Development and conservation of water resources in Garhwal Himalaya

Excerpt

GARHWAL Himalaya in India is a harsh environment. Residents must walk several kilometers a day for fresh water. Agriculture is difficult due to the lack of irrigation and having too much or too little rain during different times of the year. Garhmal Himalaya (29° 31.9′ to 31° 26′ N latitude and 77° 33.5′ to 80° 6′ E longitude) has an altitude range between 500 m to 8.000 m (1640 ft to 26, 240 ft), and is comprised of five districts—Chamoli, Pauri, Lttarkashi, Tehri, and Dehradun. It has a population of 2.43 million (1981 census), and covers an area of 29.089 km² (11, 231 mi²) is shown in the map (5). The Ganges and Yamuna Rivers, and their tributaries have their source in Garhwal glaciers. The rivers Iring a large quantity of alluvial soil to the plains and serve as major sources of irrigation.

One-fourth of the area is snowbound year round and more than a third of the area is under snow for six months annually. Only about 10 percent of the total land is farmed with nearly half of that unproductive due t …