Sustainable Mountain Development No. 56, ICIMOD, Winter 2009
Dear Friends of ICIMOD,
During the 5th World Water Forum in Istanbul in March 2009, we had the chance to chair a
roundtable discussion on ‘Snowpack Dependent Water Services’.
The three key messages of the discussion were: (1) the need to increase the availability of scientifi c information and
knowledge, (2) the need to develop natural and artifi cial systems to increase water storage capacity, and (3) the
need to strengthen institutions for improving water governance. Storage of water in the mountains was identifi ed as a
key issue for improving water security and as an adaptation strategy to climate change and other events.
The present issue of ICIMOD’s periodical Sustainable Mountain Development is a follow-up of these discussions. We
want to provide a brief overview of the different dimensions of ‘storage’ in the Himalayan region in the context of
climate change.
We are convinced that water storage is and will be a key strategy for climate change adaptation. One of the
major impacts of climate change in the mountains will be on the availability of water. This together with increased
demand from a growing population for water for agricultural, industrial, and domestic purposes is likely to turn
water into a major issue in the countries of Asia in the coming years. The easiest way to address the growing gap
between demand and availability of water seems clear: store more water when it is available in excess and release
it when it is needed. ‘Storage’ thus becomes the central issue, although increasing effi ciency of water use is also
important. The more water we can store at high altitude the better. This allows us multifunctional use of the water, for
hydroelectricity, irrigation, animals, and domestic use.
What sounds simple in theory, proves complicated and challenging in practice, particularly in the Hindu Kush-
Himalayan region.
The many glacier lakes, themselves a product of rising temperatures, may offer storage potential, but only if the risk
of outburst from the unstable moraine dams can be reduced. But the high elevation of these lakes -- mostly above
5000 masl -- means we do not have any access or infrastructure to manage them.
The high altitude wetlands constitute an enormous potential, particularly on the Tibetan Plateau. Is it possible to
extend the surface and potential of the wetlands on the southern slopes of the Himalayas? Can we protect and
extend existing wetlands in the face of moves towards land use change and increasing exploitation?
Water storage at farm level is still a largely untapped
resource. Farmers in traditionally water-stressed areas
have developed elaborate systems of storage and
governance to collect and distribute water, but the skills
and knowledge are rapidly disappearing, just when
they are needed most. We have rich experience within
the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region. Are the hill farmers
going to be the water managers of the future? We
certainly have to revisit the watershed development
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