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the flow

INDIA: GRAM VIKAS' INITIATIVE TO STRENGTHEN SPRINGS

10/7/2020

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PictureWatershed being rehabilitated in Odisha, India. Credit: Gram Vikas.
The power output of micro hydro projects depends on the water flow and the head. The source of the flow is often a spring or a tributary of a river. Both types of sources depend on the watershed, which forms a catchment area for the micro hydro system. The terrain and forests of the watershed form the catchment area of the micro hydro system. 

In this regard, micro hydro is truly a nature-based solution. Healthy forested watersheds result in sustainable micro hydro systems, where the flow is consistent throughout the year and also resilient to climate change. In addition, healthy forests also help to control erosion during monsoon seasons, which can negatively impact both the micro hydro system and the community. Further, vibrant forests lend themselves to enhanced rural livelihoods, which in turn can benefit from access to electricity, e.g. local processing of agri-forest products.

Because of these linkages, we are connecting micro hydro practitioners to watershed experts.  Our network is fortunate to have a few members that focus on both. Gram Vikas, based in Odisha, India, is one such organization.  
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In fact, the focus on watershed restoration goes beyond micro hydropower for Gram Vikas. Its flagship and award-winning water and sanitation program for rural and marginalized communities strongly highlights practices for watershed (ridge to valley) and springshed (valley to valley) strengthening. 

One of the several solutions in this area that Gram Vikas is pioneering is recharging springs. Read on to learn more!  For additional articles on watersheds and micro hydro, please see here.


​SPRINGS:  NATURE'S BOUNTY FOR WATER SECURITY

Sustainability of Springshed-based Water Sources

Mountain Springs are the main water source for most of the tribal population living in the Eastern Ghats range of Odisha. Many of the villages, in the region, are over the hilltops, in the form of scattered hamlets. They get little or no access to streams flowing down to the valleys. About 60% of the population in these hamlets depend upon spring water for basic needs like drinking, domestic use, and for agriculture and livestock.  Despite their significance, springs are drying up due to variations in rainfall patterns, changes in land use and reduction in forest cover. Many have become seasonal with low discharge. There are also apparent changes in the quality of water available. Only about 30% of the water sources are estimated to be functioning without any apparent decrease in water availability. ​
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Barren hills due to felling of trees and slash and burn cultivation. Credit: Gram Vikas
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Gram Vikas team assessing health of springs in Odisha, India. Credit: Gram Vikas
The Springs Initiative

The Springs Initiative aims to develop community-led efforts for springshed management, spring rejuvenation and establishment of water systems by harnessing the potential of perennial springs sustainably. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India and UNDP India support the initiative. Gram Vikas took up the initiative, in partnership with village communities and with technical support from ACWADAM, in selected blocks of Gajapati, Kandhamal and Kalahandi districts of Odisha.
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Land treatment facilitated by Gram Vikas to increase springshed re-charge.  Credit: Gram Vikas

​​Spring Water Atlas

The Spring Water Atlas is an online repository of information on springs, spring-sheds and spring-scapes to strengthen springs management for addressing water scarcity issues for tribal communities in India.  The tool is GIS-based, providing maps, spring health, water quality, and discharge, among other properties.  The knowledge tool is hosted by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and UNDP India.   It can be access by the public here:  thespringsportal.org.
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GIS-based data available on the Spring Water Atlas: https://thespringsportal.org/

Community Cadre

A community cadre of para-hydrologists, a mobile application and GIS technology converge to make the portal a rich storehouse of information on springs in India. Users can find information on the number of springs mapped and their health including water quality, discharge capacity and other physical, chemical and biological properties. 75 young men and women from 42 villages in 10 gram panchayats, have been trained and deployed as barefoot para-hydrologists, identify and map springs, and undertake measures for their rejuvenation and protection. Using the mWater application in their smartphones, these para-hydrologists collect data on the local hydrogeology and chemical properties of the spring source. This is then fed into the portal, Spring Water Atlas. The para-hydrologists were trained from November 2019 to February 2020.
The Springs Initiative works towards ensuring water security for remote tribal communities by changing the perception of springs from a ‘source’ to a ‘resource’. An integrated solution, the initiative will address the water needs of these communities for drinking, domestic and agriculture purposes. The harnessing of springs as sources of safe and adequate water, the initiative has the potential to improve the health, nutrition and livelihoods of these communities.
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WHY WATERSHEDS MATTER

9/22/2020

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Our initiative Social Enterprise for Energy, Ecological and Economic Development (SEEED) aims to support local practitioners and communities to transition to a sustainable approach to micro hydro.  It aims to unlock the potential for hydro mini-grids to bring long term environmental and socioeconomic benefits — to support empowerment that goes well beyond kilowatts.
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As we continue to develop this initiative, we want to facilitate a closer look at the core thematic elements that constitute SEEED.  Last quarter we shared about the foundational aspect of reliability, and the role of manufacturing standards to ensure technical reliability.  Today we share about an equally important aspect to micro hydro reliability and also sustainability -- healthy watersheds.  The article is developed by HPNET member and watershed expert, Ms. Koto Kishida.

PictureCredit: Gram Vikas
​​Watersheds and Climate Resilience

​There are a number of accounts of negative impacts of climate change in rural communities where our members work. Many of the communities have known the importance of healthy watersheds, as they are the source of drinking and irrigation water, as well as timber and non-timber products that provide food and livelihood. 
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Those communities have traditional rules to sustainably manage their natural resources. HPNET members who work on local community-based hydropower also understand that building resilient watersheds is key for the communities to sustain and regulate stream flow, secure clean drinking and sanitation water, as well as forest resources that could support sustainable rural development.  Gram Vikas’ work in Odisha, India is one such example.

PictureU Zaw Min, an MHP practitioner in Myanmar, maps a watershed. Credit: D. Vaghela
Watersheds and Micro Hydro
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In addition, healthy watersheds are the foundation to sustainable community-based hydropower that is also highly beneficial socio-economically.  

Hydropower requires a consistent water supply to generate electricity year-round. Seasonal fluctuations in stream-flow, as well as topography and changes in forest cover all impact a system’s energy output, making some systems more vulnerable. When the forest above hydropower intake is logged, the retention capacity of the soil and stream-flow is altered.  This could result in greater variability between wet and dry season flow rates, and increase the risk of flood and landslides that could damage hydropower structures.  Increased siltation can also clog intakes and wear down turbine runners, incurring additional maintenance costs.
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Maintaining and establishing mature forest cover alleviates the impacts of seasonal variability in flow, reduces landslide risks, and can help build resilience against the impacts of climate change. The potential for the communities to access stable sources of electricity provides communities with hydropower an added incentive to protect their watersheds.  Community-scale hydropower reinforces environmental traditions by incentivizing watershed strengthening, which, in turn, enables reliable and sustainable power supply. (Examples of this can be found in our feature series, Earth Voices)

Watersheds and Reforestation
A plantation site supported by Gram Vikas in Kalahandi in early 2000s before getting the watershed treatment. Credit: Gram Vikas
A plantation site supported by Gram Vikas in Kalahandi after getting watershed treatment in 2018. Credit: Gram Vikas
The key to thriving watersheds are forests. Establishing and maintaining mature forest conditions as a way to mitigate and adapt to climate change could be achieved through conservation and restoration of watersheds informed by local knowledge and best practices. Thriving watersheds with forest cover could significantly mitigate the negative impacts of climate change by offsetting carbon emissions and build resilience against severe weather events and other climate change impacts. Forest conservation in community-based hydropower watersheds could be valuable for climate mitigation because the watersheds tend to be in the upper basins where forests provide the cleanest water and provide habitat for diverse flora and fauna. 

Many rural communities in the global south have traditional rules around resource management. Competing land use pressures such as farming, logging, and development by community members as well as external entities make observing such rules challenging. The communities can keep each other accountable by negotiating a plan to prioritize land uses and conservation goals. If all parties commit to implement the plan as a management guide, it could facilitate data collection, fundraising efforts, evaluation of the impact of the plan, and opportunities to adjust management strategies for more impact. Depending on the scale and land ownership of the hydropower watersheds, community would be easier with support from a CSO or a project manager. 


Community Micro Hydro + Reforestation

Integrating community-based hydro with reforestation will have dual benefits for rural communities.  In addition to the reasons provided above, access to electricity supports income generation of rural households and communities -- the lack of which can exacerbate deforestation.

Due to the inherent nature of community-scale and community-based hydropower, rural communities accessing hydropower are often already organized with active committees for management of the system as well as its load. The committee members often include those with in-depth knowledge of watersheds who could contribute local knowledge to forest conservation and enhancement efforts. 
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There are cases of reforestation activities affiliated with community hydro projects as well as the communities pledging to conserve watersheds in a form of contracts between funding organizations and the communities.




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