Hydrological and Ecological studies towards integrated water resource management: a case study of Shimla water catchment Sanctuary, Himachal Pradesh

摘要: ResultsThe data on water hydrology as obtained from the records of Irrigation and Public Health Department (IPH) for the last seven years was analyzed. The data on total water output for the two beats were studied, analyzed and compared for summer, winter, monsoon and autumn. The floristic studies were undertaken to identify the vegetation present in the given blocks at different elevations. In each aspect a plot of 50mx50m was marked. Within this plot, sufficient number of quadrates of the size 10mx10m for trees, 5mx5m for shrubs and 1mx1m size for herbs were laid randomly. The vegetation data thus obtained was analyzed for density, frequency, abundance, total basal area, and Importance Value Index (IVI) following standard ecological methodologies given by Curtis and Mc Intosh (1950), Samant et al.(2002), Dhar et al.(1997).The results showed that the total water discharge of Seog beat declined from 268.2 million litre per day (MLD) in 2004–05 to only 3.6 MLD in the year 2012–13. Maximum collective water discharge in the Seog beat was recorded during the monsoon season which was 180.7 MLD during 2004–05 but showed tremendous decline to 3.6 MLD by 2012–13. Though the water contribution in case of Churat beat was found fluctuating yet it contributed its maximum to the water discharge in the sanctuary (Table 1). For Churat, maximum water discharge was seen both in the spring and winter with decline in the summer over a period of time. Total water discharge was 2089.8 MLD in 2004–05 and decreasing trend reaching 812 MLD by 2010–11 but the water discharge again showed a slight increase to 968.5 MLD in 2012 …