Water Resources and Management in Gori Ganga Watershed, Kumaun Himalaya by Using Remote Sensing and GIS

Uttarakhand Himalaya has been famous for its water resources (source for many rivers), forest diversity, unique wildlife, rich traditional culture, tribal culture and sacred Hindu’s shrine (i.e. Gangotri, Yamnotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath). The present study aims to assess the status of water resources in the Gori Ganga watershed. Water resources and their management were collected through field visit, use of Global Position System (GPS) and various methods (include questionnaire, personal interviews, direct interaction and group discussion with the villagers). Study explores the ability of Digital Elevation Model (DEM) in delineating watershed and drainage network of the Gori Ganga River basin. Gori Ganga watershed is laying in Eastern Kumaon Himalaya with great utility of water resources in socio-economic development for livelihood where the settlements are situated in valleys to high altitude. Gori Ganga drainage network i.e. Ralam, Mandakani and Bona gad is glacial fed river and these entire Rivers’s water received annually from glaciers which are very useful for development of villages, towns and hydro power stations in the watershed region. Study explores some traditional water resources (Glacier, streams, springs/Dhare/Naule, lakes/Kund/Taals and drainage network) and uses of water resources for traditional uses i.e. Gharat (watermill), drinking water, hydro power production, agriculture irrigation, fisheries and animal husbandry etc. in the study area. Keywords: Water Resource, Management, Socio and Economic Development, Remote Sensing and GIS.

Impact of Climate Change on Rainfall Pattern in Upper Kumaon Himalaya Region

Every single aspect of environment is affected by climate change. Change in rainfall pattern is an immense important research area in climate-change based study. Rainfall pattern has direct impacts on food production and frequencies natural disasters (landslide, cloudburst, flood, drought etc.). Consequently, that appropriate and systemic consideration since it distresses the most of the human life. Situation in Himalayan region is worst. High altitude, less agricultural area, harsh climate with high fragility makes mountain region more vulnerable in term of climate change. The objective of this study is to identify yearly, seasonal, and monthly rainfall trends in the Upper Kumaon region (UKR). Long-term gridded daily rainfall data (1950–2018) were used. Rainfall data was processed and analyzed for a period of 68 years (1950–2018) at four places (four in each Kumaon division) in the surrounding area of Almora, Bageshwar, Pithoragarh, and Champawat. The regression analysis (parametric) method and variability analysis were used to examine historical trends in daily rainfall. The rising and falling trends in rainfall, as well as anomalies, have been studied using regression.The result shows that rainfall demonstrate statistically significant changes occurred in last 34 years. Rainfall variability is higher in low altitude region than high altitude region of Upper Kumaon region.

An annotated bird checklist of community-managed lands in Kailash Sacred Landscape-India, Kumaon Himalaya

In the Indian Himalayan region, community-managed lands such as community-managed forests and agriculture lands play an important role in conserving native biodiversity. Our avifaunal surveys done between 2013 and 2016 recorded 205 species belonging to 52 families. Two species were first records from Pithoragarh district. Six species are classified as Threatened and five as Near Threatened in the IUCN Red List. Six are Schedule-I species under the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. In total, 63 migratory (local/altitudinal and long-range) and 81 Himalayan endemic species were observed. Overall, our observations reveal a niche providing both transient and perennial havens for resident and migrant avifauna in our study site’s landscape. Our findings suggest that despite human persistence in the landscape, diversity within avifaunal guilds is rich in the community-managed lands. We recommend further research to focus on understanding the factors governing the bird distribution and co-occurrence in the landscape. 

Imaging the Moho and Main Himalayan Thrust beneath the Kumaon Himalaya: constraints from receiver function analysis

SUMMARY We analyse P-wave receiver functions across the Kumaon Himalaya and adjoining area to constrain crustal thickness, intracrustal structures and seismic velocity characteristics to address the role of the underlying structure on seismogenesis and geodynamic evolution of the region. The three-component waveforms of teleseismic earthquakes recorded by a seismological network consisting of 18 broad-band seismological stations have been used for receiver function analysis. The common conversion point (CCP) depth migrated receiver function image and shear wave velocity models obtained through inversion show a variation of crustal thickness from ∼38 km in the Indo-Gangetic Plain to ∼42 km near the Vaikrita Thrust. A ramp (∼20°) structure on the Main Himalayan Thrust (MHT) is revealed beneath the Chiplakot Crystalline Belt (CCB) that facilitates the exhumation of the CCB. The geometry of the MHT observed from the receiver function image is consistent with the geometry revealed by a geological balanced cross-section. A cluster of seismicity at shallow to mid-crustal depths is detected near the MHT ramp. The spatial and depth distribution of seismicity pattern beneath the CCB and presence of steep dipping imbricate faults inferred from focal mechanism solutions suggest a Lesser Himalayan Duplex structure in the CCB above the MHT ramp. The study reveals a low-velocity zone (LVZ) with a high Poisson's ratio (σ ∼0.28–0.30) at lower crustal depth beneath the CCB. The high value of Poisson's ratio in the lower crust suggests the presence of fluid/partial melt. The shear heating in the ductile regime and/or decompression and cooling associated with the exhumation of the CCB plausibly created favorable conditions for partial melting in the lower crustal LVZ.