems are opportunities in disguise!
Once the pipes started arriving, we focused on installing them. However, we
faced other challenges in this task. Before reaching the site, I had calculated
that the 10-foot long pipes would be
joined to make siphon pipelines on the
dry banks of the stream emerging from
the lake. However, when we reached
the site, there were no dry banks on
either side of the stream. It has sheer
rock faces and boulders that descended straight into the icy cold and dan56
These trains were made to loat down
the lake mouth and down the stream
using the water’s force with half-adozen people on either side steering
the train precisely how we wanted. By
then, the weather started getting bad
and we wanted to inish the task before
it became impossible with the September snow.
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
The D-Day!
The remaining pipes inally arrived
on 14 September, the next day I had
to make a ‘do-or-die’ decision as the
weather was becoming unpredictable
and people seemed to be losing interest
and energy.
After taking our coordinating leader Mr.
Narapati Sharma into conidence, early
in the morning that day, I gathered the
whole group of some 30 people including civil oficers, scientists, engineers,
porters, kitchen staff and personnel
from military and paramilitary forces. I
gave them a pep talk and a challenge. I
said, “In view of the inclement weather,
we have a choice to either to do our utmost and accomplish everything today
and return with lying colours or wait
and meet with a possible snow blizzard
tomorrow and be forced return as failures.”
After the talk, we convinced them to
take a weird and risky decision. The
whole tent village at base camp was
packed and moved to the next camp
downstream, which took a day. This was
done to leave ourselves with no option
but to inish the task that day. We did
not have the option of staying back if we
failed that day, except for a single tent
for emergency.
By late evening, as expected, everybody
had put in their best and the pipes were
in place. We even expected it to be
completed by the afternoon. However,
siphon is not just about pipes, but about
the tricky part of priming the pipes to
start sucking water i.e. start siphoning.
And that is where we failed that evening.
Just when we could not afford failure,
one of the three pipes worked and water gushed at the speed we expected. It
was getting dark and we had to let the
group march so that they could reach
the new camp site; a ive-hour walk from
the site. Since the camp and kitchen had
moved, we did not have anything to eat
that day.
So we had to take another tough decision. I told them to walk ahead to the
new camp and that the Ladakhi team
would stay back to start siphon in the
morning before catching up with the
rest of the group later that day.
The day success came to greet us!
My small team stayed back and the
emergency tent came in very handy.
We later discovered that three soldiers
of the Indian Army had also secretly
kept their tent back, for just this kind of
emergency and they stayed back too.
The next morning, we started working
to prime and start the siphoning process. We managed to start two pipes by
late afternoon. However, there was one
last rebellious pipeline that seemed to
be defying gravity and seemed to be doing the impossible: illing water. I was
slowly resigning to the idea of going
back and telling the world that only two
pipelines worked, while the third failed.
But my friend Stanzin was sure that we
could make the third pipe work and for
that he was ready to spend another day
at the lake.
By noon, some local porters from
Lhachen came to the lake to take back
the raft (boat). That was the only support we had left and even that was going. So the mission seemed to be headed for a partial failure. Just when the
porters were about to leave, a strange
phenomenon happened in the lake.
A big wave emerged from deep inside
the lake and churned the water around
the lake’s mouth area. The lake seemed
to be going crazy. At one moment, the
mouth would overlow with double
the quantity, while at another, the big
stream coming out of the lake would
almost dry up with unseen rocks being
exposed. I stood there reasoning that
this could have been caused by a huge
chunk of the glacier calving below the
surface of the lake. Our local porters
from Lhachen were all running uphill
for safety, fearing that a calamity was
starting. Later, we heard that these porters were telling others that our project had angered the spirits of the lake,
who were expressing their anger. Even
if I was superstitious, I wouldn’t agree
with them. Soon after this weird incident, with some more efforts the third
pipeline started behaving and operating
smoothly with a discharge that seemed
higher than the other two pipelines. I
felt that the lake spirits were happy with
us and came to our end of the lake to
bless us and help us in our most challenging hours.
As winter sets in and the main stream
dries up, these three pipelines will continue sucking water out of the lake. We
started our downward march in the
dark and reached the camp before midnight to reunite with our eagerly-waiting
friends.
We are particularly grateful to the following people in the Sikkimese bureaucracy
for their kind, generous and dedicated
support:
From Left to right: Mr. Anil Mainra, the
Principal Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Government of
Sikkim; Mr. R.B., Secretary, Water Resources and River Development; Mr.
Tsegyal Tashi, State Relief Commissioner
(and the fatherly chief of this expedition); Mr. D.P. Sharma, Commissioner
Secretary, Mines Minerals and Geology,
and Mr. Dhiren Shreshtha, the Additional Director, Department of Science and
Technology.
The person who clicked this photograph
was the pillar of all the project coordination and even here he was busy coordinating operations i.e. taking this picture.
He is Mr. Rinzing Chewang, Special Secretary LR and DMD/Sikkim State Disaster Management Agency (SDMA).
And Finally…
We returned to Gangtok on 16 September after covering a four-day walk in
two days. Leaders in Gangtok had organised a reception dinner-cum-press
conference right after our arrival at 6
pm.
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
57
Ladakh 2016
Implementation of Dhara Vikas initiative in Sikkim
PEM NORBU SHERPA. Dhara Vikas Programm, Sikkim
I. OVERVIEW
In 2008, Government of Sikkim conceptualised and pioneered a new program—Dhara Vikas, which is a unique
initiative across the Himalayas to tap
rainwater for groundwater recharge
and revive mountain springs. This initiative was launched in partnership
with WWF-India and Peoples Science
Institute (PSI), Dehradun bringing
about a paradigm shift in the ield of
water management in the state. The
novelty of the idea lies in sustainably
developing the spring-shed, to increase
the percolation of rainwater and resulting in the recharge of ground water.
These measures work to ensure that
the surface runoff of rainwater in the
spring-shed is reduced, and increased
water amounts percolate down to recharge the spring.
Achievements
• Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration
(2011–2012)
Recipient: Rural Management and
Development Department (RMDD),
Government of Sikkim
• National Groundwater Augmentation Award (2010–2011)
Recipient: WWF-India for technical
support to MGNREGS-Dhara Vikas of
RMDD;
Awarded by the Ministry of Water Resources, Government of India
• T.N. Khoshoo Memorial Award by
ATREE (2011)
Recipient : Sandeep Tambe, Special Secretary, RMDD, Government
of Sikkim, in recognition of his efforts in sustainability and community-based governance of common
property resources in Sikkim
58
• eNorth East Award (2012): Winner of
Village Spring Atlas for conservation
of Himalayan springs and adapting
to climate change (www. sikkimsprings.org)
II. OBJECTIVES
To promote a unique spring-shed development initiative called Dhara Vikas
to revive critical springs, streams and
lakes to enhance the groundwater recharge and manage spring discharge.
III. KEY STAKEHOLDERS
Implementing agency
Rural Management & Development Department
Other Government Departments
Department of Forest, Environment
and Wildlife Management
Department of Science and Technology
and Climate Change
Department of Mines and Geology
Indian Space Research Organisation,
Department of Space, Benga Luru
Beneiciaries
People of East and West districts in Sikkim
water table. Some of the key factors that
are causing spring to dry up include increasing population, overgrazing and
trampling by livestock, erosion of the
topsoil, deforestation, forest ires and
development activities such as construction of roads and buildings. The
water woes in the state are further intensiied by the drastic change in rainfall patterns, including increased intensity of rainfall causing topsoil erosion
and reduction in temporal spread, and
a signiicant reduction in winter rainfall. A collective impact of these factors
gas reduced the ‘sponge action’ of the
land2. Consequently, limited rainwater
percolates down to create a hydrological imbalance in some of the watersheds. It has been estimated that less
than 15% of the rainwater percolates
down to recharge springs, while the
remaining amount lows down causing
loods. The problem of water scarcity
was more pronounced in South and
West districts, which fall in rain-shadow
areas and receive much lesser rainfall
than other districts. Recognising the
urgent need for ensuring water security, the RMDD, conceptualised the Dhara Vikas initiative to revive the state’s
dying lakes, springs and streams.
IV. RATIONALE
Around 80% of the state’s rural households depend on springs for drinking
water and irrigation throughout the
year. According to Sikkim First, an
economic and political journal, about
65,000 (nearly 80%) of the state’s rural households depend on springs for
drinking water and irrigation1. Over
the years, several of these traditional
water bodies have either dried up or
discharge water only seasonally due to
declining natural recharge and ground
Sustainable
WATER
SECURITY
Mountain Development Summit V
1
2.7 Dhara Vikas: Creating water security through
spring shed development in Sikkim, Social Sector
Service Delivery: Good Practices Resource Book
2015, 59 - 63.
2
Ground water augmentation through rainwater
harvesting and artiicial recharge to ground water, Deythang GPU National Ground Water Award,
2011, 1-21.
V. IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY
Area of implementation state wide:
East District, South District and West
District
1. Developing local human resource
as master trainers
To initiate programme implementation
at the irst stage required specialised
knowledge and skills about rainwater
harvesting, geo-hydrology, spring discharge measurement, use of Global
Positioning System (GPS) and development of contour trenches. There was
also a need to ensure technical inputs
from Department of Science and Technology, Department of Mines and Geology, Government of Sikkim. In 2009,
more than 20 training programmes
were organised in collaboration with
the State Institute of Rural Development (SIRD) and NGOs such as
WWF-India, PSI - Dehradun, Advanced
Centre for Water Resources Development and Management - Pune, Central
Ground Water Board and G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and
Sustainable Development. As a result,
seven master trainers were identiied
as para-hydrogeologist resource persons. GIZ (German Technical Cooperation) partnered with the Government
of Sikkim to provide technical support
in planning and monitoring of this innovative intervention.
2. Village Spring Atlas
Spring-shed development uses geo-hydrology to identify the re-chargeable
areas of a spring. This approach also
differs signiicantly from watershed
development, which adopts the catchment approach, in terms of scale, costs,
duration, treatment methods as well as
success indicators. In this framework,
the irst step was to undertake resource
mapping by preparation of a Village
Spring Atlas. The mapping exercise was
conducted on a Geographic Information System (GIS) platform. The data
was made accessible online at www.
sikkimsprings.org. The database provided information on the location, GPS
coordinates, land tenure, catchment
status, dependency, discharge (supply/
demand) of nearly 700 springs of Sikkim and is also linked to the Google
Earth platform.
3. Spring-shed Development Works
Pilot spring-shed development works
were undertaken by harvesting rainwater for groundwater recharge. In the
irst phase, rainwater harvesting structures were developed in the recharge
area above each spring. Groundwater
recharge structures, such as staggered
contour trenches, percolation pits,
check dams etc were dug on sloping
land unaffected by landslides. Wherever farmer’s ields were used, incentives
in the form of horticulture and fodder
plantation were provided in the second
phase. Activities, such as development
of trenches and GI pipes were taken
up under MGNREGS. The pilot phase
in the year 2010 aimed at reviving the
Nagi Lake in South district, by focussing on digging trenches and installing
pipes for the recharge of select lakes
and springs. The encouraging results
of these interventions became evident
by 2011, after which the initiative was
scaled up in 2012 to cover the South
and West districts.
4. Impact assessment of the practice/
innovation implemented for ground
water recharge and improvement in
ground water quality
Regular measurements of discharge
from identiied springs along with rainfall were recorded. The data indicated
discharge in correlation to rainfall. Information related to water discharge
and rainfall was collected on a monthly
basis to develop a baseline values for
each spring. Post project impact analysis was done by measuring these two
parameters and comparing them with
the baseline values.
5. Formulation of IEC strateg y to
protect local water sources
This concept is based on the scientific principles of reducing the speed of
running water by developing the catchment of the spring, using soil moisture
conservation works along with vegetative and social measures. The IEC
strategy used this broad-base principle,
“every drop of rain water needs to be
conserved where it falls, the ‘running’
water needs to be trained to ‘walk’, and
the ‘walking’ water needs to be trained
to ‘rest’ for a while3.” These measures
aimed at educating villagers on points
like a) reducing surface runoff of rain
water and b) enhancing percolation of
rain water to underground aquifers to
recharge the spring. This strategy was
centred on existing religious and cultural practices of protecting local water
sources, locally known as Devithans
and keeping them free from biotic interferences.
6. Strengthening delivery systems at
the GPU level
To ensure eficient and effective implementation of this development
intervention, the irst signiicant step
was to strengthen delivery systems at
the Gram Panchayat Unit (GPU) level.
Initially, RMDD focussed on building
basic infrastructure such as buildings
at the GPU level. Next, the provision
of adequate human resources was emphasised by setting up GPU cluster support ofices in the form of Gram Vikas
Kendra to provide administrative and
technical support. The presence of infrastructure and staff made it possible
to devolve implementation of Dhara
Vikas activities in GPUs.
7. Sustainability and Replicability
This intervention has been successfully
demonstrated the science and practice
of reviving drying Himalayan springs
in drought-prone rural areas by implementing and monitoring a new scientiic groundwater recharge programme
using rainwater harvesting techniques.
The programme involved local communities at all stages of the project cycle.
3 Ground water augmentation through Rainwater
harvesting and Artiicial Recharge to Ground Water, Deythang GPU National Ground Water Award,
2011, 1 - 21.
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
59
Ladakh 2016
Upscaling and sustainability of the intervention was achieved by innovatively converging funding from the national lagship programme MGNREGS and
developing a cadre of para-geohydrologists and knowledge base in collaboration with government and NGOs. Documentation of programme outcomes
has facilitated policy advocacy at the
national level and enabled knowledge
sharing with other mountain regions.
Based on the experiences of this initiative to revive Sikkim springs, the
Planning Commission of India included spring-shed development in the expanded list of permissible works under
MGNREGS in 2012. This has paved the
way for up scaling this initiative across
the Himalayan landscape. Teams representing WWF-Nepal, Bhutan Government, states governments of Arunachal
Pradesh, Meghalaya and Nagaland and
others agencies have visited Sikkim on
exposure tours to understand Dhara Vikas and implement similar initiatives in
their respective areas. The intervention
will be needed in many parts of the Himalayas, where mountain seasons have
become seasonal due to land use and
climatic changes.
Sloping land is needed above the
spring where artiicial groundwater
recharge works can be taken up. In
India, funds can be tied from various
Government of India schemes such as
MGNREGS, NRDWP, and IWMP to implement such initiatives.
VII. RESOURCE UTILISATION
The initiative pooled resources from
various line departments, NGOs and
national-level programmes at each
stage of the programme’s implementation.
VIII. OUTCOMES
1. Recharging lakes, reviving
springs, reforestation
A key outcome of this initiative is an
enhanced hydrological mountain ecosystem with the revival of 50 springs
60
and ive lakes in 25 drought -prone
Gram Panchayats in Kaluk ( West District), Rhenock (East District), Ravangla, Sumbuk, Jorethang and Namthang
( South District). One good example
of the impact of this initiative is the
Chukudum spring, which is the only
water source for two GPUs: Barfung
Zarrong and Kewzing Bakhim. The revival of Chukudum spring ensured water security for 75 rural households. In
terms of output, the spring discharge
has increased from 40 litres per minute
to 60 litres per minute4.
The ive lakes revived through this initiative include Dolling, Deythang, Nagi,
Karthok and Datum. This has enabled
the reforestation of seven hill-top forests in Simkharka, Sadam, Tendong,
Maenam, Gerethang, Chakung and
Sudunglakha. Over the last six years,
Dhara Vikas has been able to recharge
more than 1,000 million litres of
ground water each year. These tangible
outputs have been veriied by independent agencies and have inluenced
national-level policy. The technical
components of this program have been
simpliied in the form of a handbook
and published in the form of an illustrated comic book.
2. Creation of a cadre of technical
specialists
Dhara Vikas has also developed seven
master trainers as in house cadre of para-hydrogeologists.
3. Creation of a Village Spring Atlas
and web portal
Another signiicant outcome of the
initiative is the creation of the Village
Spring Atlas web portal, which provides information on 700 springs, and
can be accessed online (www. sikkimsprings.org).
4. Beneits to agriculture and farming
Dhara Vikas has made a signiicant impact on crop patterns and yields. More
than 15 hectares of horticulture plantation in the spring-shed catchment
have already been taken up, resulting
in plantation of over 20,000 saplings of
bananas, guavas and oranges in coor-
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WATER
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Mountain Development Summit V
dination with the Horticulture Department. According to Benga Luru-based
Indian Institute of Science’s assessment
report (2013), increased irrigation has
encouraged farmers to cultivate new
crops such as beans, radish, caulilower, cabbage and chilly along with paddy
and tomatoes. Many perennial garden
fruits, such as guava, banana, orange
and litchi, have been cultivated after
the programme was implemented. The
report also indicates an average of 15%
increase in crop yield and 25% increase
in the cultivation of irrigated crops,
such as paddy, tomato and vegetables5.
5. Disaster risk reduction: The implementation of Dhara Vikas across
the state has reduced landslides and
damage to agricultural ields downstream.
IX. KEY CHALLENGES
During the initial phase of the initiative, several mistakes were committed.
Identiication and analysis of these mistakes provided important lessons for
more effective project implementation.
Key lessons included:
1. The digging of trenches in terraced
ields is not effective, as the surface
runoff on terraced lands is checked by
mud boundaries and is already low.
The investment of labour for digging
trenches and ponds through MGNREGS was concentrated in sloping
lands in upper catchments and springsheds for viable ground water recharge
and to maximise outcomes.
4 Sikkim, Reviving Springs to Mitigate the Impact of Climate Change, Enhancing Sustainable
Livelihoods of the poor through convergence of
Mahatma Gandhi NREGS with various schemes
2014, 2 - 7
5
2.7 Dhara Vikas: Creating water security through
spring shed development in Sikkim, Social Sector
Service Delivery: Good Practices Resource Book
2015, 59 - 63
2. In certain locations, horticulture and
forestry plantations were undertaken
in areas with limited soil and moisture
conservation works. Consequently,
the survival rates for these plantations
were poor. The earlier practice in the
state was to construct a stone masonry
boundary wall around water sources
and develop plantations at the source
itself. These activities would probably
have helped protect the source, but
would not have assisted in recharging
and increasing discharge. This observation on the ield indicated that activities in contour trenching and digging
of ponds needed to be completed
before undertaking plantation works
at the source. This paradigm shift in
water source development works will
entail rejuvenating the spring-shed
(Muhan ko seer), while not disturbing
the water source.
3. The digging of trenches and ponds
is assigned to MGNREGS workers on
piece-rate basis with wages accrued
according to the number of trenches
and pits dug by each worker. In certain locations, where daily supervision
was lacking, the workers dug trenches
and pits too close to each other and in
the most convenient locations, instead
of following a placement strategy that
would have optimised the trapping of
surface runoff. After this was realised,
all works under Dhara Vikas are supervised by trained and experienced personnel. The irst task for this aspect is
to identify the location of trenches and
ponds to ensure that they are correctly
placed.
4. In locations where baseline information on the discharge of springs during
lean periods was not collected, the
impact of the project activities could
not be ascertained conclusively. Now,
at the planning stage itself, indicator
springs are identiied and their lean period discharge are measured to serve as
the baseline value.
X. CONCLUSION
In order to address the challenge of water insecurity, Government of Sikkim
initiated the Dhara Vikas programme
in 2008. Following a convergence approach, MGNREGS was tapped for
necessary inancial support and activity-speciic technical partnerships were
developed with various line departments and NGOs. Since 2008, the initiative has successfully revived 50 springs
and ive lakes in drought-prone areas
in 25 GPUs and achieving its annual
recharge target of 1,000 million litres
of ground water. This has had a signiicant impact on agricultural livelihoods
with the development of more than 15
hectares of horticulture plantations of
around 20,000 saplings in the springshed catchment areas. The Dhara Vikas
has made Sikkim a national leader in
watershed management and a pioneer
in the protection of hydrological ecosystems in mountain regions.
Successful traditional practices and the need to converge such
practices with policy
VENGOTA NAKRO, Sustainable Development Forum of Nagaland. MEDOVIKHO NAKHRO, Assistant Soil Survey Oficer; Krutalu Tunyi
WATER RESOURCES OF NAGALAND
The major sources of water in Nagaland are surface water, such as rivers,
streams, ponds and natural springs
and sub-surface ground water. These
sources are mainly sustained by heavy
rainfall, which ranges from 2,000mm
to 2,500mm—the highest of all states
in India.
About 70 to 80% of the total rainfall is
received during the monsoon period,
while the state experiences water scarcity every year through the lean peri-
od from October to April. The steep
slopes of the mountainous terrain
ensured that huge volumes of water
received during the monsoons run off
fast and the soil fails to retain enough
water to maintain base low of springs
in the lean periods. These springs are
the main source of water for 70% of
the population residing in rural areas.
Therefore, though Nagaland is one of
the wettest areas in the country, it is
unable to meet its current water demand.
In recent years, erratic rainfall pattern in the state have caused streams
and rivers to dry up. Farmers are not
receiving rain on time to follow their
seasonal cycle, especially in regions
where residents practice terraced rice
cultivation. In regions that receive very
low rainfall, the terraced rice cultivation (TRC) is abandoned for the year
and farmers look for alternative areas
to practice shifting cultivation for subsistence.
In view of the erratic rainfall pattern in
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
61
Ladakh 2016
the state, farmers across Nagaland are
facing dificulties in ixing their seasonal calendar of activities to prepare their
ield for rice cultivation. It is, therefore,
important that the rainfall received
during summer months is harvested
in ponds and used for irrigation. This
concept of water harvesting is not new
to Naga farmers. The Kikruma villagers
have been using this technique since
the establishment of their village more
than 500 years back. Kikruma village,
located at an altitude of 1,270m above
msl in Phek district of Nagaland is inhabited by Chakhesang tribe
The Kikruma technology of Rainwater
Harvesting Farming System (RHFS) is
locally known as zabo (impounding
water). It is being replicated to other
villages where high altitude terraced
rice cultivation is practiced, especially
in regions located in rain shadow areas, scanty forests and where streams
and rivers are absent to provide irrigation water. Zabo rainwater harvesting
farming system is a combination of forest, agriculture and animal husbandry
with well-founded conservation system
that include soil erosion control, water
resources recharge and management.
Activities involved for development of
rainwater harvesting farming system:
1. Integrated Rainwater Harvesting
Farming System (RHFS)
By and large, the Rainwater Harvesting
Farming System is an organic farming
system. On the whole, RHFS comprises
of traditional agricultural and forestry
land use, inbuilt water harvesting systems based on well-founded conservation principles. There are ive components to RHFS: 1) Afforestation in the
upper reaches 2) Feeder channel leading to siltation tank 3) Siltation tank
4) Water Harvesting Pond ( WHP) and
5) Open earthen irrigation channel to
the terrace ields. All these ive components are described below.
1) Afforestation in the upper reaches
If areas in the upper reaches of water
harvesting site are barren, these areas
are planted with local tree varieties.
62
of water from the pond. With every
shower, some rainwater inds its way to
the pond and the bottom is always wet
and stagnant—this prevents cracking
and seepage.
Induced artiicial regeneration of forest in the degraded upstream areas is
carried out. The beneits of such afforestation are well documented.
2) Feeder Channel
A feeder channel is constructed in a
rectangular shape along the catchment
across the running slope in a serpentine fashion till it reaches the silt-retention tank. This ensures the runoff
from the catchment area is trapped in
the feeder channel and drains to the
siltation tank, which is then stored in
the water harvesting pond. The cross
section of the feeder channel is 0.35m
in breadth and 0.30m deep with a rectangular shape.
3) Silt retention tank
Silt retention tank is constructed at
the mouth of the feeder channel just
before water enters the WHP. The dimension of the tank is 5.5m long, 1.5m
across and 1.2m deep. This collects
9.9 cubic metre of debris consisting
of eroded top soil, leaf litter and other
materials. The debris is removed periodically when it ills up. This debris
has high soil nutrient value and used
as manure in the ields.
4) Water Harvesting Pond
WHPs are excavated and an embankment is constructed at feasible depression areas across the slope of the
catchment area. The base of the pond
consists of boulders that are excavated
to check seepages. A mixture of soil,
cow dung and ine straw/husk in a ratio
of 2:1:1 are mixed thoroughly to make
a slurry that is applied to the walls and
loor of the WHP to check seepage or
percolation of water from the pond.
This technique has been used by villagers for several years and decades. It has
been effective in checking percolation
Sustainable
WATER
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Mountain Development Summit V
A pond of 3x2x2 cubic metre is able to
provide supplementary irrigation to terraces that yield 600kg of paddy (about
0.25 acre TRC area). Depending on the
need of a farmer, the size of the pond
can be as large as 20x15x2 cubic metre.
During the rice planting season, water
is released from the pond by cutting
open a small section of the bund of
the pond depending on the water requirement. Subsequent cuts are made
till the water is drained or the need for
water is met. The cut portion is then
plugged with soil to trap water during
the next rain.
5) Open Irrigation Channel
An earthen dug out irrigation channel
is constructed. The pond is connected with spill way leading to irrigation
channels that irrigate the terraced
ield. The cross section of the irrigation
channel is 0.45 m in breadth and 0.40
m in depth with a rectangular shape.
Beneits of Rainwater Harvesting
Farming System
1) Direct Beneits
The development of WHPs in the villages enables farmers to diversify their
agricultural system from mono-cropping of rice production to other crops,
especially in the winter after rice is harvested. This has several beneits, which
include;
a) The hilly terrain TRC is assured of
water even if the rainfall is erratic and
farmers are able to transplant their
paddy.
b) The terraced ields are used for multiple cropping and farmers are able to
cultivate vegetables and other winter
crops to generate a cash income.
c) Farmers are able to farm ish, even
if it is for a short term when WHP is
illed to capacity from May to September. This increases the farmer’s cash income and allows the farmers access to
ish for their own consumption.
d) System of Rice Intensiication (SRI)
can be introduced in the TRCs where
water harvesting ponds have been developed and increase the rice yield by
more than 20%. SRI requires assured
irrigation for transplantation of rice
seedlings that are 21 to 25-days-old. It
has been observed that when regular
rainfall fails, transplantation is not possible due to the lack of irrigation water.
The WHP assures irrigation water and
enables the farmer to practice SRI in
the terraced rice ields to increase its
yield.
2) Indirect beneits
a) Streams, springs and ground water
are recharged.
b) The gently slanting contour trenches function as ‘ditch and furrow’ effect
that help recharge the surface area below the trenches through iniltration of
rainwater.
c) WHPs lead to an increase in water
yield from wells. Local communities
report that the water in these wells are
available for longer periods and there
is an observed rise in ground water
levels.
d) Employment generation through increased access to alternative livelihood
strategies.
e) The WHP not only serves as a water
reservoir for irrigation, but also becomes a source for drinking water for
livestock.
2. Case stories
1) A progressive farmer
Mr. Putha Tunyi, a farmer from Kikruma village, owns one WHP and terraced rice cultivation ield. He usually
cultivates two crops a year, while his
neighbouring farmers who do not have
WHP only cultivate rice. After harvesting paddy, Mr Putha Tunyi cultivates
winter vegetables like mustard, cabbage, potato, cherry, tomatoes, colocasia, amaranthus, beans, chillies, and
local vegetables like Naga onion.
The area around his ield is very highly
fertile due to the year-long availability
of water, which is made possible by the
zabo system. This has supported the
development of a very rich diversity of
plants in the ield. Fruit-bearing trees
such as Prunus sp (peach, plum, cherry), Citrus sp, Pyrus sp, Musa sp, Mangifera indica, Psidium guajava, Emblica
oficinalis (Indian gooseberry), Rubus
indica, Artocarpus heterophyllus, Passilora edulis are found in and around
his ield. Trees species like Quercus
sp (oak), Pinus sp, Alnus nepalensis
(Alder), and Parkia roxburghii (Tree
Bean) were also found in and around
his ield. Some lowering plants like
Poinsettia and Bougainvillea were also
observed around the ield. In addition,
medicinal plants like Pennywort (Centella asiatica) grow in abundance in and
around his ield. All these plant species
provide direct and indirect beneits;
some add to his income, while others
increase soil fertility and help maintain
the local ecosystem. Thus, the zabo
system plays a vital role in the management and crop production on Mr.
Putha Tunyi’s farm.
2) Rainwater Harvesting Farming System: An answer to erratic rainfall
Erratic rainfall pattern was observed
across Nagaland in 2013. In the month
of May, the state received 79% more
rain than the average, while the month
of June recorded 43% less rain than the
average. In order to cultivate rice in a
high altitude terrace, adequate rainfall
is essential in the month of June. As a
result of this erratic rainfall, many irrigated rice ields could not be cultivated. Farmers reported that only 60 to
70% of their ield were cultivated due
to the lack of water.
While most farmers were suffering
from the impacts of water scarcity,
the farmers who had developed WHPs
were able to complete their rice cultivation without dificulty. Kikruma village is located in a rain-shadow area
and receives less rainfall than their
neighbouring villages. Despite this,
the villagers were able to carry out rice
cultivation operations without any hindrance.
3. The need to converge such practices and policy
Studies by several research organisations (ICIMOD, Kathmandu, Indian
Institute of Science, Bangu Luru, India
Network on Climate Change Assessment) on climate change for the northeast mountain states have conclude
that the impacts of climate change are
being experienced in the region and
will only intensify in the near future.
• Most mountain states have been experiencing increased precipitation of
around 15 to 20%. Though rainy days
have decreased, extreme rainfall events
(100 mm/day) have increased. There
are indications of a signiicant decrease
in summer monsoon rainfall at a rate
of approximately 11mm per decade.
Heavier monsoon precipitation with
increase in extreme precipitation
events exacerbates soil erosion due to
aggravated surface runoff.
• Increase in number of dry days
during the monsoons and consecutive
decrease in wet days, which causes
moisture stress and affects agriculture
and biodiversity.
Rainfall in Phek Meteorological Observatory Station, 2013
Month
Actual (mm)
Normal (mm)
Diference (mm)
Departure from normal (%)
May
284.6
159.0
125.0
+79.0
June
140.0
247.0
-107.5
-43.4
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
63
Ladakh 2016
• Increase in lood discharge that affects agricultural land and infrastructure.
• A 25% increase in sediment yield
has been projected for the Northeast
region. The increase in sediment yield
may intensify stream bank erosion that
may destroy or damage prime agricultural land along riverbanks and cause
lood events.
• Increasing water scarcity for domestic use and irrigation are a universal
cause for concern.
• In the mountain states, declining
condition of forests (often as a result
of shortened jhum (shifting agriculture) cycles and increased frequency of
forest ires) has reduced the ability of
forests to conserve and store rainfall to
regulate and sustain perennial stream
and spring lows.
• The temperature records show a
steady warming trend in their minimum and maximum temperatures an
average annual increase of between 1.6
to 1.8 degrees Celsius. Increase in average temperatures results in frequent
forest ire as bushes dry up and lose
their ability to retain soil moisture.
• Around 80% of the rainfall in Nagaland is received during the pre-monsoons and monsoons. The heavy rains
during the monsoons and the mountainous topography leads to high surface runoff. Lack of adequate water
storage—natural and artiicial—and
scanty rainfall in the post-monsoon
and winter seasons are not favourable
for cultivating Rabi crops.
Various Centrally Sponsored Schemes
(CSS), including MGNREGS, recognise
the need to conserve runoff rainwater
as priority areas. However, the issue
for in-situ conservation of runoff rainwater has not been made mandatory.
With limited resources available in the
programme with regard to the need
of the community, activities such as
diversiication of agriculture, enhancing household income generation
etc. takes precedence. As a result, activities to conserve runoff water have
not emerged as a major component of
work for CSS programmes.
It is therefore important guidelines for
CSS are re-framed so that 15 to 20% of
the allocated budget is compulsorily
allocated for in-situ conservation of
runoff rainwater.
Like the zabo rainwater harvesting
farming system, many good practices are being practiced by mountain
communities. IMI and other relevant
agencies need to promote such good
practices among other mountain communities, while extension services by
the government, in the agriculture sector need to be strengthened.
Reviving traditional skills in the mountains: The case of Ladakh
BY DR SONAM WANGCHOK. President, International Association for Ladakh Studies. Founding Secretary, Himalayan Cultural and Heritage Foundation.
W
hen we study different inluences on art, architecture
and handicrafts in Ladakh,
we realise that many skills originated in different regions such as Tibet,
Kashmir, Baltistan and Central Asian
countries. For instance, the technique
used to make paper in Ladakh probably originated in China or Tibet. Simi64
larly, woodblock carving is said to have
originated in the Kham region of Tibet.
In the past, all major monasteries had
their own units devoted to thangka
painting, paper making, wood-block
carving and printing of texts. Major
monasteries would print manuscripts
which were then provided to branch
temples and villages. Traditionally,
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
the skilled people included Buddhist
monks and lay people. They had would
learn the required skills to engage in
these activities and devote themselves
to paper-making, calligraphy, printing
of sacred manuscripts, wood-block
carving, thangka painting and moulding clay sculptures. Paper-making was
popular in Zangskar in monasteries and
amongst villagers. Stongdey Monastery
would produce the largest amount of
paper to barter for butter and other
necessities. However, the development
of cost-effective machine-made papers
and books had a direct impact on these
those monastic and family industries.
As modern printing allows for mass
production of texts, traditional wood
block printed manuscripts are no longer being produced in Ladakh. While
some block printing of prayer lags
and manuscripts is still practiced by
lay devotees in some villages, there is
no comprehensive programme on support the production of traditional materials such as paper, inks, wood block
etc. and the skills required to produce
these manuscripts. Today, most people
consider these skills as outdated and
deicient sources of income.
Traditional craft skills in Ladakhi have
declined for several reasons. These include:
• Lack of time and increase people dependence on high-speed technologies
• Introduction of new cost effective
technology to print manuscripts
• Paper making involves high cost due
to elaborate procedures and raw materials are not easily available.
• Decline in the population of monks
and resulting reduction in the number
of practitioners of monastic crafts skills
Most people do not realise that they
are neglecting the traditional skills
they inherited from their ancestors. As
a result, they lack knowledge about traditional materials such as hand-made
paper. Many elders claim that traditional manuscripts written on hand-made
paper are easier to read and lighter to
carry. Many elderly monks and lay peo-
ple still prefer manuscripts written or
printed on traditional paper as they do
not cause any harm to their eyes while
reading. The dry climate of Ladakh
and the special materials used to paper ensured that it was mothproof and
moisture-proof. Thus, it has very long
shelf life as and outlasts machine-printed texts. It is evident from the fact that
Ladakhi monasteries still have religious
manuscripts and secular texts that are
hundreds of years old. Today, many
of these texts are the only source of
original Buddhist manuscripts in the
world. Scholars translated these texts
from Sanskrit to Tibetan. In fact, some
of these manuscripts date back to the
very early period of the Buddhist renaissance in the Tibetan region.
I have been involved in several projects
to document and revive monastic art,
crafts and rituals in several monasteries
across Ladakh. Through these projects
I realised that there are very few individual who still have the knowledge
and skill about the technique and process of making traditional paper. There
are a handful of families in Zangskar
who still have the knowledge and skill
to make authentic paper, including
burnishing segment, making of tools,
handling, processes to cut and paste,
sizing of paper etc. People no longer
maintain these family industries, which
are part of Ladakh’s cultural traditions.
If we want to revive traditional skills,
we must irst get people interest in
these crafts.
Himalayan Cultural Heritage Foundation (HCHF) is a community-based,
non-government organisation. It is devoted to preserve and promote indigenous, natural and historic heritage in
the Himalayas by working directly with
local communities and strengthening
and supporting community-based institutions. HCHF has done extensive
work to revive dying monastic arts,
crafts, rituals and village handicrafts
in different parts of the Himalayas. It
emphasises trainings and workshops
to ensure practical and beneicial outcomes in terms of learning and preservation of the rich cultural heritage
of Himalayas. HCHF has successfully
revived skills such as willow basket
weaving in Nubra valley, Stupa-building, stone-carving etc.
However, in many cases a need was
felt to explore changes of indigenous
materials and techniques to meet the
needs of contemporary society. This
can only be done by people who have
specialised knowledge and experience
of traditional skills and contemporary
scientiic practices to develop sustainable solutions and train young people
in these skills. This can also be enriched through dialogues with other areas with similar cultural practices, such
as Sikkim and Kalimpong where traditional paper-making is still popular.
Encouraging people through resource
exchange and net-economic returns at
individual level is an important incentive to help them understand their traditional culture, while also generating
an income.
As of now, we need to develop a policy and implement programmes to
encourage local craft skills. We need
to develop a market for village and monastic craft products. Today, people are
keen on hand-made products and traditional designs gaining popularity. An
effective and sustainable strategy based
on people’s capacities and knowledge
needs to be developed, so that people
can generate income and livelihood by
practising their traditional skills.
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
65
Ladakh 2016
Strengthening Institutional Capacities in Agriculture for
Sustainable Mountain Development
JOHN PAULRAJ. Coordinator, Integrated Mountain Initiative
T
he Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) and its ecosystems are of critical global signiicance. Around 76%
of India’s hill districts fall within the IHR. The entire
geographical area of these states is mountainous, and the average forest cover is 65%. This region is inhabited by a signiicantly large population of more 65.57 million people, who
represent 172 of India’s 573 Scheduled Tribes.
Most of these communities primarily depend on agriculture
and its allied services for their livelihood. For mountain communities, agriculture is not just a means of livelihood but a
way of life and a number of their cultural practices revolve
around it. These communities integrate management of
natural ecosystems as an integral part of their agricultural
practice, which enables them to sustain various ecological
processes. This ability to strike a balance has enabled these
communities to cope with various natural challenges. However, recent trends in global development have signiicantly reduced the ecological and social resilience of mountain
communities to environmental changes. Despite an increased
recognition of these issues, signiicant constraints remain in
achieving sustainable development in mountain regions.
These constraints are often exacerbated by climate change,
vulnerability to disasters and increase in urbanisation and
migration. In addition, increasing population, deforestation,
market integration and changes in human values are also taking a heavy toll on development in the mountains.
The need for conceptualising sustainable development in
mountain regions has gained critical momentum with the
adoption of Agenda 21 in 1992, which contained a chapter
titled “Managing fragile ecosystems: Sustainable Mountain
Development”. In this context mountain communities can
provide important inputs for managing fragile ecosystems by
drawing on their knowledge, experience, and capacity. This
body of knowledge is a signiicant building block for achieving sustainable development in mountain regions.
Agriculture production in mountain region is largely rain-fed
and constrained by natural factors which result in increased
workload, fewer possibilities for mechanisation, greater
need for specialised machinery, bad accessibility and limited
possibilities for operational extension and development of
production alternatives. These constraints are further com-
66
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
pounded by limited capacities, skills and governance, which
hamper the development of alternate livelihood options for
local communities and increase their dependent on natural
resources. In addition, the linkages between food production and the Himalayan Mountains remains poorly understood. These mountain systems are a major source of water
for growing rice and wheat—staple food in south Asia—in the
plains during the dry season. Studies show that all mountain regions in south Asia are facing a common challenge of
increasing food production, especially of wheat and rice, to
meet the needs of a growing population. These crops also
require a large and predictable supply of water. Moreover,
the increase in food production is expected from the same
amount of land by bringing additional land under irrigation
as the potential of increasing agricultural land has almost
been exhausted. Additionally, increasing water stress, climate change and climate variability are also intensifying the
challenges (and opportunities, which are poorly explored
and understood) faced by mountain agriculture.
The climate and topography of the upper IHR i.e. the
Trans-Himalayan Regions, are not very conducive for agriculture and other forms of development such as industry.
Thus, these regions are largely dependent on pastoralism.
Livestock grazing in these fragile but dynamic ecosystems
remains the most pervasive land-use with opportunities for
alternative livelihoods being largely absent for local communities. The livestock numbers in these regions are fairly high
and the total area of available pastures remains limited. This
results in overgrazing once the carrying capacity of these
ecosystems is exceeded and causes extensive degradation
to the alpine rangelands/meadows. The loss of pastures and
increase in the number of livestock has a negative impact on
wild herbivore populations, which are in decline in many
areas. This has resulted in an increased dependence of wild
predators, such as snow leopard and wolf, on livestock and
increased conlicts between humans and wildlife.
SCOPE OF THE PROJECT
Mountain agriculture and allied sectors have been an important aspect of sustainable development in IHR. In the
context of the harsh and dificult environment in which it is
practised, mountain agriculture has evolved multiple strategies over centuries. It encompasses all other activities such
as forestry, isheries, pastoralism and aquaculture, which are
all heavily reliant on family labour. Today, there is a lot of
focus on family farming as part of the global emphasis on
‘green products’. This presents an opportunity for mountain
farmers to garner support and develop speciic policy interventions. The second goal of the newly adopted Sustainable
Development Goals speaks about a global collective action
to “end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture”.
This goal targets doubling of agriculture productivity and
income of small-scale food producers through productive
resources and inputs, knowledge, inancial services, markets and opportunities for value addition and non-farm
employment (2.3); ensure sustainable food production
systems and help implement resilient agricultural practices
that increase productivity and production, help maintain
ecosystems, strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate
change, extreme weather events, disasters, and progressively improve land and soil quality (2.4); maintain the genetic
diversity of seeds, cultivated plants, farmed and wild species
and ensure access to, along with fair and equitable sharing,
beneits arising from the utilisation of genetic resources
and associated traditional knowledge (2.5). It also targets
an increase in investment, including through enhanced international cooperation, in rural infrastructure, agricultural
research and extension services, technology development
and plant gene banks (2a). However, achievement of these
targets will requires a unique platform to raise public awareness and ensure adequate political, institutional and inancial commitment to concrete actions for sustainable mountain development.
Achieving these goals will require work on recommendations submitted by the FAO, which is a part of the United
Nations. These recommendations were submitted in accordance with General Assembly resolution 66/205, for the sixty-eight session of the United Nations General Assembly on
the status of implementation of sustainable development in
mountain regions. The recommendations highlight the need
for collaborative efforts to form Mountain partnership and
encourage the active involvement of various stakeholders;
consolidation of existing and/or establishment of new national committees, bodies and mechanisms to strengthen
inter-sectorial collaboration; inclusion of mountain specific policies in national sustainable development strategies;
elaborate strategies, programmes and policies for promoting
food security in mountains, and undertake studies to better
understand the vulnerability of mountain communities. It
also mentions the need to support development of communications, capacity building advocacy and outreach activities
for Sustainable Mountain Development at all levels.
FAO OBJECTIVES FROM PROJECT
The project will work towards achieving FAO’s Strategic Objective 2, which looks at increasing and improving the provision of goods and services from agriculture, forestry and
isheries in a sustainable manner. The organisational outcomes expected from the project are:
• Organisational Outcome 201: Producers and natural resource managers adopt practices that increase and improve
the provision of goods and services
• Organisational Outcome 204: Stakeholders make evidence-based decisions in the planning and management
of agricultural sectors and natural resources to support the
transition to sustainable agricultural sector production systems
The Technical Cooperation Programme Facility (TCPF) also
contributes to the formulation and dissemination of FAO’s
Corporate Output 2.4.2 Methodologies that sets norms, standards, deinitions and other tools for the collection, management, aggregation and analysis of data. It also contributes to
Output 2.4.3 - Capacity development, through which support is provided to institutions at national and regional levels
to plan for and conduct data collection, analyses, application
and dissemination.
EXPECTED OUTPUTS FROM THE FAO-IMI TCP PROJECT
In most parts of the world, including India, a sector-based
approach is used to understand the relationship between agriculture and development. Socioeconomic growth and environmental trends have largely been neglected while considering the adversities faced by this sector, leading to a number
of constraints for development of agro-based communities.
Theapproach to dealing with cross-sector challenges related
to agriculture requires a paradigm shift. There is a need to
incorporate crosscutting issues such as food security, climate
change and disaster events while conceptualising, planning
and executing ideas as actionable projects. There is a need
for institutions working in this sector to incorporate this paradigm shift in their strategies. One of the primary goals of
this project is to increase awareness and build capabilities
of mountain communities and local institutions dealing with
vulnerabilities caused by various issues. It will work towards
building new networks and strengthening existing ones to
support development of the agriculture sector in the face of
changes in climatic patterns, disasters and increasing food
insecurity. Platforms and communication channels will be
provided to discuss state-speciic issues and highlight best
practices across the mountain states. Current scenario of the
mountain agricultural sector will be shared with all stakeholders and a mechanism to shape policy for mountain agriculture and allied sectors at the state and central level. The
expected output and outcomes of this project are:
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
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Ladakh 2016
a. Enhanced institutional base of IMI across Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) through State Sustainable Development
Forums (SSDFs) in all states and effective collaboration, networking and sharing amongst legislators; grassroots workers,
civil society, and other stakeholders in mountain states.
(ii) Stakeholders make evidence-based decisions in the planning and management of agricultural and natural resources
to support the transition to sustainable agricultural production systems through monitoring, statistics, assessment and
analysis
b. Increased institutional capacity of IMI and its constituent
members for sustainable mountain development, with a
focus on mountain agriculture and allied sectors including
value chains—from planning to producing, processing and
marketing to improve access of mountain farmers to resources and enhance their capacities for income generation.
(iii) Integrated and multi-sectorial approaches for ecosystem
valuation, management and restoration are identiied, assessed, disseminated and adopted by stakeholders
c. Enhanced policy focus on mountain agriculture and allied
sectors in IHR state governments through development of
regional (IHR) and state-level policy advocacy bodies that include mechanisms to shape policies.
These will contribute to the following outcomes in the IHR
states:
(i) Producers and natural resource managers will adopt practices that increase and improve the provision of goods and
services in agricultural production systems in a sustainable
manner
(iv) Relevant data and information is assembled, aggregated, integrated and disseminated, and new data generated
through analyses and monitoring conducted jointly with
partners
(v) Capacity development support to institutions at national
and regional levels for planning and implementation of data
collection, analyses, application and dissemination;
(vi) A inal report detailing the output and outcomes of the
FAO-IMI project in mountain states of the Indian Himalayan
Region.
FAO-IMI PROJECT - A SNAPSHOT
Develop work plan
(FGDs)
Dissemination of
work plan
(Workshops)
Build
communication
networks (Policy
briefs and
SoMR)
Grassroots
awareness of work
plan and action
plan (FGDs)
Disseminate latest developments through research and releasing reports specific
sessions in SMDS etc, Newsletters and monthly campaigns on Agri / Allied portal
68
Sustainable
SKILLS
FOR DEVELOPMENT
Mountain Development
IN THE MOUNTAINS
Summit V
Strengthened Institutional Capacities in AGRICULTURE for
Sustainable Mountain Development
Enhance IMIs
outreach
(SSFDs)
Experiences from FAO-TCP
SUNDER SUBRAMANIAN
BACKGROUND
The Mountain Partnership is a United
Nations voluntary alliance of partners,
dedicated to improving the lives of
mountain communities and protecting
mountain environments around the
world. Founded in 2002, the Mountain
Partnership addresses the challenges
facing mountain regions by tapping
the wealth and diversity of resources,
knowledge, information and expertise, from and between its members, in
order to stimulate concrete initiatives
at all levels that will ensure improved
quality of life and environments in the
world’s mountain regions. Currently,
more than 250 governments, intergovernmental organisations, major groups
(e.g. civil society, NGOs and the private
sector) and sub-national authorities are
members. The Mountain Partnership is
supported by a secretariat that is hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) in
Rome, Italy.
CURRENT ANALYSIS OF HUNGER IN
MOUNTAINOUS AREAS
According to a 2015 FAO/Mountain
Partnership Secretariat study, an estimated 39% of the mountain population
in developing countries, or 329 million
people, are estimated to be vulnerable
to food insecurity—that is one of every
three mountain dwellers. When only
rural areas are considered, this igure
increases to one of every two mountain
dweller. During the period 2000-2012,
food insecurity decreased around the
world but increased in mountain areas.
These alarming statistics highlight the
plight of mountain communities. They
underline the need for policy-makers
to include mountains in their development agendas, especially to alleviate
the harsh living conditions of mountain
communities and reducing outmigration from mountain areas. The study
revealed a 30% increase in the number
of mountain people vulnerable to food
insecurity from 2000 to 2012, even as
number of people living in the mountains increased by 16%.
The FAO 2015 Mountain Vulnerability
Model used to develop the indings
of the study estimates the availability
of calories in rural mountain regions,
considering the production rate of
agricultural areas as an average of the
yields of six main mountain crops:
beans, cassava, maize, potatoes, rice
and wheat. It also includes information on food quality by estimating the
availability of proteins from beef meat,
cow milk, sheep meat, sheep milk,
goat meat, goat milk, pig meat, chicken
meat and eggs. People having access to
less than 1,370 kcal and 14g of animal
protein per day are considered to be at
risk of food insecurity as those thresholds are taken as survival requirements
in case other foods are not available.
FAO also has an active programme on
mountain agriculture (and allied sec-
tors). Therefore, the indings of the
study highlight the need to focus on
mountain agriculture and allied sectors. For many years, FAO India has
maintained a low proile but more
recently, it has intensiied its activities
and started developing a range of new
programmes. As part of these initiatives, FAO India has also just begun
work on the detailed design of a FAOGoI-GEF Project on landscape-based
approach to biodiversity conservation
and agriculture and allied sectors in
ive states, two of which are in the IHR:
Mizoram and Uttarakhand.
In this context, I started exploring how
FAO could use this GEF Project as a
basis to expand its outreach to other
IHR states. My long association with
IMI helped me ind an answer, given
its wide outreach across the IHR. This
provided the basis for conceptualising
and developing the Technical Cooperation Programme—designed to help
IMI institutionalise further, while also
initiating a collaborative programme
with IMI to contribute to advocacy for
enhanced policy outcomes for the agriculture and allied sectors across the
IHR states through focussed interventions that will be also complementary
to the FAO-GoI-GEF interventions.
The FAO-IMI TCP also aims to bring in
international best practices and experiences from other mountain regions
elsewhere in the world.
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
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Ladakh 2016
Living Sustainably in the Himalayas through
community-based initiatives
RASHMI BHARTI. Co Founder and Founding Secretary, AVANI. Founder and Chairperson, Kumaon Earthcraft Self Reliant Cooperative
T
he bond between man and nature in the mountains is very
strong. The people, the environment and the ecology are one contiguous whole until we try to mould the
mountains to the plains…The reality
of mountain living as we all know, is
completely different…it is relaxed…
it is peaceful and it has creativity that
nourishes the soul…Every society
needs ritual and practice to engage the
mind and the soul…to continue to live
peacefully…Our traditions were created to make this a part of our daily lives
without making it regimental.
This is what we believe in…to re-establish and strengthen the bond of earth
and man. Create a circle of production
and consumption that is earth friendly
and that supports the local communities as well. Avani is an NGO working
in the Kumaon Himalayas since 1997,
with the creation of rural livelihood
opportunities through preservation of
traditional craft, appropriate technology and farm based activities. Avani’s
work has reached more than 20,000
people in 104 villages. It focuses on
the empowerment of rural women
through livelihood creation and conservation based activities that focus on
appropriate technologies like solar energy and pine needle gasiication.
The participation of the community,
respect for traditional knowledge, conservation of the environment and fair
trade practices are the cornerstones of
our work.
Avani has helped establish an artisans’
collective, Kumaon Earthcraft, a self
reliant cooperative, in 2005, that produces and markets high quality, eco
70
friendly, hand-made textiles with natural ibres of silk and wool in natural
dyes. This cooperative comprises of
women who are farmers and artisans
from 64 villages in the Kumaon region
of Uttarakhand.
This enterprise has revived the art of
hand spinning and hand weaving in
remote Himalayan villages and enabled
rural mountain women to earn a living
close to their homes for the past 17
years. This is a movement of slow textiles with a very small carbon footprint.
Earthcraft focuses on the use of local
skills, local people and local resources. In congruence to this philosophy,
Earthcraft produces natural dye powders, extracts and pigments from local
plants as well as organic detergents, art
supplies made from plant based pigment. Our purchase of dye materials
from local trees and invasive species,
has led to conservation of local bio
diversity and removal of invasive species. We have initiated the cultivation
of indigo and madder in the villages to
create livelihoods. We aim to work with
about 2,000 farmers with cultivation
and collection of different dye plants in
the Indian Himalayas.
Our entire cycle of production is based
in the village. It begins with the planting of trees, sericulture, spinning,
weaving and natural dyeing. The processes of production use clean energy
(solar and biomass) and recycling of
all the wastewater. We have integrated
different elements of the rural reality
into the creation of this enterprise that
remains true to its environmental sensitivity.
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
It is possible to set up a community-based enterprise that is owned and
managed by rural poor that allows for
community action and common beneit. However, strengthening and establishing a community-based enterprise
that recognises traditional knowledge
systems and builds upon them is the
key to sustainability. A policy that takes
into account the speciicity of mountain regions, at the formulation and
implementation stage, will set the tone
for a long-lasting impact and good governance.
The following basic principles form the
basis of our work:
Valuing the local: People, resources
and skills
• To give back to the Himalayas.
• To bring value and dignity to local
resources and local skills. Avani has
trained and empowered a team of rural
youth from nearby villages who manage all aspects of the organisation and
the enterprise.
• To counter the belief that nothing is
possible in the mountains and create a
replicable model.
• To create a reliable source of income for socially and economically
vulnerable women and girls who have
dropped out of school.
• A space has been created where
women manage a rural enterprise that
has supported them for the past 16
years.
To create an opportunity and choices
with local solutions
The Renewable Energy Enterprise
SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAICS AND PINENEEDLE GASIFICATION
• This enterprise has taken solar
lights to more than 2,800 families and
trained local youth to assemble, repair
and maintain solar lights. Our solar initiative is managed by rural women and
men who are trained in assembling and
maintaining solar lighting systems. Self
suficiency of the village is the key.
• A pioneering Pine-needle Gasiication plant has been installed that converts pine needles into electricity and
also produces cooking charcoal, thereby reducing drudgery of women and
conserving the environment.
economic empowerment of girls has
had a positive impact on decision-making in the family.
• Eupatorium, a highly invasive weed
in the Himalayas, has been used for
textile dyeing and extraction of pigments. The monetisation of this weed
has encouraged farmers to remove it
from local areas.
• It is important to bring the entire cycle of production to rural areas. This
strengthens the rural economy, builds
capacity in the community and establishes a Mountain Brand that originates
as a inished product from the hills.
IMPORTANT CHALLENGES
KUMAON EARTHCRAFT – A PEOPLE’S
COOPERATIVE
Revival of traditional crafts – Hand
skills
• This enterprise supports over 1,400
families in 64 villages to earn a supplementary income in their homes without migrating anywhere. This has led
to the revival and preservation of the
local traditional skills of hand-spinning,
hand weaving and the Art of natural
dyeing. This enterprise has generated
around ₹2 crores as wages and salaries
for local people in the past 14 years.
• The cooperative has revived a traditional craft and has established a conservation-oriented enterprise that is
based in the village and supports the
economy of the village. It is now an
artisan and farmer-owned cooperative,
which restores the ecosystem through
cultivation of natural dye plants.
• The women who are part of this
programme have managed to meet all
their living expenses, educated their
children, paid for medical expenses,
and constructed their homes. Some
have even paid for their own marriages
through the income they earn through
these activities.
• The age of marriage of young girls
has also been extended as they became
earning members of the family. The
There have been a lot of challenges
that Avani has faced in this process and
a lot of learning has taken place, which
have ensured that it is an operational
enterprise:
• Lack of interest amongst rural youth
to stay back in the villages.
• Loss of traditional livelihoods due
to lack of value to local skills and local
resources.
• Lack of access to raw material and
capital for farmers and artisans.
• Higher cost of production due to a
decentralised production system, keeping the artisan at the core. The work
reaches artisans and farmers in village.
It is a decentralised model, rather than
a centralised factory model, leading to
higher production costs.
• Lack of Infrastructure in remote areas.
• Lack of trained human resource.
• Lack of access to information and
government schemes in rural areas.
• Ambiguous policies regarding traditional crafts and related raw materials.
• Poor wages for skilled jobs of an artisan, leading to a dilution of skill base.
Until recently NREGA wages were more
lucrative than weaving.
• Poor linkage to the markets and the
lack of investments in developing a
supply chain.
RELEVANT SOLUTIONS:
1. Infrastructure and accessibility: Most
of the villages where we work are 30
minutes to two hours from the nearest
road-head. The nearest train station
is 200 kms and the nearest airport is
about 250 kms away. Community centres were constructed in ive villages
where people donated land to Avani to
enable the installation of wider looms.
These centres are now the hub of all activities coordinated by Avani and Earthcraft in nearby village clusters. These
centres have also become the meeting
place for the village community institution-building in remote rural areas is
very important.
2. Water and energy: Care was taken to
ensure that the production processes
only uses clean energy sources such
as solar and biomass energy, rainwater
harvesting and waste water recycling.
These minimise waste and reduce the
carbon emission of the production cycle
Challenges faced by small producers:
• All communities in the mountains
practice some form of weaving and
production of goods. Despite this,
there has been a steady decline (about
33%) in the number of weavers pursuing their traditional craft between 2001
and 2011.
• Lack of interest amongst the younger
generation to pursue the craft due to
inadequate returns.
• Disorganised sector, few successful
examples of joint initiatives, cooperatives.
• Artisans and farmers need access to
capital, raw material, markets, responsible design inputs where the designer
is also responsible for the sale of the
product.
• Craft wages were not part of MGNREGA and skilled crafts-persons were
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
71
Ladakh 2016
carrying stones to earn their living.
They have been in the same debt cycle
as farmers.
• There is no investment in technologies that would allow artisans to pursue
their craft. This includes rainwater harvesting in water deicient areas, waste
water recycling (important in the dyeing and printing industry of textiles),
and availability and affordability of
natural dyes as well as non-toxic dyes.
There is also need to support spinning
technology that uses indigenous varieties of wool, cotton and other natural ibres. There is no investment in
small scale technologies that can serve
a village, say like carding machines,
spinning mills, etc. Most machines are
too large and are usually not functional
due to very high input costs in terms
of energy and production. There is also
the lack of availability of power from
clean energy sources.
POTENTIAL
There is immense potential in mountain regions for artisanal, farm produce
and eco tourism sectors.
• Skilled artisans do not require skill
training to perform their job. They only
need linkages to markets and some design and capital inputs.
• Today, the demand for ethically produced, hand-made, eco-friendly and
organic products is growing exponentially. Indian and overseas consumers
are jaded with cheap, commercially-produced products. They are looking for genuine products.
tinue living in their native surroundings.
• There is a strong movement in favour
of hand-spun, hand-woven and naturally-dyed textile products at which
Indian artisans excel.
• The demand for natural dyes is going to increase exponentially in the
next few years. But who is going to
produce? We should be working with
small farmers to cultivate wastelands as
they are not water and labour intensive
crops, especially for small farmers in
the mountains.
NATURAL RESOURCES FOR
DIFFERENT ENTERPRISES:
• Dye plants
• Medicinal plants
• Organic foods
• Wool and pashmina
• Cultivation and collection of commonly available dye plants and medicinal plants for natural pigments and
medicines
• Use of invasive species for productive applications
• Use of traditional skills to produce
marketable and high quality textiles
The government can support these objectives in different ways:
• The interaction of policy makers
and rural producers is very important
before formulation of policy based on
skill and resource mapping for every
district.
• Experiential tourism that immerses
travellers in the reality of the community. They are visiting and re-establishing
the value of the local culture.
• The emphasis should be on local
skills, local materials and local management and small scale.
• All these activities have a strong potential of generating suficient income in
rural areas to allow communities to con-
• Investment in infrastructure: There
should be spinning mills close to where
the wool is produced. Pashmina from
Tibet that comes to Dharchula, goes
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Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
for carding to a factory in Faridabad
and then comes back to Munsiari for
spinning. There should be small-scale
facilities for artisan communities. The
government can invest in such facilities
• The national master-plan should address issues of raw material, processing
(weaving, spinning, dyeing) as a contiguous chain.
• Policy for the mountains has to be
distinct from those developed for the
plains.
• Every administrator and policy maker should take the time to become informed and educated about the subject
for which they are responsible.
• Producer collectives should be encouraged and strengthened.
• Training should be dovetailed with
entrepreneurship. Access to capital has
to be made easier.
• Respect for traditional knowledge
and innovation is crucial to ensure
that government policy enhances local
economy.
• Investment in clean technologies
that enable the rural enterprises to
become eco-friendly and self-sustaining. Funds should be made available to
small enterprises for these objectives.
• It is important to plan for water,
energy and industry-related pollution
in all programmes that support handlooms and handicrafts.
• There should be stringent implementation of pollution control measures,
which will help cottage industries to
survive.
• Conservation-based livelihoods
around organic produce and eco tourism tp enable small farmers to live sustainably in their native area without
migrating to other places.
• A balance between creativity and enterprise.
Ecotourism: A new livelihood alternative and conservation
opportunity in Hemis National Park, Western Himalaya, India
JIGMET TAKPA, IFS. Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Ladakh Region
INTRODUCTION
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
Ecotourism is one of the new and rapidly growing trends
in tourism. The International Ecotourism Society deines
ecotourism as the “responsible travel to natural areas that
conserves the environment and improves the well-being of
local people”. Its potential for growth is virtually unlimited.
Ecotourism programme mainly consist of nature-based activities that are ecologically sustainable, where education and
interpretation are prioritised.
Study area
Hemis High Altitude National Park (3409.844° N and
77035.068° E), a representative sample of the larger Ladakh
landscape was chosen for intensive study. It is located south of
Leh town. The park was established in 1981 with an initial are
of 600 sq km, which was subsequently increased by incorporating surrounding areas to cover 4,750 sq km, which makes
one of the largest national parks in south Asia. The national
park’s altitude ranges from 3,200m to 6,400m above mean sea
level. Hemis monastery, an ancient and famous pilgrimage site
for Buddhists gave the national park its name. The park is located on the western bank of Indus river and encompasses the
catchments for Markha, Rumbak, Sumdah and Changchenmo
streams.
The remarkable biodiversity and spectacular landscapes of
the Himalayas make it an ideal destination for Ecotourism.
However, there has been a lack of coherence in the Indian
Himalayan region over the last few decades with regard to
development and sustainable tourism. Ecotourism in the
Himalayan region has several advantages and disadvantages (Buckley, 2004). If done correctly, it can provide a vital
source of income for local communities, giving them an economic stake in protecting the environment. It can also help
foster cultural exchange, employment opportunities and infrastructural growth. However, it can also have potentially
negative impacts on local ecology, biodiversity and communities.
Ladakh is a Trans-Himalayan region located in the state of
J&K and is characterised by rugged landscapes, limited agricultural landholdings where lack of connectivity hinders
various livelihood strategies. The region is rich in cultural
and natural resources with spectacular landscapes that make
it an ideal candidate for ecotourism initiatives, which have
been evolving gradually over the last two decades. At the
same time, local communities have had varied experiences
with processes related to tourism, even as their own livelihood strategies impact biodiversity and conservation.
A study was conducted for a preliminary assessment of local community perception on engagement with ecotourism
ventures, livelihood patterns and their role in conserving
biodiversity in Hemis High Altitude National Park and its adjoining areas in Ladakh.
SKILLS FOR DEVELOPMENT IN THE MOUNTAINS
Besides covering a considerable part of the snow leopard
habitat, the park also harbours species of wild sheep and
goats that provide it with international importance for biodiversity conservation. These ungulates include Ladakh urial (Ovis orientalis vignei), the more common blue sheep
or bharal (Pseudois nayaur), a small population of Tibetan
argali (Ovis ammon hodgsoni) and the ibex (Capra ibex sibirica). Other carnivores present here include the Tibetan
wolf (Canis lupus chanco), Dhole or Indian wild dog (Cuon
alpinus) and red fox (Vulpus vulpus). The high altitude pastures harbour Himalayan marmot (Marmota bobak) and
snow cock (Tetraogallus himalayensis), while golden eagles
(Aquila chrysaetos), Himalayan griffon (Gyps himalayensis)
and the bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) are the main
birds of prey. In view the biological resource that it harbours,
Hemis High Altitude National park is an important wildlife
conservation area in the trans-Himalayas.
Hemis includes most of the catchment of the lower Zangskar river, from the mouth of Markha river to its conluence
with Indus river. There are three main valleys in the park:
Sumdah in the north, Markha in the south, and Rumbak in
the northeast. The valleys are rugged, narrow, and littered
with boulders and rocks, and rimmed by peaks that reach
6,000m. Vegetation is predominantly alpine and steppe in
nature. Shrublands cover less than 5% of the total land area.
Grasses, sedges and herbaceous plants are the main vegetation type, usually covering less than 15% of the total area.
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
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Ladakh 2016
Dominant species include woundwort (Stachys tibetica),
cinquefoils (Potentilla spp.), wormweeds (Artemesia spp.),
Bistorta spp. and Agrostis spp. The more moist upper mountain slopes support limited stands of alpine vegetation, characterized by genera such as Anemone, Gentiana, Thallctrwn, Lloydia, Veronica, Deiphinum, Carex and Kobresia. The
remaining mountain slopes and open hillsides, comprising
the major portion of the park, support primarily steppe vegetation dominated by Caragana, Artemisia, Stachys, and
Ephedra. Shrubland (Hippophae, Salix, and Myricaria) with
poplar (Populus) and a very few birch trees (Betula) occur
along the lower river courses, and are an important source
of wood for the park residents.
Some 1,600 people live in the 15 villages of the three major
valleys: Rumbak valley (Rumchung, Zingchen, Rumbak and
Yurutse), Markha valley (Skyu, Kaya, Shingo, Markha, and the
three Hankar settlements of Umlung, Doltokling and Hankar), and Shang valley (Chogdo, Shang-Dun, Shang-Nakding
and Shang-Sumdo). A majority of the residents of these villages rear livestock as their main livelihood strategy. Access
to easy prey draws large carnivores, especially snow leopards, to villages and often leads to corral-raiding. Each year,
such human-wildlife conlict would leave scores of livestock
dead and exert a huge burden on the local economy. This, in
turn, affects local support for conservation of wildlife.
Despite being such an important wildlife habitat, Hemis
High Altitude National park has never received much attention from researchers due to its remote and inhospitable terrain and harsh climatic conditions. Though there have been
some studies, there is need to for more consistent research
on biodiversity to generate inputs for conservation.
During the survey, most participants were cooperative and
participated voluntarily. The duration taken to administer
the questionnaire varied for each respondent. Few of the
participants did express annoyance when lengthy interviews
infringed on their daily schedule.
The survey included information about the respondent’s demography, education level, land ownership, income source
and change in income, dependence on fuel, ownership and
change of livestock numbers and their general perception
about the role of the different stakeholders such as NGOs,
government and religious authorities towards biodiversity
conservation in the region. This information provides a baseline understanding on local socio-economic status.
With regard to human-wildlife conlict, respondents were
asked about the number and type of wild species observed in
the area, the locations and frequency of sightings, the presence of prey species, types of interactions, the use of wildlife
in traditional medicinal systems, general perception on livestock loss and various measures and expectation from the
government. They were also asked about various approaches
being used to mitigate the impact of such conlicts.
RESULTS
1.1. Change in dependence on fuel:
DATA COLLECTION:
The Data was collected in 2013 from 13 villages in the national park: Hankar, Shingo, Rumbak, Yurutse, Chiling, Sumda Dho, Togte, Markha, Sumda Chun, Sumda, Skyu, Kaya and
Ezang. The survey was conducted from 8th October to 30th
October with a team of 11 people, which included nine wildlife guards from the Department of Wildlife Protection. The
survey team spent about two to three days in each village.
Detailed data on wildlife conlict was also collected, which
are presented in a separate section. The team trekked to the
13 villages as no other form of transportation is available.
A total of 107 people participated in the survey and each
respondent was asked for information for three speciic time
periods: 2003, 2007 and 2013.
During the survey, an attempt was made to ensure equal
representation of males and females. However, the participation of the head of family was prioritised. The survey was
conducted either in the morning and evening as people are
more readily available in their homes at this time of the day.
74
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
Fig.1. Change in dependence on fuel over the period of 10 years in Hemis NP
As seen in Figure 1, traditional sources of fuel such as kerosene, cow-dung and irewood has not been increased between 2003 and 2013. As a result of government interventions, there is an increased use of environmentally-friendly
energy sources, such as electricity, LPG and solar. In 2003,
34.37% people were using solar energy and this increased
to 66.6% in 2013. Similarly, 34% people were using LPG and
this increased to 84% in 2013.
1.2. Change in source of Income
People in rural areas in Ladakh are still primarily dependent
on agricultural activities and the data collected shows no
change in the number of people engaged in this activity (Fig
2). An increasing number of people are establishing home-
1.5. Wildlife Conlict issues
Fig.2. Change in source of income over the period of ten years in Hemis NP
stays as an additional source of income—this is one of the
sectors that witnessed a dramatic increase from 38% in 2003
to 96.8% in 2013. In 2003, 63% were dependent on tourism
as a source of income, which increased to 75% in 2013. The
number of people employed in the government has also increased from 26% in 2003 to 33.3%, in 2013.
1.3. Change in number of educated or school going people
Fig.3 Change in total Number of Educated and school going people study area over the period of
ten years in Hemis NP
Figure 3 indicates an increase in the number of educated and
school-going individual from 2003 to 2013.
1.4. Change in livestock Number
Fig.5. Number of respondents by village in the year 2013
Conlict between humans and wildlife has gained a lot of attention in conservation and policy circles. These conlicts not
only cause serious damage to human lives and livelihoods,
but also threaten wildlife. Long-term conservation requires
understanding and mitigation of conlicts to encourage coexistence of wildlife and humans. Figure 5 provides a village-wise breakdown of the 107 respondents who participated in the survey. The number and type of wild species sighted
changed with village location, but the most common were
snow leopard, wolf, red fox, Tibetan argali, blue sheep and
marmot. Most people reported seeing wildlife away from human settlements and the frequency of sightings ranged from
once to 15 times a year. The prey base included domestic animals such as cow, ox, horse, sheep, goat, yak and donkey.
The survey data suggested three main reasons for human-wildlife conlict. These reasons are ranked according to
the number of respondents for the speciic factor:
1. Increase in numbers of carnivores
2. Ease of access to domestic animals
3. Intrusions by humans in wilderness areas
Though most people identiied predators as being responsible for conlicts, most added that predator should not be
killed. With regard to measures for conlict mitigation, a majority of the respondents identiied the need for some form
of security measure to prevent attacks (Fig 6). The most commonly used measure was the use of closed enclosures, followed by open enclosures with use of mesh wire and dogs.
Around 10% of the respondents reported that they were not
using any security measure to prevent attacks by predators.
Fig.4. Change in number of livestock number over the period of ten years in Hemis NP
Figure 4 shows a decreasing trend of livestock ownership of
sheep and goats, except for horses. This could be explained
by the fact that people use horses for various tourist activities.
Fig.6. Types of security measures used against predators.
SKILLS FOR DEVELOPMENT IN THE MOUNTAINS
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
75
Ladakh 2016
A very small proportion of the population reported killing
of predators such as snow leopards and wolves by trapping.
When asked about the use of wildlife in traditional medicinal
systems, people reported that plant resources were used more
commonly than animal parts. The general perception amongst
the respondents was that livestock loss due to predation has
increased. People expected the Wildlife Department and the
Tourism Department to provide compensation for depredation losses, distribute mesh wire protection, help build good
quality sheds, and provide man power to guard their livestock.
CONCLUSIONS
Overall, tourism and related activities have had a positive impact on income, livelihood ownership and dependence on
fuel. People are more involved in home-stays and are increasingly adopting renewable sources of energy. This is expected
to reduce pressure on natural resources and pastures in the
area and also discourage people from using energy sources
such as cow dung that release harmful emissions.
Respondents identiied three reasons for human-wildlife
conlict: i) increase in the number of carnivores, ii) ease of
access to domestic animals and iii) intrusions by humans in
wilderness areas. However, the number of domestic animals
has reduced between 2003 and 2013 and the exact number of
carnivores is not known. Even though people blamed predators for conlict, they were also tolerant towards them and
expected the government to help them mitigate the conlict.
The success of the eco-development project in Hemis National park is based on balancing biodiversity conservation
and enhancing livelihood strategies for people living in and
around the park. The involvement of local communities in
ecotourism activities is a crucial step in this regard. It provides alternative sources of income to local communities that
live in and around protected areas, which decreases their dependence on natural resources and increases their commitment to conservation. The lessons from Hemis National park
are important for protected areas elsewhere, as it provides a
template to beneit communities and achieve conservation
simultaneously.
REFERENCES:
Buckley, R., 2004. Impacts Positive and Negative: Links Between Ecotourism and Environment, in “Environmental Impacts of Ecotourism”. In: Buckley, R. (Ed.). CABI Publishing,
New York, pp.1-14.
Sustainable Livelihood Initiative: The experience of Chizami
SENO TSUHAH. Project Team Leader, North East Network Nagaland
INTRODUCTION:
Mountain economy is primarily based
on solidarity, territoriality and subsistence. Pastoralist communities in
the mountains, shifting cultivators,
hill weavers, healers, communities
of sustainable practices consider the
mountains as their extended families
rather than just habitats. Geophysical
isolation and rugged terrain excludes
the communities from the mainstream
developments in plains. As far as entrepreneurship is concerned, it is based
on exploration, extraction and depletion of natural resources, rather than
76
regeneration and sustainable management of resources. But in the hills there
is a solidarity-based entrepreneurship
that prevails across generations. Land
on hilly terrains are constantly transforming and evolving through natural
forces. Climate variation also increases
the vulnerabilities for hill communities
with regard to resources. Common
resources like water sources, forests,
roads, food crop ields in terrace and
slopes, mineral resources, unpolluted air and non-timber forest produce
deines the hill economy. Such commons are governed through the local
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
self governance institutions, customary
codes and a mutual solidarity that exists amongst mountain communities
of the world. Under such conditions,
livelihoods in the hills become a critical concern for marginalised individuals and communities. Social exchanges,
global economic forces and traditional
skills open up new avenues for entrepreneurship. In the context of Chizami, such avenues have been created
through women’s agency. The Chizami
experience of practicing sustainable
livelihoods is inclusive, innovative and
insightful.
THE CHIZAMI EXPERIENCE:
Loin loom textile weaving is a unique
craft interwoven with the cultural
identity and livelihoods of the people
of Nagaland. Weaving in Nagaland is
exclusively done by women, cutting
across different age-groups and tribes.
Traditionally weaving is done solely for
self-consumption within the household but there is a thriving market for
hand-woven products.
Global market has created diverse livelihood opportunities for hill communities, which demands consistent enhancement of traditional and acquired
skills. Today, the younger generation
has different aspirations than sustaining traditional livelihoods such as textile weaving and agriculture. Hence,
the new skill set has to match the aspirations of the young people, while also
retaining their interests in the living
heritage of their tribal ethos.
The experience of ‘Chizami Weaves’ is a
story that has transformed the weaving
tradition in 11 villages in Phek district
of Nagaland. ‘Chizami Weaves’ is a livelihood project initiated by North East
Network (NEN)1 in 2008. The project
aimed at creating livelihood opportunities for women and in enhancing their
earning capacities, professional choices and collective space. It is also an attempt to preserve traditional weaving
skills and design motifs.
With the penetration of cash economy,
1
North East Network (NEN) is a women's organisation working in the Northeast region of India
with a focus on women’s human rights. Ever since
its inception in 1995, NEN’s role has been to facilitate an empowering process for women of the region around issues of creative learning, livelihood,
environment, health and their representation in
governance. This has been and continues to be
done through capacity building, awareness raising, networking, research and advocacy. NEN has
been working in Assam, Meghalaya, and Nagaland
adopting diverse strategies towards good development, corresponding with local situations.
our communities are getting trapped
in the web of debts, cash crunch and
growing needs of modern life. Such
changes are gradually affecting the socio-economic conditions of communities, particularly weavers. Our weavers
in Chizami belong to the Chakhesang
Naga tribe, who are from economically
poor families and own very small pieces
of cultivable land. Cash income, in general, is low amongst rural communities
in Nagaland. Weaving is normally done
to meet the needs of the weaver’s family, such as children’s education, health
and daily household expenses. We started with seven weavers and currently
work with 300 weavers from Chizami
and 10 other villages in Phek district.
Our weavers’ primary livelihood is
subsistence agriculture and textile
weaving is their subsidiary livelihood.
Therefore, we adopted a decentralised
model of production that provides autonomy to weavers in making decisions
about work timings and creating space
for innovation in design development.
Our Chizami experience taught us that
the viability of any entrepreneurial activity needs to be integrated with the
socio-cultural ethos of the community.
For sustainability of entrepreneurial
activity, one has to understand the
market demands. Our loyal clientele
includes those who appreciate traditional products as well as those who appreciate contemporary products. More
recently, there is a growing interest
and demand for products derived from
natural ibres and dyes. This opens up
new opportunities for mountain communities who have access to a richness
of natural resources and biodiversity. If
required, location speciic infrastructure and related skills can complement
the existing resources. NEN is attempting to revive the traditional cotton and
stinging nettle plant textiles, starting
with the research and design development and an aspiration to develop
a product line of natural ibres in the
future. The need to adapt and innovate
constantly for diverse markets is a priority area and this requires the collabo-
SKILLS FOR DEVELOPMENT IN THE MOUNTAINS
ration between designers, artisans, entrepreneurs, informed consumers and
the government.
The Chizami weaves project recognises
that unless leadership capacities of local people are built, it’s dificult to sustain any venture. A social enhancement
component was therefore built in the
livelihood project. The outcomes have
not only enhanced the income of women weavers but also developed their
leadership skills and enabled them to
claim their economic, social, cultural
and political rights in their homes and
community.
STORIES OF POSITIVE CHANGE
• Two weavers from Enhulumi village
who have been engaged with the Chizami Weaves project since 2009 – Ms.
Konei-u Lohe and Ms. Kedutsolo-u
were elected as members of the Village
Council in January 2015. Their inclusion in the village council is a landmark
achievement for women in the community. This was the irst time in the
history of the village that women were
included in the council. Ms. Koneiu
also has been taking a leading role to
organise women from her community who work in the informal sector to
claim their rights and entitlements.
• Another weaver, Ms. Vezote-u Doulo
from Thetsumi village is leading women farmers of her community to sustain
agro-bio diverse farming and promote
local food.
• Ms. Tshenyilo-u Chirhah, a young
weaver from Chizami village is a promising ilm maker who is making ilms
related to culture and livelihoods, sustainable food and farming, women’s
rights and community development.
• A weaver from Enhulumi village
Ms. Kotele, who is currently the chairperson of her Village Women Society,
shared proudly, “My public speaking
and leadership skills started from Chizami weaving centre. I became aware
of women’s rights issues through our
weavers’ meetings and training programmes.”
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
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Ladakh 2016
• A weaver from Chizami village Ms.
Neikhrolou Thopi, who was with the
project since its inception in 2008 said,
“Besides agricultural wage work that
is seasonal, we have no other regular
employment available throughout the
year, but NEN has provided me that
alternative livelihood through their
weaving project. Today, I have a regular income with which I am supporting
my siblings’ education and taking care
of our household needs.”
attention. As a non-proit initiative, the
social security beneits and emergency
health security measures for weavers is
very important. However, resources for
such measures are almost nonexistent.
Sometimes, even basic services are not
in place to enhance the quality of life
for the weavers. Constant innovation of
products and adequate pricing to maintain decent wages, production costs and
other beneits provides new challenges
for the Chizami Weaves team.
• A weaver from Chizami Town Ms.
Aneile Kapfo said, “Earlier, my husband
used to tell me not to weave, but I continued to weave and later he started
helping me make yarn balls. Now, my
husband looks after our livestock while
I weave. I can also say that by earning
an income, I have started getting more
respect from my family members.”
RECOMMENDATIONS
These accounts provide evidence of the
multidimensional impact of weaving
when it transforms into a productive
activity from a reproductive activity. It
enables rural women to negotiate for
greater well-being for themselves and
those around them. Women are socially,
politically, economically, technologically included as skilled individuals, rather
than beneiciaries of various schemes.
CONSTRAINTS AND CHALLENGES
Within the context of hill economy especially in conlict areas like Nagaland, entrepreneurship suffers due to poor infrastructure, including road, power supply,
IT, unskilled work force, heavy taxation,
and high transportation costs. This is
worsened by poor governance that denies basic support services in education,
health and other social sectors. Mountain states also constantly suffer due to
natural disasters such as landslides, lash
loods, hailstorms and earthquakes,
which threaten lives and livelihoods of
local communities. The lack of appropriate technology inputs such as tools/
implements to decrease the drudgery
of farmers and artisans is another major
constraint. Adequate measures to maintain quality and increase productivity
with newer market needs also requires
78
Policy Measures for Futuristic Action:
1. Ecosystem cluster interventions:
According to the height of habitats in
diverse mountain ranges different interventions can be planned.
2. Sustainable practices for regeneration: Various practices that indigenous
communities dependent on mountain
ecosystem have been carrying out
through generations to enhance the
mountain ecosystem and habitats for
plants, animals and people should be
documented and promoted.
3. Economic and social security measures for promoting ecosystem regeneration:
Communities need to be strengthened
with monetary, infrastructural, technological resources, skills, knowledge
and information about ecosystem regeneration and sustainable development practices and goals.
4. Local, inter-district, inter-state, regional and international cooperation
to network for entrepreneurial initiatives: Communication, transportation,
trade linkages, inter-sectoral relationships need to be strengthened for entrepreneurial interventions.
5. Convergence of Skill India, Digital India and Start-Up India to create
social, technological and community
based innovations that support women
and youth in mountain regions.
6. Social entrepreneurial interventions
are also needed to address discrimination against women, children, and el-
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
derly persons, traficking of people and
development-induced out-migration
that affects mountain communities.
7. Create a platform for consumer education to facilitate an interface between
craft producers and consumers
8. Cultural rights of hill communities
have to be upheld to protect and document community knowledge/ITK.
9. Support community institutional
building in the form of artisan collectives/cooperatives, farmers collectives
etc. Incentivise producers who grow
raw materials (especially natural ibres). Explore convergence of local
livelihoods with schemes such as MGNREGS, NRLM.
10. All emergency measures, services, support systems have to be in place during
natural and human-induced disasters to
support mountain communities.
11. Gender transformation approaches and gender inclusive policy interventions are required to address the
needs, gaps and rights of people from
mountain communities. This includes
recognition of women’s skills, knowledge and innovation.
ADDITIONAL LESSONS
1. Informal interaction with women
weavers, women farmers, women community leaders, key stakeholders in
community institutions, church bodies
and community members on concerns
of mountain communities helped formulate the recommendations.
2. Weekly and monthly meetings with
NEN team members, ield workers,
community workers, ield researchers,
critics and resource support groups enabled us to relect on strategic needs,
speciic constraints and future possibilities for community initiatives on sustainable livelihoods.
REFERENCES:
Annual Reports 2014-15, 2015-16,
North East Network
Tsuhah Seno, 2014, Craft Heritage and
Transformation (paper presented).
Photography Competition
First prize
Second prize
Isaac Tsetan Gergan
Tsering Stobdan
Third prize
Third prize
Mingyur Dechan and Smanla Tsering
Thupstan Rinchen
SKILLS FOR DEVELOPMENT IN THE MOUNTAINS
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
79
Ladakh 2016
List of participants
Policymakers and elected representatives
1.
80
Leh
Dr. Sonam Dawa Lonpo
Chairman/Chief Executive Councillor, LAHDC
2.
Leh
Sh. Tsering Dorjey
Hon. Minister of Cooperative and Ladakh Afairs
3.
Sikkim
Mr. Prem Das Rai
Hon MP (LS) Sikkim
4.
Meghalaya Mr. Conrad Sangma
Hon MP Meghalaya
5.
Leh
Sh. Nawang Rigzin Jora
Hon MLA, Leh
6.
Leh
Sh. Deldan Namgyal
Hon MLA, Nubra
7.
Sikkim
Dr. Mechung Bhutia
Hon MLA Sikkim
8.
Himachal
Mr. Ravi Thakur
Hon MLA Himachal Pradesh
9.
Leh
Sh. Tsering Sandup
Hon Executive Councillor, LAHDC
10.
Leh
Sh. Dorjay Motup
Hon Executive Councillor, LAHDC
11.
Leh
Sh. Mumtaz Hussain
Hon Executive Councillor, LAHDC
12.
Leh
Sh. Tsering Wangdus
Hon Executive Councillor, LAHDC
13.
Leh
Sh. Ghulam Mehdi
Hon Councillor, LAHDC
14.
Leh
Sh. Gurmet Dorjay
Hon Councillor, LAHDC
15.
Leh
Sh. Gyal P. Wangyal
Hon Councillor, LAHDC
16.
Leh
Sh. Jamyang Tsering Namgyal
Hon Councillor, LAHDC
17.
Leh
Sh. Jigmet Namgyal
Hon Councillor, LAHDC
18.
Leh
Sh. Konchok Stanzin
Hon Councillor, LAHDC
19.
Leh
Sh. Kunzang Lotos
Hon Councillor, LAHDC
20.
Leh
Gey. Lobzang Nyantak
Hon Councillor, LAHDC
21.
Leh
Sh. Lobzang Sherap
Hon Councillor, LAHDC
22.
Leh
Sh. Morup Dorje
Hon Councillor, LAHDC
23.
Leh
Sh. Naseer Hussain
Hon Councillor, LAHDC
24.
Leh
Sh. P. Wangdan
Hon Councillor, LAHDC
25.
Leh
Sh. Phuntsog Dorje
Hon Councillor, LAHDC
26.
Leh
Sh. Phuntsog Stanzin
Hon Councillor, LAHDC
27.
Leh
Sh. Rigzin Lundup
Hon Councillor, LAHDC
28.
Leh
Smt. Rinchen Lhamo
Hon Councillor, LAHDC
29.
Leh
Smt. Sayeeda Bano
Hon Councillor, LAHDC
30.
Leh
Sh. Sonam Dorje
Hon Councillor, LAHDC
31.
Leh
Sh. Sonam Norbu
Hon Councillor, LAHDC
32.
Leh
Sh. Tashi Namgail
Hon Councillor, LAHDC
33.
Leh
Sh. Thupstan Wangchuk
Hon Councillor, LAHDC
34.
Leh
Sh. Tsering Angchuk
Hon Councillor, LAHDC
35.
Leh
Sh. Tsering Morup
Hon Councillor, LAHDC
36.
Leh
Sh. Tsering Nurboo
Hon Councillor, LAHDC
37.
Leh
Sh. Tsering Paldan
Hon Councillor, LAHDC
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
Resource Persons
38.
MoEF&CC
39.
LEAD India
Smt. Bhawana Luthra
Executive Director, LEAD-India
40.
Uttarkhand
Smt. Binita Shah
Founder of SARG
41.
Leh
Sh. Dorjey Angchuk
JKEDI
42.
ICIMOD
Dr. Dorothea Stumm
Senior Glaciologist, ICIMOD
43.
GBPIHED
Dr. J.C. Kuniyal
Scientist-F, GBPNIHESD
44.
XISS/Ladakh
Dr. Joseph Hill
Assistant Professor, XISS
45.
Ladakh
Dr. JT Gergan
Retired Scientist, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology
46.
MoSD&E
Smt. Jyotsna Sitling
Joint Secretary, MoSD&E
47.
Benga Luru
Smt. Minakshi Arora
Consultant, Arghyam
48.
Leh
Sh. Moses Kunzang
Addl. Deputy Commissioner, Leh
49.
Sikkim
Smt. Mrinalini Shrivastava
IPS, Additional Secy, Skill Dev. & Entrepreneurship
50.
Sikkim
Sh. Pem Norbu Sherpa
Field Facilitator, Dhaara Vikas Programme
51.
CPR
Dr. Philippe Cullet
Senior Visiting Fellow, Centre for Policy Research
52.
ICIMOD
Dr. Rajan Kotru
Regional Director, ICIMOD
53.
Avani
Smt. Rashmi Bharti
Co-Founder, Avani
54.
Darjeeling
Sh. Roshan P Rai
DLR Prerna
55.
NSDC
Dr. Sapna Poti
Head - J&K and Northeast Region, NSDC
56.
Nagaland
Smt. Seno Tsuhah
Project Team Leader, NEN
57.
TERI
Dr. Shresth Tayal
Area Convenor, Centre for Himalayan Ecology, TERI University
58.
ACWADAM
Sh. Siddharth Patil
ACWADAM
59.
Sikkim
Dr. Smriti Basnett
Research Associate, Sikkim University
60.
Leh
Dr. Sonam Wangchok
Director, Himalayan Cultural Heritage Foundation
61.
Leh
Sh. Sonam Wangchuk
Advisor, SECMOL/President-NLM, Leh
62.
Dr. Amita Prasad
Addl. Secy, MoEF&CC
Sh. Sunder Subramaniam
63.
Leh
Dr. Tsering Stobdan
DIHAR, Leh
64.
Leh
Sh. Thupstan Angchuk
Geology Student, JNU
65.
Nagaland
Sh. Vengota Nakro
Councillor, SDFN and Director (Soil and Water Conservation)
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
81
Ladakh 2016
Participants
66.
Himachal
Dr. Adesh Saini
67.
Leh
Sh. Angchuk
Junior Engineer, PWD
68.
Sikkim
Dr. Anil Mainra
IFS, Principal Secretary, DoS&T
69.
LEAD India
Sh. Anupam Sisodia
70.
Leh
Smt. Anzara Anjum
Snow Leopard Conservancy, Ladakh
71.
Leh
Sh. Arpit Sharma
Skill Council for Green Jobs, New Delhi
72.
Meghalaya
Sh. BDR Tiwari (IAS)
Secretary, Planning, Meghalaya
73.
Darjeeling
Sh. Bishnu Chettri
CEO, KKS
74.
Sikkim
Dr. Bhoj Kumar Acharya
Assistant Professor, Sikkim University
75.
Leh
Dr. Bhuvnesh Kumar
Director, DIHAR
76.
Arunachal
Smt. Chimmi Linggi
Wife of Rezina Mihu
77.
Mizoram
Dr. C Rinawma
Scientist, KVK, Lengpui
78.
Leh
Smt. Deachen Yangdol
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
79.
Himachal
Dr. Deepak Pathania
Professor, Shoolini University
80.
Darjeeling
Sh. Deependra Sunar
Senior Programme Oicer, WWF-Darjeeling
81.
Leh
Prof. Disket Angmo
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College, Leh
82.
Leh
Sh. E.S. Gergan
83.
Arunachal
Sh. Egam Basar
Mission Director, Arunachal Pradesh Horticulture
84.
Leh
Sh. Feroz Din Shah
Associate Director, SKUAST
85.
Leh
Sh. G.M Khan
Dy. Director, Command Area Development, Leh
86.
Arunachal
Sh. Gandhi Darang
Journalist and Member, SDFS
87.
Leh
Sh. Gawa Norbu
Media
88.
Leh
Sh. Ghulam Nabi Tak
Assistant Commissioner, Labour, Leh
89.
Leh
Sh. Gurmet Namgial
Tehsildar, Leh
90.
Uttarkhand
Sh. H.P Uniyal
Advisor, Planning Commission, Uttarakhand
91.
Leh
Dr. Iftikar Hussain
Chief Sheep Husbandry Oicer, Leh
92.
Nagaland
Smt. Imtienla Ao
IFS, Secretary (Forest)
93.
Leh
Sh. Isaac Gergan
Arts Oicer, LAMO
94.
Leh
Sh. Jigmet Jamspal
Greater Jammu
95.
Leh
Sh. Jigmet Namgial
Accounts Oicer, DC Oice, Leh
96.
Leh
Smt. Jigmet Yangchan
SKUAST
97.
Sikkim
Sh. Karma Bhutia
Founder & CEO, iShippo.com
98.
Arghyam
Sh. Kesar Singh
Arghyam
99.
Leh
Sh. Khadim Hussain
Assistant Road Transport Oicer, Leh
Smt. Kunzang Dolma
Director, PAGIR
Padmashree Awardee
100. Leh
82
101. Leh
Dr. Ladol
102. Himachal
Dr. Lal Singh
103. Mizoram
Smt. Lalbiaknungi Ngente
Student, Delhi University
104. Uttarkhand
Sh. Lalit Pandey
Director, Uttarakhand Seva Nidhi Paryavaran Shiksha
105. Arunachal
Sh. Likar Angu
Chief Engineer, Water Resources Department
106. Leh
Sh. Lobzang Tsultim
Director, LEDeG
107. UNDP
Nadisha Sidhu
UNDP
108. Leh
Sh. Mohd. Ali
District Forest Oicer, Leh
109. Leh
Sh. Mohd. Kazim
WWF
110. Leh
Sh. Mohd. Kazim
Dy. Director, Employment and Counselling, Leh
111. Himachal
Dr. M.P. Sood
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
Participants
112. Arunachal
Sh. Nalong Mize
Secretary, SDFA
113. Leh
Sh. Nawang Tashi
Personal Assistant to CEC
114. Leh
Dr. O.P Chourasia
DIHAR, Leh
115. Leh
Sh. P. Wangchuk Kalon
President, LFS, Leh
116. WWF
Dr Pankaj Chandan
WWF, J&K
117. Leh
Sh. Parvez
Wildlife Guard, Leh
118. Nagaland
Smt. Phangnon Konyak
Councillor, SDFN
119. Leh
Sh. Phunchok Tundup
President, BSP, Leh
120. Sikkim
Smt. Priyadarshinee Shrestha Team Leader, WWF-Sikkim
121. WWF
Sh. Pushpinder
122. Leh
Prof. Rajesh Bhardwaj
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College, Leh
123. Leh
Prof. Rakesh Kumar
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
124. NECTAR
Sh. Ravinder Singh
Former Secretary, Culture
125. Leh
Smt. Razia Sultan
Director, LEHO
126. Leh
Sh. Reyaz Ahmad
President, Merchants Association, Leh
127. Arunachal
Sh. Rezina Mihu
Treasurer, SDFA
128. Leh
Sh. Rigzin Spalgon
District Social Welfare Oicer, Leh
129. Leh
Smt. Rinchen Angmo
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
130. WWF
Dr. Rishi Sharma
WWF, New Delhi
131. Arunachal
Sh. R.K. Taj
Senior Scientist, State Forest Research Institute
132. Nagaland
Sh. Ruokuovolie Dzuvichu
Tata Trusts
133. Sikkim
Smt. Shikha Mainra
Sikkim
134. Leh
Sh. Sanjay Kulkarni
Chief of Staf, 14 Corps, Leh
135. Leh
Dr. Shireesh Sharma
Himothan/ Tata Trusts
136. Leh
Dr. Shweta
DIHAR, Leh
137. LEAD India
Sh. Snehil Kumar
138. Leh
Sh. Sonam Angchok
District Soil Conservation Oicer, Leh
139. Leh
Sh. Sonam Dawa
Retired Chief Engineer, Leh
140. Leh
Sonam Khando
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
141. Leh
Sh. Sonam Norboo
Assistant Director, Information Department, Leh
142. Leh
Sh. Sonam Norboo
Assistant Registrar, Cooperatives
143. Sikkim
Sh. Sonam Tashi Gyaltsen
Director, Echostream
144. Leh
Sh. Sonam Wangail
Mountaineer, Leh
145. Leh
Sh. Sonam Wangchuk
Executive Engineer, Public Health Engineering, Leh
146. Leh
Smt. Sonam Yangzes
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
147. GBPIHED
Dr. S.S Samant
Scientist-F, GBPNIHESD
148. Leh
Smt. Stanzin Angmo
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College, Leh
149. Leh
Sh. Stanzin Gya
Filmmaker, Himalayan Film Studio
150. Leh
Dr. Stanzin Rabgias
Chief Animal Husbandry Oicer, Leh
151. Leh
Smt. Stanzin Yangdol
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
152. Uttarkhand
Sh. STS Lepcha
Managing Director, Uttarakhand Forest Board
153. Leh
Sh. Surinder Kumar
Chief Education Oicer, Leh
154. Leh
Stanzin Telga
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
155. MOEFCC
Dr. T. Chandini
Advisor, Mountain Division, MoEFCC
156. Leh
Sh. Tashi Chombel
Superintending Engineer, PWD, Leh
157. Leh
Sh. Tashi Gyalson
President, PDP, Leh
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
83
Ladakh 2016
Participants
158. Leh
Sh. Tashi Ldawa
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
159. Leh
Sh. Tashi Tsetan
Chief Agriculture Oicer, Leh
160. Leh
Sh. Tashi Tundup
District Statistics Oicer
161. Nagaland
Smt. Thejaneino Kaco
Programme Oicer, SDFN
162. Leh
Smt. Thinlas Chorol
Ladakhi Women's Travel Company, Leh
163. Leh
Sh. Thinles Dorjey
LeDEG, Leh
164. Leh
Sh. Tsering Angchuk
Chief Planning Oicer, Leh
165. Leh
Sh. Tsering Angchuk
Wildlife Warden, Leh
166. Leh
Sh. Tsering Angdus
Assistant Director, Statistics
167. Leh
Sh. Tsering Dorje
Director, Agriculture Department, J&K
168. Leh
Sh. Tsering Gyalson
Assistant Director, Planning
169. Leh
Sh. Tsering Tashi
District Youth and Sports Oicer, Leh
170. Leh
Smt. Tsewang Dolma
Snow Leopard Conservancy, Ladakh
171. Mizoram
Sh. Tsewang Gyaltson
DCF, Environment Forests & Climate Change
172. Leh
Sh. Tsewang Phunchok
Chief Horticulture Oicer, Leh
173. Leh
Sh. Tsewang Rigzin
Ex-Councillor/Media, Leh
174. Leh
Sh. Tsewang Rigzin
WWF
175. Leh
Sh. Tsewang Thinles
President, Ladakh Buddhist Association, Leh
176. Leh
Tsuki Hara
University of Fukui, Japan
177. Sikkim
Smt. T Uden Bhutia
CEO, Khangchendzonga Conservation Committee
178. Jammu
Sh. Virendra Sharma
Greater Jammu
179. Leh
Dr. Yangchan Dolma
Chief Medical Oicer, Leh
180. Leh
Smt. Zahida Bano
CEO, Tourism Dev. Authority/Municipal Corporation Leh
181. Leh
Sh. Zakir Hussain
General Manager, DIC, Leh
182. Nagaland
Sh. Zuberno Lotha
Assistant Director, Dept. of Labour & Employment
183. Leh
Principal, Central Institute of Buddhist Studies
Hon’ble Chief Executive Councillor, LAHDC, Leh, Dr. Sonam Dawa Lonpo (extreme left) and Hon’ble Member of Parliament from
Sikkim, Sh. P.D. Rai (second from right) with Hon’ble Union Minister for Tribal Afairs, Sh. Jual Oram.
84
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
Students
184. Leh
Smt. Aishq Mehbooba
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
185. Leh
Smt. Amina Bano
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
186. Leh
Smt. Asima Bano
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
187. Leh
Smt. Balkiz Bano
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
188. Leh
Smt. Chorol
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
189. Leh
Smt. Chuskit
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
190. Leh
Smt. Chuzin
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
191. Leh
Smt. D. Dolker
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
192. Leh
Smt. Deachen Yangdol
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
193. Leh
Smt. Disket
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
194. Leh
Smt. Diskit Chorol
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
195. Leh
Smt. Diskit Dolma
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
196. Leh
Smt. Diskit Dolma
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
197. Leh
Smt. Dolma
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
198. Leh
Smt. Dolma Yangzom
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
199. Leh
Smt. Farzah Battul
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
200. Leh
Smt. Fatima Bano
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
201. Leh
Smt. Hamida Bano
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
202. Leh
Sh. Hamidullah
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
203. Leh
Smt. Jigmet Chukit
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
204. Leh
Smt. Jigmet Dolkar
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
205. Leh
Sh. Jigmet Stanzin
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
206. Leh
Smt. Jigmet Yangchen
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
207. Leh
Smt. Kamla
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
208. Leh
Smt. Kaneez
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
209. Leh
Smt. Khalida Bano
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
210. Leh
Smt. Konchok Namdol
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
211. Leh
Smt. Kunzang Dolma
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
212. Leh
Smt. Kunzes Angmo
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
213. Leh
Smt. Lamo
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
214. Leh
Smt. Landol
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
215. Leh
Smt. Lobzang Palmo
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
216. Leh
Sh. Lobzang Skitzang
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
217. Leh
Smt. M. Dolker
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
218. Leh
Smt. N. Angmo
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
219. Leh
Sh. Namgial
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
220. Leh
Smt. Otzer Dolma
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
221. Leh
Smt. Padma
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
222. Leh
Smt. Padma
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
223. Leh
Smt. Padma Chorol
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
224. Leh
Smt. Padma Chozin
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
225. Leh
Smt. Padma Dolkar
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
226. Leh
Smt. Padma Yangchen
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
227. Leh
Smt. Preeti Kumari
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
228. Leh
Smt. Puja
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
229. Leh
Rabsal
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
85
Ladakh 2016
Students
86
230. Leh
Smt. Rafeela Bano
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
231. Leh
Smt. Rashida Bano
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
232. Leh
Smt. Razia Parveen
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
233. Leh
Sh. Rigzen Norboo
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
234. Leh
Smt. Rigzin Angmo
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
235. Leh
Smt. Rigzin Dolma
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
236. Leh
Rigzin Palmo
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
237. Leh
Smt. Rinchen Dolkar
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
238. Leh
Smt. Ruksana Parveen
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
239. Leh
Ruqaya Majid
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
240. Leh
Smt. S. Angmo
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
241. Leh
Smt. S. Chuskit
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
242. Leh
Smt. Sabina Bano
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
243. Leh
Smt. Sadya Bano
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
244. Leh
Smt. Sahara Bano
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
245. Leh
Smt. Sakina Bano
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
246. Leh
Smt. Shahida Bano
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
247. Leh
Smt. Shanti Kumari
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
248. Leh
Smt. Skalzang Angmo
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
249. Leh
Smt. Skalzang Chondol
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
250. Leh
Sonam
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
251. Leh
Smt. Sonam Angmo
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
252. Leh
Smt. Sonam Angmo
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
253. Leh
Smt. Sonam Angmo
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
254. Leh
Smt. Sonam Angmo
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
255. Leh
Smt. Sonam Chorol
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
256. Leh
Smt. Spalzes Dolma
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
257. Leh
Smt. Stanzin Chuskit
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
258. Leh
Smt. Stanzin Chuskit
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
259. Leh
Sh. Stanzin Dadul
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
260. Leh
Smt. Stanzin Dolkar
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
261. Leh
Smt. Stanzin Dolma
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
262. Leh
Smt. Stanzin Pulkit
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
263. Leh
Stanzin Spalzang
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
264. Leh
Smt. Stanzin Yangdol
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
265. Leh
Smt. Stanzin Yangskit
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
266. Leh
Sh. Suhail Khan
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
267. Leh
Sultan
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
268. Leh
Smt. T. Angmo
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
269. Leh
Smt. T. Dolma
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
270. Leh
Smt. Tahira Bano
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
271. Leh
Smt. Tashi Dolkar
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
272. Leh
Tashi Palkit
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
273. Leh
Tsering
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
274. Leh
Smt. Tsering Angmo
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
275. Leh
Smt. Tsering Angmo
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
Students
276. Leh
Smt. Tsering Angmo
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
277. Leh
Smt. Tsering Chonzom
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
278. Leh
Smt. Tsering Chorol
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
279. Leh
Smt. Tsering Diskit
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
280. Leh
Smt. Tsering Dolkar
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
281. Leh
Smt. Tsering Dolkar
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
282. Leh
Smt. Tsering Lamo
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
283. Leh
Sh. Tsering Mutup
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
284. Leh
Smt. Tsering Palmo
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
285. Leh
Smt. Tsering Yangskit
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
286. Leh
Smt. Tsetan Dolma
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
287. Leh
Smt.Tsewang Dolkar
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
288. Leh
Smt. Tsewang Lamo
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
289. Leh
Tsewang Youton
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
290. Leh
Smt. Tundup Dolkar
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
291. Leh
Smt. Tundup Dolma
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
292. Leh
Youtol
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
293. Leh
Smt. Zainab Bano
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
294. Leh
Smt. Zubina Bano
Eleizer Joldan Memorial College
Integrated Mountain Initiative team
295. IMI
Sh. Amba Jamir
Governing Council Member
296. IMI
Sh. Alemtemshi Jamir
Governing Council Member
297. IMI
Smt. Fantry Mein Jaswal
Governing Council Member
298. IMI
Sh. John Paulraj
Programme Coordinator, IMI
299. IMI
Dr. Lalbiak Mawia Ngente
Governing Council Member
300. IMI
Sh. Rajendra P Gurung
Governing Council Member
Sh. P.D. Rai
Governing Council Member
301. IMI
Smt. Shubdha Hirawat
Legislative Assistant to Member of Parliament (Sikkim)
302. IMI
Sh. Sushil Ramola
Governing Council Member
IMI
Delegates during dinner.
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
87
Ladakh 2016
Organising team
303. Leh
Sh. Arif Kakpori
LREDA
304. Leh
Sh. Chemet Rigzin
LREDA
305. Leh
Sh. Delex Namgial, KAS
P.S to Hon’ble CEC, LAHDC, Leh
306. Leh
Sh. Gonbo Dorjay
LREDA
307. Leh
Sh. Geleck Phuntsog
Wildlife Department
308. Ladakh
Sh. Jigmet Takpa, IFS
Wildlife Department
309. Leh
Smt. Kunzes Dolma
LREDA
310. Leh
Smt. Kunzes Dolma
Heritage Himalaya
311. Leh
Sh. Mingyur Dechan
LREDA
Leh
Sh. Moses Kunzang
Additional Deputy Commissioner, Leh
312. Leh
Sh. Phunchok Wangtak
Wildlife Department
313. Leh
Smt. Phunstog Angmo
314. Leh
Sh. Prasanna Ramaswamy G, IAS
315. Leh
Sh. Reuben Gergan
LREDA
316. Leh
Smt. Rigzin Chondon
Jawaharlal Nehru University
317. Leh
Smt. Rigzin Yangdol
318. Leh
Smt. Rinchen Dolma
Information Department
319. Leh
Smt. Salima Bano
LREDA
320. Leh
Sh. Smanla Tsering
Wildlife Department
Deputy Commissioner, Leh
321. Leh
Smt. Stanzin Losang
322. Leh
Sh. Stanzin Choster
LREDA
323. Ladakh
Sh. Sunetro Ghosal
Stawa/IALS
324. Leh
Sh. Tashi Lamchung
LREDA
325. Ladakh
Sh.Tashi Lundup
Stawa
326. Leh
Sh. Tashi Namgyal
LREDA
327. Leh
Smt. Thinlas Chuskit
LREDA
328. Leh
Smt. Tsering Angmo
LREDA
329. Leh
Smt. Tsering Chorol
330. Leh
Sh. Tsering Motup
LREDA
331. Leh
Dr. Tsewang Thinlas
LREDA
332. Leh
Sh. Wangail Rigzin
LREDA
333. Leh
Smt. Yangskit Angmo
LREDA
334. Kargil
Smt. Zainab Akhter
Jawaharlal Nehru University
Dignitaries participating in cultural performances during dinner after the valedictory session of SMDS-V.
88
Sustainable Mountain Development Summit V
Ladakh Snow Leopard Foundation
LAHDC, Leh, Block II, 1st Floor,
Ladakh Hill Council Secretariat
Leh-Ladakh 194 101, J&K, India
Tel: +91-1982-254789 / 250410
Email: smds5@conserveladakh.org
URL: http://www.conserveladakh.org/smds5.html
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