Abstract
In recent years, growing water insecurity in the Himalayan region has attracted new scientific research and fresh attention on policy. In this paper, we synthesize field research evidence from a sample of five Himalayan cities—three in Nepal and two in the western Indian Himalayas—on various forms of water insecurity and cities’ responses to such challenges. We gathered evidence from a field research conducted in these cities between 2014 and 2018. We show how different types of Himalayan towns (mainly hilltop, foot hill, river side, touristic, and regional trading hub) are struggling to secure water for their residents and tourists, as well as for the wider urban economy. We found that even though the region receives significant amounts of precipitation in the form of snow and rainfall, it is facing increasing levels of water insecurity. Four of the five towns we studied are struggling to develop well-performing local institutions to manage water supply. Worse still, none of the cities have a robust system of water planning and governance to tackle the water challenges emerging from rapid urbanization and climate change. In the absence of a coordinated water planning agency, a complex mix of government, community, and private systems of water supply has emerged in the Himalayan towns across both Nepal and India. There is clearly a need for strengthening local governance capacity as well as down-scaling climate science to inform water planning at the city level.
Highlights
Despite being endowed with the third largest ice mass after the two polar regions, and despite receiving annual precipitation level higher than the global average [1,2] the lower Himalayan region [3] and its hydrological downstream have become a water crisis hotspot under changing climate and persistent governance issues (The HKH has a total of 54,252 glaciers occupying 60,054 km2 and an estimated ice reserve of 6127 km3 [3]).An emerging body of studies have shown that there is an escalating problem of water insecurity in the region [4], exacerbated by both demand and supply side problems [5]
We have presented stories of struggle for water security in a sample of five towns of Nepal and India, using the data gathered from five years of field research between 2014 and 2018
A key finding to be noted is that the physical availability of water does not lead to water security; four of the five towns are struggling to develop well-performing local institutions to manage the supply of water
Summary
Despite being endowed with the third largest ice mass after the two polar regions, and despite receiving annual precipitation level higher than the global average (except some desert segments in the western Himalaya, the region overall receives an average of 3000 mm rainfall, as against the global average of 1000 mm) [1,2] the lower Himalayan region [3] and its hydrological downstream have become a water crisis hotspot under changing climate and persistent governance issues (The HKH has a total of 54,252 glaciers occupying 60,054 km and an estimated ice reserve of 6127 km3 [3]).An emerging body of studies have shown that there is an escalating problem of water insecurity in the region [4], exacerbated by both demand and supply side problems [5]. Despite being endowed with the third largest ice mass after the two polar regions, and despite receiving annual precipitation level higher than the global average (except some desert segments in the western Himalaya, the region overall receives an average of 3000 mm rainfall, as against the global average of 1000 mm) [1,2] the lower Himalayan region [3] and its hydrological downstream have become a water crisis hotspot under changing climate and persistent governance issues (The HKH has a total of 54,252 glaciers occupying 60,054 km and an estimated ice reserve of 6127 km3 [3]). Growing water insecurity is a global challenge, under rapid rate urbanization, climate change, and continuing issues. On the demand side of the water challenge, towns and urban areas are expanding rapidly [7], and hosting ever-growing urban populations and industries.
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