IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/endesu/v21y2019i1d10.1007_s10668-017-0036-4.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Status of natural springs in the Melamchi region of the Nepal Himalayas in the context of climate change

Author

Listed:
  • Prem Sagar Chapagain

    (Tribhuvan University)

  • Motilal Ghimire

    (Tribhuvan University)

  • Shova Shrestha

    (Tribhuvan University)

Abstract

Natural springs and small rivers are the major sources of water for drinking, livestock feeding, irrigation and other purposes in the Middle Hills of Nepal. The Melamchi area is in the northeastern part of Kathmandu from where the Melamchi River is considered as a major source of drinking water for the people of Kathmandu city. This paper examines the characteristics of natural springs in terms of their distribution, discharge, water utilization and conservation in the context of climate change. Out of the total surveyed springs of the Melamchi area, 93% are permanent and two-thirds of the total springs are located in mid-elevation (1500–2500 m). One-fourth of the total springs are small in terms of discharge and are used for multiple purposes such as drinking, livestock, irrigation and household cleaning. Around 45% of the springs provide a source of drinking water for up to five households. Our work has shown that the water volume in about 30% of the springs has decreased over the last decade. The springs located in mid-elevation with discharge less than 5 liters per minute are more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and anthropogenic activities. The 2015 Nepal earthquake had a huge and immediate impact on the water volume of the springs in our study with an immediate drying effect in about 18% of the springs.

Suggested Citation

  • Prem Sagar Chapagain & Motilal Ghimire & Shova Shrestha, 2019. "Status of natural springs in the Melamchi region of the Nepal Himalayas in the context of climate change," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 21(1), pages 263-280, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:endesu:v:21:y:2019:i:1:d:10.1007_s10668-017-0036-4
    DOI: 10.1007/s10668-017-0036-4
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10668-017-0036-4
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10668-017-0036-4?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Palazzoli, I. & Maskey, S. & Uhlenbrook, S. & Nana, E. & Bocchiola, D., 2015. "Impact of prospective climate change on water resources and crop yields in the Indrawati basin, Nepal," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 143-157.
    2. Samjwal Bajracharya & Sudan Maharjan & Finu Shrestha, 2011. "Glaciers Shrinking in Nepal Himalaya," Chapters, in: Juan A. Blanco & Houshang Kheradmand (ed.), Climate Change - Geophysical Foundations and Ecological Effects, IntechOpen.
    3. A. F. Lutz & W. W. Immerzeel & A. B. Shrestha & M. F. P. Bierkens, 2014. "Consistent increase in High Asia's runoff due to increasing glacier melt and precipitation," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 4(7), pages 587-592, July.
    4. Neera Shrestha Pradhan & Suman Sijapati & Sagar Ratna Bajracharya, 2015. "Farmers' responses to climate change impact on water availability: insights from the Indrawati Basin in Nepal," International Journal of Water Resources Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(2), pages 269-283, June.
    5. Girish C.S. Negi & Varun Joshi, 2004. "Rainfall and Spring Discharge Patterns in Two Small Drainage Catchments in the Western Himalayan Mountains, India," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 24(1), pages 19-28, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Manoranjan Ghosh & Somnath Ghosal, 2021. "Climate change vulnerability of rural households in flood-prone areas of Himalayan foothills, West Bengal, India," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(2), pages 2570-2595, February.
    2. Ojo, Temitope & Adetoro, Adetoso A. & Ogundeji, Abiodun A. & Belle, Johannes A., 2021. "Quantifying the Determinants of Climate Change Adaptation Strategies and Farmers’ Access to Credit in South Africa," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315853, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    3. Khadka, Manohara & Joshi, Deepa & Uprety, Labisha & Shrestha, Gitta, 2023. "Gender and socially inclusive WASH in Nepal: moving beyond “technical fixes†," Papers published in Journals (Open Access), International Water Management Institute, pages 1-5:1181734.
    4. Sandeep Tambe & Gopal S. Rawat & Nima Tashi Bhutia & Pem Norbu Sherpa & Subash Dhakal & Sarika Pradhan & Himanshu Kulkarni & M. L. Arrawatia, 2020. "Building sustainability in the Eastern Himalaya: linking evidence to action," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 22(6), pages 5887-5903, August.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Douglas James Merrey & Abid Hussain & Deepak Dorje Tamang & Bhuwan Thapa & Anjal Prakash, 2018. "Evolving high altitude livelihoods and climate change: a study from Rasuwa District, Nepal," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 10(4), pages 1055-1071, August.
    2. Lipy Adhikari & Sabarnee Tuladhar & Abid Hussain & Kamal Aryal, 2019. "Are Traditional Food Crops Really ‘Future Smart Foods?’ A Sustainability Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-16, September.
    3. Basanta Paudel & Yili Zhang & Jianzhong Yan & Raju Rai & Lanhui Li & Xue Wu & Prem Sagar Chapagain & Narendra Raj Khanal, 2020. "Farmers’ understanding of climate change in Nepal Himalayas: important determinants and implications for developing adaptation strategies," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 158(3), pages 485-502, February.
    4. Wu, Hao & Xu, Min & Peng, Zhuoyue & Chen, Xiaoping, 2022. "Quantifying the potential impacts of meltwater on cotton yields in the Tarim River Basin, Central Asia," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 269(C).
    5. Samira Shayanmehr & Jana Ivanič Porhajašová & Mária Babošová & Mahmood Sabouhi Sabouni & Hosein Mohammadi & Shida Rastegari Henneberry & Naser Shahnoushi Foroushani, 2022. "The Impacts of Climate Change on Water Resources and Crop Production in an Arid Region," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-22, July.
    6. Rungruang Janta & Laksanara Khwanchum & Pakorn Ditthakit & Nadhir Al-Ansari & Nguyen Thi Thuy Linh, 2022. "Water Yield Alteration in Thailand’s Pak Phanang Basin Due to Impacts of Climate and Land-Use Changes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-19, July.
    7. Rajesh Kumar & Shaktiman Singh & Ramesh Kumar & Atar Singh & Anshuman Bhardwaj & Lydia Sam & Surjeet Singh Randhawa & Akhilesh Gupta, 2016. "Development of a Glacio-hydrological Model for Discharge and Mass Balance Reconstruction," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 30(10), pages 3475-3492, August.
    8. Kimberley R. Miner & Paul Andrew Mayewski & Mary Hubbard & Kenny Broad & Heather Clifford & Imogen Napper & Ananta Gajurel & Corey Jaskolski & Wei Li & Mariusz Potocki & John Priscu, 2021. "A Perspective of the Cumulative Risks from Climate Change on Mt. Everest: Findings from the 2019 Expedition," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-13, February.
    9. Soroush Kiani Ghalehsard & Javad Shahraki & Ahmad Akbari & Ali Sardar Shahraki, 2021. "Assessment of the impacts of climate change and variability on water resources and use, food security, and economic welfare in Iran," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(10), pages 14666-14682, October.
    10. Upendra Bom & John Tiefenbacher & Shashidhar Belbase, 2023. "Individual and community perceptions of climate change in Lower Mustang, Nepal," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(7), pages 5997-6031, July.
    11. Hongbao Wu & Xuexia Wang & Hongwei Shui & Hasbagan Ganjurjav & Guozheng Hu & Quanhong Lin & Xiaobo Qin & Qingzhu Gao, 2020. "Spatiotemporal Variations of Water Stable Isotope Compositions in Nujiang Headwaters, Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-15, August.
    12. Bocchiola, D. & Brunetti, L. & Soncini, A. & Polinelli, F. & Gianinetto, M., 2019. "Impact of climate change on agricultural productivity and food security in the Himalayas: A case study in Nepal," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 171(C), pages 113-125.
    13. Qianhan Wu & Linghong Ke & Jida Wang & Tamlin M. Pavelsky & George H. Allen & Yongwei Sheng & Xuejun Duan & Yunqiang Zhu & Jin Wu & Lei Wang & Kai Liu & Tan Chen & Wensong Zhang & Chenyu Fan & Bin Yon, 2023. "Satellites reveal hotspots of global river extent change," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-13, December.
    14. Zhang, Yi & Cheng, Chuntian & Yang, Tiantian & Jin, Xiaoyu & Jia, Zebin & Shen, Jianjian & Wu, Xinyu, 2022. "Assessment of climate change impacts on the hydro-wind-solar energy supply system," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    15. Gohar, Abdelaziz A. & Cashman, Adrian, 2016. "A methodology to assess the impact of climate variability and change on water resources, food security and economic welfare," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 51-64.
    16. Muhammad Umer Masood & Saif Haider & Muhammad Rashid & Mohammed Suleman Aldlemy & Chaitanya B. Pande & Bojan Đurin & Raad Z. Homod & Fahad Alshehri & Ismail Elkhrachy, 2023. "Quantifying the Impacts of Climate and Land Cover Changes on the Hydrological Regime of a Complex Dam Catchment Area," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(21), pages 1-28, October.
    17. Saroj Koirala & Yiping Fang & Nirmal Mani Dahal & Chenjia Zhang & Bikram Pandey & Sabita Shrestha, 2020. "Application of Water Poverty Index (WPI) in Spatial Analysis of Water Stress in Koshi River Basin, Nepal," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-20, January.
    18. Tong Cui & Yukun Li & Long Yang & Yi Nan & Kunbiao Li & Mahmut Tudaji & Hongchang Hu & Di Long & Muhammad Shahid & Ammara Mubeen & Zhihua He & Bin Yong & Hui Lu & Chao Li & Guangheng Ni & Chunhong Hu , 2023. "Non-monotonic changes in Asian Water Towers’ streamflow at increasing warming levels," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-9, December.
    19. Haijun Deng & N. C. Pepin & Qun Liu & Yaning Chen, 2018. "Understanding the spatial differences in terrestrial water storage variations in the Tibetan Plateau from 2002 to 2016," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 151(3), pages 379-393, December.
    20. Toro-Mujica, Paula & Aguilar, Claudio & Vera, Raúl & Cornejo, Karen, 2016. "A simulation-based approach for evaluating the effects of farm type, management, and rainfall on the water footprint of sheep grazing systems in a semi-arid environment," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 75-85.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:endesu:v:21:y:2019:i:1:d:10.1007_s10668-017-0036-4. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.