Traditional knowledge of water management in Kumaon Himalaya

Abstract

Water is a precious gift of nature and indispensable for the survival of all forms of life. Its use is as old as human civilization itself. The use of water is an integral part of human life, as old as civilization itself. The great Harappan civilization developed in this continent during 2500-1500 BC because of water only. Vedic literature (800-600 BC), especially Rig-Veda is replete with hymns about irrigated land, flowing rivers, ponds and wells etc 1 . Three quarters of the world is covered with water, but most of it is saline. The saline water present in the earth is 97%. Out of the rest 2% is ice and only 1% is potable. It is therefore essential to save water for the future generation. The Himalayas, an integral part of the Indian heritage and its forests provide vegetative cover for the major river systems in India, serve as water reservoir, and are a warehouse of biodiversity, and a climate maker for the whole of Asia 2 . Uttarakhand is the catchments area of the Indo-Gangetic plain and the cradle of the Indo-Gangetic civilization. Uttarakhand is divided into two commissionaires’, Kumaon and Garhwal. Kumaon lies between 28 °44 �