Restoring Northern India’s Himalayan ‘Water Temples’

A series of ‘water temples’ known as naula continue to serve Himalayan communities hundreds of years after they were built. In a piece for Reasons To Be Cheerful, Geetanjali Krishna explains how the ancient structures, built atop natural springs to protect the water supply and make it easier for people to fill their vessels, have been used by communities in Northern India for centuries.

Climate change and drought are drying up many of the naulas, putting local residents at risk of running out of water. Now, community groups are developing restoration plans to replenish groundwater reservoirs and bring dry naulas back to life. One group, the Central Himalayan Rural Action Group (CHIRAG), has contributed to the restoration of over 6,000 springs.

According to Krishna, “Reviving springs has the potential to transform more than just the lives of Himalayan communities for whom springs are an important source of drinking water: Reports suggest that these springs contribute substantially to the base flow of large Himalayan rivers, and reviving them could, in the long term, improve the hydrology of the densely populated river basins of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Yamuna.”