Survival lessons : Himalayan Jal Sanskriti

This publication describes traditional water harvesting structures found in the central western Himalayan states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttaranchal in India. Some were constructed several centuries ago. Many of these structures are still in use today, for domestic purposes, for irrigation, for livestock and for worship rituals. This publication highlights the technical and cultural aspects and the management systems that make these structures sustainable. It compares them to the many newly built systems that become dysfunctional in a few years. The issue of ownership if much emphasised. Water harvesting, in this document, refers to collection, storage and utilisation of locally available water, including precipitation, surface run-off, snow-melt, lakes, ponds and groundwater, as springs and wells, but excluding pumped up groundwater. The book is written with a lot of respect for traditions and spiritual beliefs. It contains many illustrative photographs of these sustainable technologies.