Abstract ID: 3.13183 | Accepted as Talk | Talk/Oral | TBA | TBA

Hindukush Himalayan (HKH) region known as the Water Tower of Asia, plays a critical role in assuring water security for billions of people and threatened ecosystems in the Indian sub-continent. Impacts of synoptic-scale changes in climatic conditions, and increasing socio-economic requirements impact the water security in the HKH. Moreover, lack of adequate considerations of local water management practices and values limits our ability to truly understand water security and devise effective solutions. In this regard, the present study aims to connect the basin-scale hydrology to water security in the Chenab River Basin at the local scale of an administrative unit by integrating qualitative and quantitative methods. The Chenab River is a major tributary of the Indus River that originates in the Lahaul range of the Western Himalayas. In this study, we analyzed the hydrological regime of the Chenab River basin having a drainage area of 28,900 km2 and an elevation range of 287 to 7044 m. The basin consists of 2,802 glaciers covering 2,864 km2, implying heavy reliance of the basin’s water security on glaciers and snowpack. The Spatial Processes in Hydrology (SPHY) model was used to estimate basin hydrological regime and contributions of water balance components i.e. snowmelt, glacier melt, rainfall runoff and baseflow/groundwater in the present. The basin hydrology is later linked to local water security by integrating model outputs with household surveys to understand the reliance of downstream villages on the local water resources. This assessment will advance understanding of the basin’s hydrological dynamics and responses at local and regional scales and provide essential insights for holistic water management in this hydrologically and institutionally complex basin.