Objective: use hydrogeology to recharge springs in the Kumaun Himalayas. 

Springs are crucial to counter the severe drinking water crisis resulting from microclimate changes and increasing population, and many villages have expressed concern for the state of their springs: without water, their very livelihood is at stake.

The Alstom Foundation, in association with the Central Himalayan Rural Action Group (Chirag), is supporting a project to recharge 30 springs in the Kumaun Himalayas using the principles of hydrogeology, the area of geology that deals with the distribution and movement of groundwater in the soil and rocks of the Earth's crust. 
An assessment was undertaken by Chirag staff to check the technical and ecological feasibility. While Chirag acts as a facilitator, the actual implementation of the activities at village level will be undertaken by rural families and small groups of users. 

The Central Himalayan Rural Action Group (Chirag) has worked in the Kumaun Himalayas for the past 21 years. Their mission is to improve people's quality of life through interventions in health, education and natural resource management. They promotes the sustainable ownership and management of common resources by the community. 
 
Visit the Chirag website