Springing free

Natural springs are the stars that need to be kept in the pink, and the people ensuring it are villagers who appreciate better than before how vital this is to their water security. That’s the crux of a transformative initiative undertaken by the North East Initiative Development Agency (NEIDA), an associate entity of the Tata Trusts, in 287 villages across Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland.

Launched in 2015 and operating under its water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programme, NEIDA’s springshed rejuvenation project has seen 566 springs being treated and restored to good health. Led by the community and backed by technology, the project combines three key facets: identifying recharge areas, implementing ecological interventions, and empowering local institutions.

Many rural settlements in Northeast India are perched on mountain ridges, making springs the immediate source of water. Traditionally, these springs are sustained by rainfall, but climate change, erratic monsoons, deforestation and unsustainable water use have led to a dangerous decline in their flow.

The springshed rejuvenation project has been successful in turning this tide.