Water Resources in the Himalayas Harvesting, Tradition and Change

Written to highlight the water related problems of the Himalayan region the book is organised in such a manner that the reader is exposed to the ground-realities in the Himalaya through a series of case studies, apart from the theoretical aspects of the water related problems. Though pertinent to entire Himalaya the book focuses upon the hills of Uttar Pradesh (Uttarakhand). After dealing with the water harvesting traditions on a broad framework the book concentrates upon traditional resource management systems in Himalaya and also the disruption of the same with changing times. In the various case studies the problems that the people are facing due to the disruption of traditional resource management practices are discussed. As females shoulder most of the burden of resource management in Himalaya this book graphically narrates the tale of their enhancing workload in the rural Himalaya. With practical experiences from grassroots level author tries to assert the efficacy of small endeavors meant for conserving water. Some strategies that revolve round rain water harvesting and revival of traditional water harvesting practices are discussed in the end and these are envisaged to make rural Himalayan communities self reliant in their water related needs.