Forgotten spring sources become lifelines in times of disaster

“Our village was hit by several landslides, leaving us without electricity for over 10 days.”

Lamin Maya Tamang , a resident of Bhagwate village

“Our water supply system, which ran on electricity, stopped working during these rains. We had to return to the old Bhagwate Spring, a source we hadn’t used for years. This forgotten spring became our lifeline in this difficult time,” says Lamin Maya Tamang, a resident of Bhagwate village in Namobuddha municipality, Kavrepalanchok dsitrict, central Nepal. Bhagwate was one of the areas hit hardest by the extreme rainfall events of September 2024.

From 26 to 28 September 2024, torrential rainfall triggered devastating floods and landslides across Nepal, resulting in widespread destruction. According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), the hardest-hit areas included Sindhuli, Kavrepalanchok , Sindhupalchok, and Dhading districts, as well as the Kathmandu Valley. Water levels in 23 rivers surged above the danger mark, and rainfall exceeded 200mm as recorded by 77 monitoring stations, leading to unprecedented loss of life, with over 250 deaths, 178 injured and 17 missing people, and damage to homes, water systems, roads, bridges, schools, and healthcare facilities. In response, the government declared 71 municipalities across 20 districts as disaster-affected zones.

The September disaster underscored the vital role of local springs as lifelines. In villages like Bhagwate and Bhugdeu in Kavrepalanchok district, residents turned to these almost-forgotten, but enduring water sources for survival when their modern water supply systems failed.

A growing shift to modern water supply systems

Located in Namobuddha municipality’s ward 2, Bhagwate Spring once served around 20–25 households before it dried up in 2014 due to drought. With the drying up of the spring, residents began digging wells or relying on other nearby seasonal springs. In 2019, the municipality dug a borewell to supply water to 100 households.

The September 2024 disaster disrupted the centralised system, leaving the Bhagwate villagers without water for two weeks. In this crisis, the Bhagwate Spring, revived in 2021 through a collaborative venture between the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and local authorities, became a crucial water source yet again. With a maximum water flow of 1.5 litres per minute as of October 2024, the spring has regained its status as a reliable water source, and locals are now considering it for agriculture and household needs.

A similar story unfolded in Bhugdeu village, Bethanchowk rural municipality, where approximately 120 households once relied on two local springs, Mathillo Padhero and Tallo Padhero. This changed when a larger water supply project tapped a distant spring, Darke Kholsa, and distributed its water through communal taps across the village. Over time, as each household got a private tap connected to the Bhugdeu river – courtesy of the ‘Ek Ghar Ek Dhara’ scheme – these communal taps and local springs were gradually abandoned.

However, after the September 2024 disaster, when the main supply from the Bhugdeu River was disrupted, the water from Mathillo Padhero and Tallo Padhero, which had only served four households and four cattle sheds after the Ek Ghar Ek Dhara came into effect, became the only water sources for 120 households all over again.

“We had to dig out and clean the buried springs we had long forgotten about.”

Sudarshan Thapa, a resident of Bhugdeu village

The springs, once abandoned, became their lifeline, providing essential water during and after the crisis. Reflecting on this, Sudarshan Thapa, a Bhugdeu villager, says, “This taught us that local springs are vital. We need to preserve them not just for emergencies, but also for long-term water security.”

The villagers got together to clean and conserve Mathillo Padhero and Tallo Padhero. They also revived other springs, such as Darke Kuwa, which had been buried by a landslide two decades ago but is now serving eight households. Similarly, Darke Dhara, previously swept away by floods, was restored following the September calamity and is now providing drinking water to 14 households.

A broader issue across Nepal’s hills and mountains

These two stories from Namobuddha municipality and Bethanchowk rural municipality offer a glimpse into a broader issue across the hill and mountain settlements of Nepal during disasters. Large-scale water systems – such as river-lift schemes, deep boreholes, and one-tap-per-household initiatives – have often led communities to neglect local springs that could have been conserved and protected with minimal efforts. Yet, when centralised water infrastructure fails, communities return to these local and small sources for drinking water, sanitation, and even agricultural uses. The recent disaster has underscored the vital role of local springs, reminding communities of the urgent need to safeguard these resources to ensure reliable and sustainable access to water in times of crisis.  

Findings from a recent mapping of springs in Kavrepalanchok district

A recent study in Kavrepalanchok district points to an urgent need for action to preserve vital spring sources. Conducted through a citizen science initiative and supported by ICIMOD’s Himalayan Resilience Enabling Action Programme (HI-REAP), the study involved training community members to map springs and document their status across seven municipalities in the district. The alarming results indicate that approximately one-quarter of the springs in the region have dried up and 54 percent of the remaining active springs have been showing decreased flow over the past decade. The causes are both natural and man-made, with earthquakes identified as a primary disruptor. Earthquakes, by altering underground water channels, have significantly contributed to the drying up of springs. Prolonged droughts, too, have taken a toll, impacting flow and resilience.

Apart from natural forces, human activities such as infrastructure development, urbanisation, and road construction have further stressed these water sources. Alarmingly, many springs are not accounted for in planning processes, resulting in their decline. Other contributing factors include neglectful maintenance and land-use changes such as through deforestation. Each of these adds pressure on these critical resources, which are too often ignored until emergencies arise.

Ensuring Nepal’s water security

Springs are vital sources of drinking water for over 10 million people living in the mountainous areas of Nepal. They must be preserved and managed proactively to sustain Nepal’s water security. Protecting these sources is not only about preserving tradition – it is about ensuring reliable, resilient access to water in the face of growing environmental challenges such as the recent extreme event. As efforts continue in Kavrepalanchok to restore the modern water supply infrastructure after the disaster of September, it is essential to remember the value of springs, those hardy natural sources that remain steady when all else fails.