Future Sustainability Challenges in Hindu Kush-Himalaya - Impact of Global Changes on Mountains: Responses and Adaptation - page 258

could offer an enormous capacity for water storage, for example, the Tibetan
Plateau alone has more than 1000 lakes, with a total area of approximately
45,000 sq km (ICIMOD 2009).
Around 665 sq km of wetland, about 16% of the total area of the
HKH comprises wetlands that play an important role in water storage
and regulating water regimes. For example, the wetlands in the Ruoergai
Marshes on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in Southwest China, located at
11155-12795 feet above sea level, play an important role to maintain a natural
system of water storage. Moreover, these wetlands play a prominent role
in mitigating the impact of climate change by acting as carbon sinks. The
peatlands in the Tibetan Plateau stores 1500-4000 tonnes per ha of carbon
(Trisal and Kumar 2008).
Groundwater aquifers in the Himalayan region are important for
water storage however there is little information available. Ways have been
identifi ed to store monsoon fl ows underground by recharging aquifers in
the Ganges basin, for example (i) water spreading in the piedmont deposit
(Bhabar zone) north of the Terai belt of springs and marshes; ii) slowdown
runoff and increase infi ltration using bunds at right angles to the fl ow lines;
iii) increasing seepage from irrigation canals during monsoon (Revelle and
Laksminarayana 1975). The unconsolidated Bhabar zone and the Terai plains
provide a very large groundwater reservoir in the Himalayan region. In
Nepal, 2800 million cu. m of groundwater recharge takes place in the Bhabar
zone every year and 8800 million cu. m in the Terai belt (ICIMOD 2009).
Better use of green water (water stored in the soil profi le), especially
in the Ganges and Indus Rivers basins that have the lowest availability of
green and blue water (water from surface bodies and aquifers) per capita.
The role of improving transboundary water management is a potentially
powerful adaptation strategy since large populations share rivers and
aquifers—operationalizing shared management of transboundary water,
such as, availability, access and confl ict of use (GWP 2011).
Local participation for mitigation and adaptation
Projects exist that are being implemented by HKH countries that adheres
to the notions adopted by programmes like Reducing Emissions from
Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) and green economy, and
contributes to addressing climate change adaptation activities. For example,
the community forestry programme in Nepal has been the largest and
longest participatory green initiative wherein 40% of Nepal's population
is involved in managing 25% of the country's forest area (ICIMOD 2011).