Understanding the upstream-downstream linkages in hydrological processes is essential for water resources planning in river basins.Although there are many studies of individual aspects of these processes in the Himala...Understanding the upstream-downstream linkages in hydrological processes is essential for water resources planning in river basins.Although there are many studies of individual aspects of these processes in the Himalayan region,studies along the length of the basins are limited.This study summarizes the present state of knowledge about linkages in hydrological processes between upstream and downstream areas of river basins in the Himalayan region based on a literature review.The paper studies the linkages between the changes in the physical environment of upstream areas(land use,snow storage,and soil erosion)and of climate change on the downstream water availability,flood and dry season flow,and erosion and sedimentation.It is argued that these linkages are complex due to the extreme altitudinal range associated with the young and fragile geology,extreme seasonal and spatial variation in rainfall,and diversity of anthropogenic processes.Based on the findings,the paper concludes that integrated systems analysis is required to understand the holistic complexity of upstream-downstream linkages of hydrological processes in the river basin context.The integrated land and water resources management(ILWRM)approach can be instrumental in developing adaptive solutions to problems and can also enable stakeholders of upstream and downstream areas with various interests and needs to work together for the better utilization and management of land and water resources.As a part of this,the specific circumstances of the upstream communities,who live in fragile and inaccessible mountain areas with limited resource opportunities,should be taken into account so that incentive mechanisms can be established to encourage and acknowledge their contribution.展开更多
基金This study was funded in part by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research(BMBF)Germany,who provided research funds to S.Nepal under the International Postgraduate Studies in Water Technologies(IPSWaT)program+1 种基金in part by the Koshi Basin Programme at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development(ICIMOD)which is supported by the Australian Government through the Sustainable Development Investment Portfolio for South Asia.We are grateful to A.Mukherji for her critical inputs and suggestions on the paper.Thanks to A.Beatrice Murray for editing the language of the manuscript.
文摘Understanding the upstream-downstream linkages in hydrological processes is essential for water resources planning in river basins.Although there are many studies of individual aspects of these processes in the Himalayan region,studies along the length of the basins are limited.This study summarizes the present state of knowledge about linkages in hydrological processes between upstream and downstream areas of river basins in the Himalayan region based on a literature review.The paper studies the linkages between the changes in the physical environment of upstream areas(land use,snow storage,and soil erosion)and of climate change on the downstream water availability,flood and dry season flow,and erosion and sedimentation.It is argued that these linkages are complex due to the extreme altitudinal range associated with the young and fragile geology,extreme seasonal and spatial variation in rainfall,and diversity of anthropogenic processes.Based on the findings,the paper concludes that integrated systems analysis is required to understand the holistic complexity of upstream-downstream linkages of hydrological processes in the river basin context.The integrated land and water resources management(ILWRM)approach can be instrumental in developing adaptive solutions to problems and can also enable stakeholders of upstream and downstream areas with various interests and needs to work together for the better utilization and management of land and water resources.As a part of this,the specific circumstances of the upstream communities,who live in fragile and inaccessible mountain areas with limited resource opportunities,should be taken into account so that incentive mechanisms can be established to encourage and acknowledge their contribution.
