Hydrogeological Survey supported by Kajal with the CHIRAG team
CHIRAG
When people picture a classroom, they usually imagine four walls, a chalkboard, and rows of desks. In the heart of rural Uttarakhand, a new kind of learning hub is emerging, where the classroom is a flowing spring and the textbook is the living ecosystem of a mountain slope.
In August last month, a district-level workshop at the Vikas Bhawan Sabhagar, CDO Office, in Almora brought together scientists, NGO teams, and government departments, ACEO, Watershed Management Directorate (WMD) Almora, Horticulture, Irrigation, Panchayati Raj, the Forest Department, Agriculture Department, and Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), and the Rural Development Department, alongside community representatives.
Organised by the Central Himalayan Rural Action Group (CHIRAG) in collaboration with Sir Dorabji Tata Trusts (SDTT) and supported by the Government of Uttarakhand and the Spring and River Rejuvenation Authority (SARRA) Almora, the gathering focused on sustainable springshed management and local capacity building.
The discussions emphasised that while scientific research and policy frameworks provide the overarching structure, long-term water security must be built from the ground up by empowering local communities as primary custodians.
In these fragile Himalayan hills at Uttarakhand, water is an absolute lifeline, but rising temperatures, unpredictable rainfall, and environmental degradation have caused mountain springs to dry up rapidly. This ongoing water scarcity presents a daily challenge for thousands of villages. Yet, the water flowing from the springs of Almora carries the resilience of the residents working to protect it.
Among them is Kajal Manral, a young woman who stepped outside the boundaries of formal education to become a village-level water scientist. Her story demonstrates how springshed management does far more than secure drinking water, as it actively transforms local learning, grassroots leadership, and community participation.
Kajal Manral, a village-level water scientist
In the quiet village of Kalati, tucked away in the Lamgara block of Uttarakhand, 24-year-old Kajal Manral rewrites her future using a traditional water source as her primary classroom. Life changed drastically for Kajal in 2020 when the sudden and tragic demise of her mother brought her world to a standstill. As the only woman left in her household, the weight of family responsibilities fell squarely on her shoulders.
Cooking, cleaning, and managing the home took precedence over dreams of higher education, bringing her formal studies to an unexpected halt right after Class 12. For two years, the books remained closed, but her desire to learn never faded as she searched for a way to reconnect with the world beyond daily chores.
In 2022, an opportunity arrived from a source no one expected, her village spring. For generations, the traditional spring, or naula, had been the heartbeat of her community, but over the years, the water flow had steadily trickled away, leaving villagers deeply anxious. The situation began to change when CHIRAG arrived in Kalati to conduct a spring pre-feasibility assessment.
As this community-led initiative began training local youth to understand, revive, and manage their water sources, Kajal found her calling. During the assessment, she discovered that the declining discharge of their sacred naula was not an unstoppable disaster, as it could be restored through systematic springshed management.
Stepping into her role as a Key Resource Person, Kajal began learning the language of nature. Through hydrogeology, she studied how rainwater seeps into the earth to feed underground springs and aquifers, which are rock layers that hold water.
Through water quality testing, she learned to measure pH levels, turbidity, and potential contaminants to ensure her village drinks clean water. Through community leadership, she mobilised her neighbours to protect shared natural resources and practise collective water conservation.
With continuous support from the CHIRAG team, she learned how to accurately measure spring discharge and prepare hydrographs, which helped her visually track how the discharge of the spring changed over time. Her training progressed during a hydrogeological survey conducted directly in her village.
Driven by curiosity, she accompanied the survey team into the field to understand the science behind the water that sustained her community. Through dedicated field experience, Kajal learned to observe the terrain, understand the relationship between the physical landscape and the health of local springs, and identify critical recharge areas, which are the specific geological zones where rainfall filters deep into the ground to replenish the aquifer.
Today, Kajal has taken on an active role as a water champion and custodian of her village ecological heritage. Kajal’s story shows that learning does not stop when formal schooling ends.
Education can happen within local surroundings through the flow of a mountain spring. Her experience shows that learning can continue through new opportunities.
Stepping into her role as a Key Resource Person, Kajal began learning practical skills. She studied hydrogeology to understand how rainwater seeps into the earth to feed underground springs and aquifers, which are rock layers that hold water. She learned water quality testing to measure pH levels, clarity, and potential contaminants to ensure clean drinking water. She also developed skills in community leadership to organise her neighbours around protecting shared natural resources and practising collective water conservation.
With continuous support from CHIRAG, she learned to accurately measure spring discharge and prepare hydrographs. These hydrographs helped her track how the discharge of the spring changed over time. Her training progressed during a hydrogeological survey conducted directly in her village by CHIRAG. She joined the survey team in the field to learn the science behind the local water supply.
Through hands-on field experience, Kajal learned to observe the terrain and understand the relationship between the landscape and the health of local springs. She learned to identify critical recharge areas, which are specific geological zones where rainfall filters deep into the ground to replenish the aquifer.
Today, CHIRAG formally recognises Kajal as a village-level water scientist, a title she wears with hard-earned pride. However, for Kajal, the true significance of this transformative journey extends far beyond acquiring technical skills, analysing data points, and operating field instruments.
Spring discharge measurement by Kajal
"I feel confident in myself that even though I had to leave my studies, I developed an interest in learning these things. I want to understand how water moves underground and how we can recharge it. Along with my own learning, I also try to teach and explain to other people in my village how we can conserve the water of our naula," says Kajal
Kajal reflects a model developed by CHIRAG for achieving long-term water security through community-led conservation. By training a local resident into a para hydrologist, the initiative demonstrates that sustainable natural resource management can build lasting expertise from within the community.
CHIRAG focuses its overall strategy on local capacity building. Kajal's progression shows how this approach functions in practice. Her journey provides a practical example of local capability, showing how a village resident, given technical training and field exposure, can build skills to understand a spring, interpret hydrological information, and share this knowledge with community members.
Although Kajal’s formal education was interrupted, the spring in her village offered a path for continued learning. Today, she observes the surrounding landscape, studies the movement of water beneath the surface, and monitors how the spring responds to seasonal changes. She continues to share this knowledge with others. Her story illustrates that springshed management involves building knowledge within communities to empower local residents to monitor and protect their water sources.