Understanding high mountain aquifers to source drinking water in the Sagarmatha National Park: GeoscientistsWithoutBorders®

Abstract

In 2019, Geoscientists without Borders funded our proposal entitled, “Understanding high mountain aquifers to source drinking water in the Sagarmatha National Park.” The project combines water quality and quantity measurements, geological mapping, and an ERT survey to improve access to potable drinking water in two communities in Nepal’s Sagarmatha National Park (SNP) and minimize their water vulnerability to climate change and earthquakes. Like many mountainous regions of the globe, the combination of the tourism industry’s unchecked growth, poor infrastructure, and climate change impacts communities’ health and the environment in the Himalayas, particularly in the SNP. Polluted drinking water is a global problem, yet traditional solutions often fail due to the complex relationship between the local economy, governance, location (topography, altitude, and remoteness), infrastructure, environment, culture, and traditions. These intricate connections compromise SNP communities’ ability to manage water resources and affect the >1.4 billion downstream Himalayan water resources users. Our recent research shows that SNP water contamination results primarily from human activities (poor sanitation, water handling, and climate change; Nicholson et al., 2016, 2017, 2018). Communities in the SNP are now taking the lead in improving their access to potable water. In 2017, the community of Lukla built a successful water treatment and storage facility. Based on their success, this project will work with the Phortse and Lobuche communities to characterize their respective drainage basins’ physio-chemical properties. Our results will (a) help the communities select the best location to build their water treatment and storage facilities and (b) help communities develop strong resource management policies to mitigate damage from natural disasters, such as climate change and earthquakes. Our project will be an inclusive collaboration with the communities, local NGO’s, the National Park Service, local governance committees, and Kathmandu University. Note: This paper was accepted into the Technical Program but was not presented at IMAGE 2021 in Denver, Colorado.