- Water scarcity from declining snowfall and drying springs puts pastoralists in Jammu & Kashmir at risk of abandoning their traditional migration practices.
- Community-led efforts to harvest rainwater through small artificial ponds in high-altitude pastures is proving to be a potential solution to it.
- The Alpine Pond Project, that supports over 230 pastoral households, is emerging as a model for climate adaptation, combining both local knowledge and scientific insight.
As summer sets in, Abdul Hamid Bajran, a herder from the Bakerwal tribe, leads his family of 10 and their livestock up to the green pastures of Lalmarg in Ganderbal district of Central Kashmir. For generations, this migration has been their way of life — a rhythm between the plains in winters and the high meadows in summer.
But some things have changed in the last few years. The winters brought no snow in the alpine meadows, and the streams that once gushed through their pastures have dried up. Water is scarce, and the quality of meadow grass is degrading. Abdul’s family now speaks of leaving behind their ancestral way of life. “If we get hit by one more drought, we have a choice no nomad ever wants to make. Our migration, once stretching 140 days, has shrunk to barely 90.”
Moreover, to deal with the shortage of fodder, many herding families, including Abdul’s have had to sell some of their animals just to get by. But this has created a new problem: their herd size has become so small that it’s no longer possible to earn enough to keep pastoralism going. “To feed my livestock, I had to sell 10 sheep, which is more than half my yearly income last year. I don’t think we can continue like this,” he says.
Elsewhere, in Khudmarg, a pasture in Babawayil area of Ganderbal district, another community of nomads was forced to abandon their camp after their spring dried up. They moved to new pastures owned by others, sparking tension within the community and overgrazing. “Not only this, but there is also a rise in hailstorms during May, a critical time when sheep give birth. These extreme weather events have caused heavy losses,” Mohammad Aslam, a nomad from Gujjar tribe, says.
As hardships increase and tensions rise within the community, the nomads have come together to seek solutions. They joined hands with the Himalayan Pastoral Trust (HPT), a local NGO based in Central Kashmir working to protect pastoral livelihoods. In 2024, they launched the Alpine Pond Project, an effort to harvest rainwater and store it by constructing ponds in high-altitude pastures. By identifying key grazing areas along their traditional routes, the community and the NGO along with support from the Department of Forests, Jammu & Kashmir, built several small artificial ponds to collect and store rainwater. Their goal is to revive the drying meadows and restore hope for the herders who depend on them.
Rainwater harvesting contributes to clean growth as it promotes water security, reduces resource stress, and enables sustainable economic activity with minimal environmental impact. Capturing and reusing rainwater lessens dependence on energy-intensive groundwater extraction and costly tanker supply, cutting emissions and operational costs. It contributes directly to SDGs 6 (Clean Water), 11 (Sustainable Cities), and 13 (Climate Action).
Reviving pastoral water systems
The Kashmir Himalayas are home to one of South Asia’s biggest seasonal migrations: nearly six lakh Gujjars, Bakerwals, Gadis, Chopans and other pastoral communities walk hundreds of kilometres, herding their livestock between alpine pastures in Kashmir and Ladakh starting April-May and reverse migration plains in Jammu in September-October. For centuries, this migration depended on favourable climate, natural springs, and the availability of grass. These alpine meadows are not only central to the herders’ survival but also support rich biodiversity.
Shahid Sulaiman, founder of the Himalayan Pastoral Trust explains that in recent years, the untimely snowfall in May, warmer winters, and frequent hailstorms have disrupted the pastoral calendar. “When snow appears late or melts too soon, herders are forced to change routes, shorten migrations, or abandon pastures. Springs and streams that once provided steady water now dry up mid-season, forcing families to move and sometimes creating tension between communities,” he explains. Sulaiman is also pursuing a PhD on climate change and pastoralism at the Department of Geography, University of Kashmir.
He adds, “Migrating families live in tents or mud huts, travel on horses, and carry only basic items. They often do not have space to store 100 litres of water. When a spring dries up, they are forced to leave their pastures or migrate.”
According to the census conducted by the Ministry of Jal Shakti in 2017-2018, about 23% of Jammu and Kashmir’s water bodies have dried up and are beyond repair. Of the 9,765 water bodies recorded, mostly ponds, over 99% are in rural areas. Among the 2,036 ponds no longer in use, nearly half have dried up, while others have been damaged, built over, or rendered unusable.
Further, studies show that out of 6,553 villages in Jammu and Kashmir, more than 3,300 have freshwater springs nearby. These natural water sources once provided drinking water and irrigation for many communities. But in the last 20 years, more than half of them have dried up or become smaller.
In the Alpine Pond Project, the location of each pond is guided by community-led mapping of traditional grazing routes, seasonal migration patterns, and water scarcity hotspots. By building ponds in surplus grazing zones with underused pasture potential, the project helps ease pressure on overused rangelands and distribute livestock more evenly across the landscape.
“This reduces overgrazing near natural springs, while enabling rotational grazing practices that allow vegetation to regenerate. In parallel, community grazing plans are developed with herders to define resting periods for pastures, regulate herd movement, and ensure sustainable use of grazing resources,” Shahid says.
Under this initiative, so far, three alpine ponds have been successfully constructed in Tragbal and Mohandmarg pastures in Ganderbal district, and a third one in Lalmarg pasture in Bandipora district. Building on this success, four new ponds have been proposed for construction in Langmarg and Krush pastures in Bandipora district, as well as Hamwas and Gratwantan pastures in Ganderbal district.
“Each pond can support 80-90 households, filling up quickly even after a 10-minute rainfall. At 12,000 feet, we get at least two rain spells in 30 days, even during drought-like conditions,” he adds.
The initiative currently benefits more than 230 pastoral households, each with an average family size of eight to nine members and around 45 livestock animals. The project’s efforts are supported by 12 active volunteers from the Himalayan Pastoral Trust and members of the nomadic community who migrate to these pastures every year. “Each pond costs roughly ₹ 100,000, and most funding so far has come through voluntary community contributions. Also, we’ve received distress calls from 48 pastures and plan to build ponds there over the next three years,” says Shahid.
He says if the water scarcity continues, many pastoral families may abandon migration in future. “With that, we are risking losing centuries of traditional knowledge about plants, herbs, and biodiversity that are a part of the Himalayan pastoral culture.”
Science, policy, and the future of pastoralism
Irfan Rashid, an associate professor at the Department of Geoinformatics, University of Kashmir, says that the springs in alpine areas are mostly fed by winter snowfall. “Although we lack detailed data from these high-altitude regions, local observations clearly show that snowfall has declined significantly. Over the last 15 years, Kashmir has witnessed four snowless Chillaikalans (40-day period of Kashmir’s harshest winter, running from December 21 to January 31 when most snowfall takes place), which is a strong indicator of this trend,” Rashid says.
He points out that when snow falls in spring, part of it melts and runs off, while some water seeps into the soil and recharges underground aquifers—the actual source of many springs. “As snowfall decreases, this recharge also reduces, which naturally affects spring flow and water availability. This, in turn, impacts pastoral and mountain communities who depend on these springs for drinking water and livestock,” Rashid says.
The decline in these water sources is forcing people to migrate to new pastures in search of sustainable water supplies. “In this situation, community-led efforts in coordination with the forest department are the most effective way forward. When people who are directly affected take ownership of conservation measures such as rainwater harvesting, the outcomes are more sustainable. Government-led efforts often fail when there is no local maintenance,” he says.
These interventions are being carried out on a small scale and will not harm local ecosystems or wildlife. “Instead, they serve as a positive adaptation strategy to climate change. Scientists can further support by mapping pasture extent and health using remote sensing to identify degraded zones and understand whether water scarcity or other climatic factors are driving these changes,” he says.
Irfan Ali Shah, the conservator of forests, North Kashmir, notes that climate change has disrupted these traditional water sources. “As a result, pastoral communities are being forced to abandon traditional grasslands used by their ancestors and move to unfamiliar pastures, often referred to as “ghost pastures.” These new areas pose risks, the vegetation is unknown, and even livestock diseases have been reported,” he says.
To address these challenges, the forest department is carrying out a census of springs in the subalpine and alpine zones. The goal is to map and assess the condition of all springs, documenting details like their size, water storage, encroachments, and usability. This data will help in policy planning and rejuvenation programmes for these crucial water sources. “Most importantly, these springs are crucial for nomadic and tribal communities, especially pastoralists, who depend on them for both drinking water and livestock needs during their seasonal migrations.”
He adds, “While we are not providing financial assistance to the community efforts, we are offering support and access, as these ponds help both the communities and the department — especially during forest fire seasons, when stored water becomes invaluable,” he says, adding: “This initiative is small-scale and community-led, while the government census is a larger, systematic effort. Alongside, forest officials are also helping pastoral communities by developing rain shelters and livestock sheds, and by renovating traditional barracks used during migrations.”
The main challenge, Shah says, in such high-altitude areas remains financial and logistical, as the working season is short and the terrain is difficult. “But it’s important to remember that forests and tribals depend on each other. Both must coexist for the ecosystem to thrive. Their shared survival shows how people and nature can adapt together to keep the high pastures and an ancient way of life alive.”
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Banner image: A new pond being dug at Lalmarg pasture in Ganderbal district. Pastoralist communities in Kashmir work together with the nonprofit Himalayan Pastoral Trust to construct alpine ponds to store harvested rainwater in high-altitude pastures. Image by Shahid Sulaiman.
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