Climate Change and its Impacts on Community Food and Livelihood in Kumaun Himalaya: A Case Study of Dabka Catchment - Impact of Global Changes on Mountains: Responses and Adaptation - page 287

Table 11.6. Decreasing irrigation facilities during 1985-2010.

Irrigation Measures During

1985 - 1990

During
2005 - 2010

Changes
1985 - 2010

Annual

Spring Ponds (number of ponds) 38 12 -26 -1

Perennial Streams (number of Streams) 92 39 -53 -3

Water Tanks (number of tanks) 60 14 -46 -2

Check Dams (number of dams) 86 33 -53 -3

Canals (km) 184 42 -142 -6

tanks and check dams were decreasing respectively with the rate of 1, 3, 2
and 3 by each year whereas the irrigating canal decreasing 6 km/year (Table
11.6). During 1985-1990 out of the total agricultural land (1977 hectares)
90% land (1787 hectares) was irrigated land whereas during 2005-2010 it
had decreased up to 45% (916 hectares) of total agricultural land (Fig. 11.6
and Table 11.7). Subsequently only 10% (190 hectares) land out of the total
agricultural land was non-irrigated land during 1985-1990 and it increased
up to 55% (1124 hectares) out of total agricultural land (2040 hectare)
during 2005-2010 (Fig. 11.6 and Table 11.7). Figure 11.7 depicts that the 25
years study concluded that 2% irrigated land changed into non-irrigated
land but the spatial distribution of agricultural land suggested that the
non-irrigated land increased with extreme high rates (22% by each year)
because of two reasons :

• Irrigated land converted into non-irrigated land due to dwindling
water resources and irrigation facilities.

• Because of low yield rates of non-irrigated land people increased their
agricultural land to produce the required annual family food.

Agricultural Land Degradation during the Monsoon: The annual trends
of agricultural land degradation due to geo-hydrological hazards has been
analyzed in the existing study period during 2005-2010 (Table 11.8 and Fig.
11.8). The results suggested that in average about 443 hectares of agricultural
land degraded each year through geo-hydrological hazards which accounts
about 22% of the total existing agricultural land (Table 11.8 and Fig. 11.8).
The maximum about 7% (149.73 hectares) degraded by fl ash fl ood or high
runoff hazard whereas the minimum about 3% (65.20 hectares) degraded
by landslide hazard (Table 11.8 and Fig. 11.8). Soil erosion and river-line
fl ood hazard respectively degraded about 6% (130.57 hectares) and 5% (97.73
hectares) of the total agricultural land each year (Table 11.8 and Fig. 11.8).
The spatial distribution of the degraded agricultural land during 2005-2010
suggested that fl ash fl ood and river-line fl ood mostly degraded high fertility
irrigated agricultural land because such type of land are found along all
rivers and their streams which are highly vulnerable for both types of fl ood