[ Manisha Kumari ]
When groundwater flows to the earth’s surface, it does so through a spring. These springs are, in essence, a lifeline, serving as the main water source for domestic and agricultural purposes in rural and urban areas of Arunachal Pradesh.
Unfortunately, due to different natural threats like earthquakes and landslides, alongside anthropogenic activities like deforestation and land use change, these springs are now threatened, and decrease in the discharge from springs is creating undue pressures on existing water supply. According to data from the Indian meteorological department, between 1970 and 2020, there has been an overall decrease in the amount of rainfall and number of rainy days in Arunachal Pradesh. The average annual minimum and maximum temperatures have also increased in the Himalayas, affecting water sources of the region.
Earlier this year, under the aegis of the National Mission on Himalayan Studies, WWF-India, Dehradun-based People’s Science Institute and the Itanagar PHE&WS department mapped 100 springs in West Kameng and Tawang districts. This helped gather crucial information on water dependency, water quality and conservation issues related to spring water in the region. This study will help support the mission’s overall goal of sustaining and enhancing the ecological, natural, cultural and socioeconomic capital assets and values of the Indian Himalayan region.
From this study, an inventory of springs was created. Of these, communities were dependent on 100 springs – known as ‘dependent springs’ – regularly used for domestic or agricultural purposes. The inventory contained information on location, spring discharge, water quality, number of dependent households, types of spring, rock types, ownership of recharge areas, seasonal dependency and seasonal change in spring discharge. Additionally, water quality tests on the physio-chemical properties of each spring were conducted in collaboration with the Itanagar PHE&WS department.
A total of 10 springs in West Kameng (6) and Tawang (4) demonstrated the presence of total coliform and faecal coliform. This indicates contamination in the water source or its recharge area by humans, livestock or wildlife like monkeys. To prevent the springs from getting bacteriologically contaminated, regular cleaning and monitoring of the water sources and their recharge areas must be conducted. Similarly, rules and regulations for better management of the springs must be formulated in collaboration with the local community.
Shock chlorinating is one of the most common treatment measures for faecal coliform. More than 50 percent of these springs also have higher levels of turbidity than the permissible limit of 5 ntu [a measure of turbidity (amount of cloudiness) of a fluid; the higher the concentration, the dirtier the water].
High turbidity in water can shield contaminants and make chlorine disinfection ineffective. However, all the springs in West Kameng and Tawang had zero to negligible presence of metals ranging from copper and iron to arsenic, lead and mercury. Low levels of chloride, sulphate, fluoride, nitrate, calcium, magnesium and iron were also detected.
According to the housing & urban affairs ministry, for rural areas, a minimum service delivery of 55 litres per capita per day (LPCD) has been fixed under the Jal Jeevan Mission. Water consumption levels in the villages of West Kameng and Tawang were below 50 LPCD in all three seasons, markedly lower than the recommended minimum of 70 LPCD (National Commission on Integrated Water Resources Development). Water requirements were higher in monsoon and summer, compared to winters. A few villages also shared their concerns over the decrease in the water discharge and dying of springs in their villages.
In Thembang, the community has adopted a springshed conservation model to revive the springs in the village. Through spring recharge activities like building trenches and tree plantations, and mobilizing people for better management of the spring source, the people of Thembang have taken a first step in helping revive one of their springs – Jongjong Gapsa Ri. The villagers formed a water-user group comprising all houses dependent on the spring. They created management guidelines and a rotation system among water-user group members to regularly monitor the spring and its recharge area. Similar efforts have also been undertaken in Basar (Leparada) and Ziro valley (Lower Subansiri) by civil society organizations and government institutions.
Clearly, adopting a springshed management approach may prove vital in helping secure the lives and livelihoods of millions of people. Concurrently working alongside local communities and the state government will help resolve some of the major challenges related to the quality and quantity of spring and spring discharges, and underscore, at a state-level, the importance of springshed conservation and regeneration.
Acknowledgement: (1) Dr Binod Pokhrel, chief chemist-cum-consultant, state water quality testing lab, PHE&WS department, Itanagar; (2) Phurpa Sangey, Tenzin Sonam and Lama Dondup, field assistants who collected water samples from the two districts.
