Assessment of Natural Springs Reliability for Rural Water Security in the Lesser Himalayan Region Papum Pare District Arunachal Pradesh

Abstract

Purpose. Himalayan communities depend on springs for essential water needs. Changed newlinerainfall, land use, and human activities have transformed numerous springs into seasonal or newlinedried sources, exacerbating water scarcity. Water quality is also deteriorating due to human newlineactivities in springshed. It is crucial to implement practices comparable to reviving springs, newlineprotecting springshed, and efficiently storing excess water to ensure sustained availability newlineduring periods of scarcity. newlineMethods. A comprehensive analysis of spring inventory, classification, and stakeholder newlinedependence on springs was carried out in the study area. It was classified by origin, flow newlineduration, and recorded potential threats, intensity, and catchment characteristics. RS-GIS, newlineAHP, and fuzzy-AHP techniques were integrated based on MCDM to generate a newlinecomprehensive groundwater spring potential zonation. RS-GIS, isotope, and hydrochemical newlinemethods aided in delineating the springshed, identifying water sources, and conducting newlinedetailed analyses. Spring discharge rate was recorded weekly to access the spring newlinehydrograph, recession curve, quick and slow flow, yield and reliability. Spring water newlinepotability and irrigational use were analyzed based on on-site, physio-chemical, metal, heavy newlinemetal and E. Coli data. The optimized water harvesting structure was designed based on newlinetheoretical and actual water demand per capita. newlineResults. This study comprehensively assesses 102 springs in the study area, classified as newlinedepression (93), joint/ fracture (9); dhara (89), seeps (9), and naulas (4); seasonal (42) and newlineperennial (60). The 65 springs face moderate threats, while 37 face high threats. A fuzzyAHP-based MCDM analysis identified moderate potential zones (41.30%) as predominant, newlinefollowed by high (28.31%) and low potential zones (30.40%). The delineated springshed newlinearea ranged from 0.48 km2 at Chimpu to 1.7 km2 at Gumto spring, and significant recharge newlinezone varies in the 200 to 280 m amsl.