Web GIS based spring inventory for vulnerability assessment and Hydro-Geological investigation of selected springs for sustaining Local water demand in Ravi catchment of Himachal Pradesh (NIH-21_2017_31)

Abstract

Innumerable springs exist throughout the length and breadth of Indian Himalayan Region serving as major sources of drinking, domestic and irrigation needs while also, playing a major role in maintaining various ecosystems of the region. The water demand in the rural areas is much higher than that of urban areas as a majority of the population of the Himachal Pradesh, a Himalayan state of India, lives in the rural areas. Furthermore, there is an imbalance between the supply and consumption of water, particularly by the poor and weaker section of society, where the traditional sources of water (normally springs) play a significant role. Keeping the importance of traditional water resources in sustaining the water demand of the mountainous states in view, planning commission (now NITI Aayog) of government of India gave emphasis on creation of a traditional water resources cell in the state for development and proper care of traditional water resources in view of changing climate and increasing anthropogenic activities. NITI Aayog has also given stress on creation of a web-enabled database for mapping of springs across the Himalayas in its Working Group-I report titled “Inventory and Revival of Springs in the Himalayas for v

Water Security”. In this regard, a Purpose Driven Study (PDS) entitled “Web GIS based spring inventory for vulnerability assessment and hydro-geological investigation of selected springs for sustaining local water demand in Ravi catchment of Himachal Pradesh” was approved for Western Himalayan Regional Center, Jammu (Regional Ceneter of NIH, Roorkee) in August, 2017 under the aegis of National Hydrology Project (NHP). Himachal Pradesh Jal Shakti Vibhag is the implementing department from the state in this PDS. Considering various parameters crucial for springshed management, a Spring Data Collection (SDC) format was developed for survey of present status of the springs in Ravi River catchment of Himachal Pradesh. Initially springs were geotagged by handheld GPS and information were filled in a paper form. However, it was realized that digitization of paper-based SDC form is a cumbersome process and having high possibilities of manual errors. Therefore, SDC form was transformed and customized as per user convenience in a mobile app using KoBo toolbox for the survey work of the remaining part of the catchment. Mobile app has capability to transfer the data to the admin instantaneously, which omitted the necessity to go to the field for collecting the filled SDC from the surveyor. Furthermore, it helped us at large extent to conduct survey during COVID-19 pandemic when interstates movements were restricted. A spring inventory of 981 springs is created after carrying out a detailed survey in 8 tehsils of the Chamba district (one of the aspirational districts of Himachal Pradesh declared by NITI Aayog) falling under Ravi River catchment. Spring database offers an inventory based on 30+ parameters comprising general information (village, gram panchayat, tehsil, district, latitude, longitude, elevation, Spring type, Nature, Purpose of use, discharge, people perception about discharge, lean and peak month of discharge, name and telephone of information provider, name and mobile number of gram pradhan); demographic information (dependent villages/household/population/ livestock), level of dependency, land ownership and land use in the vicinity of spring and upstream side; and water quality information (taste colour, odour, pH, EC, TDS, Alkalinity, Iron, Sodium, Calcium, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Carbonate, bicarbonate, Chloride, Fluoride, Nitrate, Sulphate) of spring’s water. Based on the collected information a spring atlas comprising the various characteristics of 981 springs have been developed (http://117.252.14.250:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/7443). Through hydro-chemical analysis, the study elucidates the composition and quality of spring water, identifying potential sources of contamination and assessing overall water quality in the catchment. Furthermore, spatial maps developed for various water quality parameters using springs point data are very useful for the implementing agencies to find out the suitable sources of vi

water in the area. The study also investigates seasonal variations in isotopic signatures of precipitation, providing insights into recharge mechanisms and hydrological processes. Understanding these dynamics is essential for predicting water availability and managing groundwater resources effectively.