Changing climate makes water demand rise in Himachal Pradesh

SHIMLA: Himachal Pradesh has seen anincrease of demand by over 3.93 crore litres of water per day from its drinkingwater supplies in the 39 irrigation and public health (IPH) divisions in thestate from January 1 to December 31 last year. This could pose aproblem for meeting the water supply in future, especially in drought-proneareas, where mules ferry water in peak summer months. To further add to problem, rains in the state have been showing a decreasing trend and there have been particularly harsh years like 2009, when the state witnessed a deficit of 60% during the monsoon. In fact Bilaspur district, registered a deficit of 83%, Solan district 70%, Kangra district 66%, Hamirpur district 65% and Lahaul and Spiti district 58%. Director meteorological office Manmohan Singh said that monsoon rainfalls in Himachal Pradesh had been showing a decreasing trend during the past 110 years. "In July and August particularly, there has beena substantial decreasing trend and the saving grace is that there is anincreasing trend, albeit very marginal, in the June and September rains, which,however, do not meet the deficit", he added. He said that the problem iscompounded by the fact that with every passing year the maximum temperatureswitnessed in the state are also breaking previous records and the snowfall wasalso very little as compared to the yesteryears."The increasingtemperatures melt the little quantity of snow on mountains very fast, as aresult the underground aquifers are not adequately recharged for the naturalsources to provide drinking water round-theyear", he claimed.Themain reason for the increase in demand for water is being attributed to the factthat quite a few of the natural sources in and around the villages have dried upover the years resulting in more pressure on the dinking water supply schemes.The influx of people from the rural to the urban areas of the state in search ofjobs and better facilities is another reason. For example the maximum increaseof over 45.80 lakh litres per day is in the Shimla No II division of the IPH, asthere has been a large migration of people to the state capital causingsatellite townships to spring up in the vicinity. The localities arecoming up and overflowing into areas in the fields of adjoining villages.Admitting that the water demands had risen tremendously and was on the rise withevery passing day, IPH minister Ravinder Singh Ravi said that the government wasaware of the problem and various steps were being taken to meet the situation."To meet the increased drinking water supply, we are executing newschemes for covering partially covered habitations, augmenting old water supplyschemes and constructing rainwater harvesting structures and check dams torecharge the water sources", he added. He said that rainwaterharvesting had been made compulsory and maps for new constructions are not beingpassed unless provision had been made to harvest rainwater, which would go along way in reducing the pressure on the water supply schemes. "Weare also putting up check dams to prevent the breaking up and flow of glaciers,so that water from the melting snow percolates deep down to recharge theunderground aquifers and are also contemplating taking water from the lakes thathave been made for the various hydel power project in the state", he claimed.