Informatics Publishing Limited

Gh. Jeelani ¹, Ahsan Absar ², Vasudha Agnihotri ³, Shakeel Ahmed ⁴, Akhtar Alam ¹, Mohd. Farooq Azam ⁵, M. Sultan Bhat ¹, R. D. Deshpande ⁶, A. P. Dimri ⁷, Sanjay Jain ⁸, Navin Juyal ⁶, Suhail A. Lone ¹, Suraj Mal ⁹, P. Maharana ¹⁰, A. S. Maurya ¹¹, Abhijit Mukherjee ¹², Sekhar Muddu ¹³, Jose Pottakkal ⁸, S. A. Romshoo ⁴, Manmohan M. Sarin ⁶, Kalachand Sain ¹⁴, P. Sharma ¹⁵, Arun B. Shrestha ¹⁶

Affiliations
1 University of Kashmir, Srinagar 190 006, IN
2 Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, Energy Centre, New Delhi 110 092, IN
3 G. B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment, Kosi-Katarmal, Almora 263 643, IN
4 Islamic University of Science and Technology, Awantipora 192 122, IN
5 Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Indore 453 552, IN
6 Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad 380 009, IN
7 Indian Institute of Geomagnetism, Mumbai 410 218, IN
8 National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee 247 667, IN
9 Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110 067, IN
10 University of Delhi, New Delhi 110 021, IN
11 Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee 247 667, IN
12 Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur 721 302, IN
13 Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560 012, IN
14 Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dhradun 248 171, IN
15 National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research, Goa 403 804, IN
16 International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Kathmandu 3226, NP

Abstract

The Indus River Basin (IRB), one of the major river basins in the Hindu Kush Himalaya, is primarily sustained by meltwater from the cryosphere. It caters to diverse sectors, including intense irrigation-supported agriculture, energy production, tourism and biodiversity. The cryosphere of the Upper Indus Basin (UIB) is mainly influenced by the western disturbances with subordinate contribution from the Indian Summer Monsoon. Increase in ambient temperature, shrinking cryospheric reserves, fluctuating surface run-off and enhanced frequency of extreme weather events are some of the noticeable indicators of climate change in the UIB. These changes will most likely adversely affect the water-dependent sectors in the upstream and downstream of IRB, posing serious threat to food security and livelihoods. Although the region has gained significant attention in recent years, there remains a noticeable knowledge gap pertaining to certain key issues with serious implications for the natural environment and the people. A national workshop was organized for stimulated deliberations to identify the major knowledge gaps and suggest a policy framework for climate change mitigation in the UIB. The workshop underscores the urgent need of multi-institutional, multidisciplinary, comprehensive, coordinated and time-bound collaboration to study the interplay of complex drivers on water resources of the UIB.

Keywords

Climate change, policy framework, river basins, summer monsoon, western disturbances.

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Parashar Mishra ¹, Ahsan Absar ², Archisman Dutta ¹, Vishal V. Sakhare ³, Uday Shankar ², A. P. Thapliyal ⁴, Pankaj Saini ⁵, P. K. Singh ⁴, Joyesh Bagchi ⁴

Affiliations
1 Geological Survey of India, Northern Region, Lucknow 226 024, India; Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221 005, India., IN
2 ONGC Energy Centre, SCOPE Minar, Lakshmi Nagar, Delhi 110 092, India., IN
3 Geological Survey of India, Central Region, Nagpur 440 006, India., IN
4 Geological Survey of India, Northern Region, Lucknow 226 024, India., IN
5 Geological Survey of India, Gangtok 737 101, India., IN

Abstract

In this study, two thermal springs are reported from the Demchok area in Ladakh, India. These are characterized by water having low total dissolved solids (TDS) content (~250 mg/l) as well as high pH (9.5) and surface temperature (75°C). Although these hot springs and their medicinal properties are known to locals, they have not been scientifically studied. Relatively low TDS despite high temperature could be due to sluggish ion-exchange processes in the geothermal reservoir. Such a situation might have developed because of the high water-to-rock ratio and/or smaller residence time of the geothermal fluid in the reaction zone.

Keywords

Geothermal Zone, Hot Springs, Ion-Exchange Process, Medicinal Properties, Water–Rock Ratio.

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