Residents of the Himalayan Region have traditionally depended on springs and small mountain streams for their water needs as the big rivers, which flow way deep down the slopes, are not of much use to the people living on mountains. But over the past several decades, many of these springs are rapidly drying up, while many have already suffered degradation.
“It is a matter of great concern. And the fact that global warming will further push up temperatures, the matter requires urgency,” Ravi Chopra, prominent environmentalist and director of Dehradun-based People’s Science Institute, said during a session on Himalayan springs at the recent conference on water issues organised by International Water Management Institute and TATA Trusts.