Theme 6-2-Water and erosion studies in an integrated watershed management project in the Hindu Kush-Himalayas.

Abstract

In certain areas of the Hindu Kush-Himalayas, the economic and ecological situation is approaching the point of no return through gradual degradation of the mountain environment. The natural resources of these areas, in particular the water, soils, forests, pastures, and biodiversity, are under threat and, in places, are being rapidly depleted.

There is a general lack of good biophysical baseline information for the region, and little long-term monitoring has been carried out on key processes leading to degradation in the fields of soil erosion, soil fertility change, hydrometeorological issues, sedimentation, water distribution, agricultural activity, and changes in forest cover. Furthermore, the long-term impacts of new systems of participatory natural resource management on physical processes have not been studied. The People and Resource Dynamics of Mountain Watersheds in the Hindu Kush-Himalayas project (PARDYP) provides an impetus for continuing a long-term monitoring programme that is essential for understanding the environmental dynamics and rates of change in selected watersheds of the Hindu Kush-Himalayas.

Hydrometeorological studies with a dense measurement network in five watershed across the Hindu Kush-Himalayas focus on the generation of relevant and representative information and technologies about water balance and sediment transport related to degradation on a watershed basis.

The presented paper is concerned with an introduction to the water and erosion studies of the PARDYP project, the methods and techniques applied and the philosophy of the measurement setup. It discusses the experiences of three years mainly focussing on the two watersheds in Nepal.