Climate change, less precipitation threaten water security in Kangra
Climate change and less precipitation are posing a challenge to water security in Kangra valley.
The rivers originating from the Dhauladhar mountain range are vital for drinking water and irrigation in Kangra valley which houses about 25 per cent population of Himachal Pradesh.
Kangra valley, especially the regions lying on the foothills of Dhauladhar mountain range like Dharamsala and Palampur, was at one time known as one of the wettest areas of the northern region.
But 2024 has been particularly bad in terms of rain in Kangra valley and snow on the Dhauladhar range. Kangra valley and Dhauladhar received no rain or snow from October to December 25.
This caused a dry spell that severely affected the sowing of wheat crop in the region. Out of 600 water schemes of the Jal Shakti Department in Kangra and Chamba, about 140 schemes have been facing water shortage in the past three months.
The water shortage is going to be severe in summer in case not enough snow falls on the Dhauladhar range in the next two months, the sources in the Jal Shakti Department said.
A study conducted by four scientists Shahi Kant Rai and Sunil Dhar of Central University of Jammu, Rakesh Sahu from Galgotias University and Arun Kumar from Himachal Pradesh University has established that the number of glaciers in Dhauladhar mountain range has receded and the number of glacial lakes in the region has increased in a period ranging from 2000 to 2020. The study has been published in the Journal of Indian Society of Remote Sensing in March.
The study, which was based on satellite imagery of Dhauladhar mountain range, has established that the glaciers in the region that were spread over 50.8 sq km have reduced to 42.84 sq km from 2010 to 2020. The number of glacial lakes in Dhauladhar has increased from 36 in 2000 to 43 in 2020.
The scientists have opined that the increase in number of glacial lakes is indicative of fast-melting glaciers in the region.
The sources said that the most of the drinking water schemes in Kangra region are based on surface water. The Jal Shakti Department, which was earlier known as Irrigation and Public Health Department, has based most of its drinking water schemes for the region on rivers and streams originating out of Dhauladhar mountain range.
However, for the past few years, the department has been facing challenges in meeting the water demand in the region due to reduced inflows in rivers and streams originating from the Dhauladhar. The department has been forced to resort to water rationing in winter which was earlier limited to summer.
Deepak Garg, Chief Engineer, Jal Shakti Department, Dharamsala, said that they were taking steps to tackle the problem of lower discharge in rivers and streams. Plans are being executed to base many water schemes on perennial water sources and the Beas river.
Efforts are also being made to interlink water schemes so that in case of water shortage in one scheme, supply could be replenished from another scheme, he said.
Though the department is making plans for drinking water schemes, irrigation in Kangra valley remains an area of concern. About 80 per cent agriculture in the region is still rainfed which is severely getting affected due to climate change.
According to experts from Agriculture University of Palampur, rain-harvesting could provide an answer to erratic rain in the region. University experts had also created models for rain-harvesting at a local scale in villages which could provide irrigation in rain-deficient months. However, without government support, the models have not been adopted in the region.
