Open AccessClimate Change: Vulnerability Assessment of Vanishing Springs in the Mid-Hills of Nepal
Author(s) -
Ramesh Chettri,
Rajeev Joshi,
Sandip Rijal,
Saroj Adhikari
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
grassroots journal of natural resources
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2581-6853
DOI - 10.33002/nr2581.6853.03031
Subject(s) - vulnerability (computing) , climate change , vulnerability assessment , agriculture , geography , environmental resource management , environmental planning , water resources , citizen journalism , water resource management , environmental science , ecology , political science , psychology , computer security , archaeology , psychological resilience , computer science , law , psychotherapist , biology
Springs are the major source of water supply for domestic and agricultural uses in the mid-hills of Nepal. Therefore, these resources must be preserved and protected for the benefit of the ecology, environment, economic wellbeing and quality of life. This study aimed to assess the community perception and vulnerability assessment of spring water. Based on the participatory methods, views and experiences of communities were analyzed to understand their perception towards climate change. On the other hand, vulnerability assessment was carried out to analyze the situation of water availability in springs. The study reveals that water consumer communities have experienced changing patterns of local climate which correlates with the long-term rainfall and temperature data. Vulnerability ranged from 0.10 to 0.67. Moreover, meager water resources and low discharge during summer have resulted a lot of hardship to the people. The findings will assist policymakers and development agencies to plan and implement their projects more effectively at the local and national levels.