Local responses to too much and too little water in the greater Himalayan region
work is beyond the capacity of one village. Equitable their relatives and tribes with major water rights for free-
distribution of water is also ensured through a traditional of-cost water support. Now, farmers in Mulkhow use a
water control structure called ‘nirwalu’ (a round-shaped mixture of these coping strategies.
hole in the middle of pairs of stone or wooden planks
with an equal dimension that is installed on the two Modifying crop systems and land tenure – Farmers in
corners of a small dug pond. Mulkhow are modifying their cropping systems to adapt
to water shortages. The crop management practices
Traditional water harvesting – In Mulkhow, the include use of improved agricultural inputs, planting
traditional water harvesting reservoirs have been earlier, and agroforestry. The farmers also plant fruit
very useful for tapping meagre water resources from and non-fruit trees on the borders of cultivable land to
perennial streams and springs and using the water reduce the intensity of sun, increase land productivity,
according to a predefined distribution arrangement. and supplement household firewood needs. Drought
Water harvesting is done mainly for irrigation and tolerant and early maturing poplar and rubinia are the
drinking, however, some microstructures constructed by most common trees planted in the region. Households
the women were used to provide water to livestock on a with limited or no land rent fields from large landlords on
regular basis. a contract basis such as a 50/50 profit or loss. Farmers
with less water prefer to do contract farming with a
The water reservoirs are innovative; they reduce water farmer who has more water rights to provide deficit
losses and lessen the workload of the farmers. For water for their own lands as well.
example, people with turns to get water at night, store
their share of water in the reservoirs to use during
the day. The strategy has been helpful especially for
Shishikoh – adapting houses, settlements, and land
female-headed households because the women cannot
use to cope with flash floods
go outside at night. In addition, the transformation of
The design and location of houses and settlements
these traditional structures into concrete water reservoirs
are critical in protecting people from flash floods. In
with the support of GOs and NGOs has further
Shishikoh, the majority of people make their houses
institutionalised the use of water in the area.
from stone (instead of mud brick) so that they are more
resilient to water damage. The increasing rate of flash
Pooling of water – When less water is available, the
floods has compelled them to leave the valley bottoms
farmers at the tail end of the irrigation system may
and construct their houses on slopes. Local people
not receive their allocated amount of water due to
consider the nature of soil, vegetative cover, grazing
evaporation and seepage/leakage in the distribution
routes, and previous history of flash floods while
system. To deal with the situation, two or more farmers
constructing houses on slopes. However, this strategy
pool their water and equally divide the time of irrigation.
may not be practicable for everyone due to limited
land holdings, the high cost of construction, and their
Borrowing and swapping water – The system of
emotional attachment to the land.
borrowing and swapping water for farming is a
common strategy to supplement irrigation water
needs in some villages. Key informants revealed that
Adaptations in Livestock Raising
borrowing and swapping water is an ancient practice to
The communities in both Mulkhow and Shishikoh
address water shortages. The system works well for all,
depend heavily on livestock in their livelihoods. Being
especially for poor farmers and those located at the tail
the custodians of livestock, women have a lead role in
end of the water distribution system.
responding to climate variations in the livestock sector.
However, population increases and changing rainfall
Lending livestock to avoid selling – Lending or
patterns have led to acute water shortages since the
borrowing domestic cattle is a major strategy employed
early 1990s. The system in Mulkhow has evolved into
to avoid livestock losses due to water shortage. Since the
a commercial practice with trading of water for kind
shortage of fodder makes rearing animals impossible for
(like fodder, fuelwood, and poultry), services (weeding,
households with limited resources, they lend their animals
harvesting, irrigating land, household work, and others),
to well-off households, especially relatives, instead
and cash. Earlier people did not buy or sell water –
of selling or slaughtering them. Two types of lending
farmers with an immediate need for water would ask
systems were documented in Mulkhow and Shishikoh.
20
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