Mountain ranges of Sahyadri are known for its ravishing beauty crisscrossed with rivers, lagoons and back waters. But over the years, the area has witnessed shortage of drinking water. Improper usage of drinking water, pollution of water resources, lack of treatment facilities are some of the reasons for shortage of drinking water. Springs are natural resources of drinking water. These are natural discharge of groundwater and hence each spring has its unique characteristics. They are sources of safe and sustainable supply of water to thousands of habitations in various mountain ranges of India. At the same time, they are a part of a larger system, a system that includes soils, rocks, vegetation and water behaving in multiple ways. Almost all major rivers along the Western Ghats originate from springs, making them culturally important too.
Nowadays these springs are falling prey to excessive construction, bore wells and ecosystem degradation. Over the last few decades, as new wells are being drilled, springs are being neglected, constructed on and in some cases turned into open wells. This has developed a threat to this vital source of water.
The water is being drawn continuously with the help of electric pumps only to be transported in tankers for selling. The result is that water bodies have now shrunk to less than half its size when compared to what it was a few years ago. Thus, there is urgent need to conserve natural springs.
