The Hindu Kush Himalayas region, often called the water tower of South Asia, is undergoing rapid urbanisation, which is depleting critical water resources, triggering severe scarcity, erratic rainfall and destructive flooding in Nepal, India, and Bhutan.
Kesar points out in the research paper that urban expansion is swallowing peri-urban agricultural land that once relied on gravity-fed earthen irrigation networks. When properly maintained, these traditional channels do more than irrigating crops. They naturally recharge groundwater, manage torrential storm water, prevent aquifer depletion and reduce flooding during extreme rain events. In essence, they function as ready-made blue-green infrastructure.
Kesar and his co-author state that rather than dismantling these systems to make way for concrete development, they should be integrated into formal urban planning. They propose that towns and cities in the Hindu Kush Himalayas region adopt urban codes and legal easements that protect traditional channels as critical infrastructure. Complemented by managed aquifer recharge techniques and community-based water management, these nature-based solutions can improve both water quality and availability while shrinking the environmental footprint of urban growth.
Kesar states that long-term policies and institutional support are essential for revitalising these networks. As climate change is intensifying both droughts and deluges, protecting traditional irrigation systems is not about romanticising the past. It is a practical, cost-effective strategy for building sustainable, climate-resilient urban futures in one of the world’s most fragile mountain ecosystems.
As the Hindu Kush Himalayas grapple with the pressures of urbanisation, Kesar’s research offers a clear path forward to look to tradition, protect living water systems and let nature guide resilience.
The Baisakhi Sale Plan offers an excellent value of 2 years of subscription + 6 months complimentary.
If you proceed with this purchase, your current monthly subscription plan will be immediately cancelled.
30?”green-strip-scroll”:””}”>n ${e.display_status||e.scheduleTime}n
30?”green-strip-scroll”:””}”>n ${e.display_status+”, “+e.scheduleTime}n