Local responses to too much and too little water in the greater Himalayan region
the social contacts withstand the social and economic conditions through collective management of resources.
changes. It is uncertain how the traditional strategies Proper institutional building measures will further
will manage to adapt and facilitate adaptation to strengthen the social capital within the community that
a drier or wetter climate in the future. The following maintains efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability of
recommendations are based on the aspirations of the adaptation measures.
community respondents.
Enabling environment – Community responses to
Improving traditional irrigation infrastructure – climate extremes need to be strengthened through
Strengthening traditional irrigation and water harvesting the development and implementation of policies that
structures will reduce communities’ vulnerability. Lining supplement and strengthen the current practices. Policies
irrigation channels and up-grading traditional reservoirs on forest and land settlement and use need to be
into concrete structures will promote efficient utilisation reviewed to reduce vulnerability and enable adaptation.
of water resources. With large irrigation projects, the
effects of adding large quantities of water into the Access to basic services – Basic services, like
fragile soil and increasing the cropped area should be education, health, electrification, and communication,
investigated to prevent further degradation and loss of will be instrumental in building adaptive capacities
the limited soils. and catalysing strategies for income diversification.
Fulfilling the basic development deficit is a very cost
Livelihood diversification – The livelihoods of the people effective measure for increasing resilience. Thus,
in the study area are based generally on climate sensitive government policies should target factors that enable
resources and there is an urgent need to provide them adaptation rather than waiting for funding of large-scale
with alternative sources of income. Diversification infrastructure.
of livelihoods through development interventions in
capacity building, facilitating off-farm income generating Gender mainstreaming – Women in the study were
activities, and creating job opportunities through identified as the most vulnerable segment of the
major development interventions should be promoted society. Therefore, special measures are needed to
by decision makers and development actors (both develop policies/programmes that target this most
government and NGOs) to reduce the vulnerability of the vulnerable section of the community through the relative
communities in these areas. empowerment of women instead of setting absolute
minimum standards.
Fostering social capital – Social networks and institutions
help communities adapt to changing environmental
Herding is an important part of livelihoods in Chitral
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