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The Brink of Extinction: Quantifying the Stories of Stone Spouts in the Kathmandu Valley

Poster · October 2018

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4 authors:

Saroj Maka Anusha Pandey

Tribhuvan University Himalayan Biodiversity and Climate Change Center
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Pratik Shrestha Jeffrey Davids

California State University, Chico
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PO-CCS-1-307
The Brink of Extinction
Quantifying the Stories of Stone Spouts in the Kathmandu Valley
Saroj Maka 1 sroj551@gmail.com Pratik Shrestha 1 pratik@smartphones4water.org Anusha Pandey 1 anusha@smartphones4water.org Jeffrey C. Davids 2, 3 jeff@smartphones4water.org

Main Point: Based on three seasons of data collected by citizen scientists, we found that roughly three quarters of stone
spouts measured (n = 83) are seasonally dry, and nearly half are permanently dry (i.e. extinct).

Introduction Methods and Materials

• Traditional water harvesting and management techniques in Nepal (and other Study Area: Kathmandu Valley
developing countries) are in decline, or have been completely abandoned. Data Collection: Dhunge Dhaara Land Use Campaigns (2D-LUC)
• Stone spouts - a traditional water supply system (Figure 2) - were a primary water Who?: Citizen Scientists (CS) from the Kathmandu Valley
source in the Kathmandu Valley since 550 C.E. What?: Stone spout discharge and electrical conductivity (EC)
• Stone spouts (also known as “Dhunge Dhaara”) are channelized water spouts which How?: Android Open Data Kit (ODK) application, measuring bucket, and
use shallow aquifers, springs, ponds, and canals as their source(s). EC Meter
• Objective: Characterize the spatial and temporal variation of discharge and EC of When?: Post Monsoon 2017 and Pre/Post Monsoon 2018
Stone Spouts in the Kathmandu Valley.
Rainwater
State Canals (Rajkulos) Infiltration
Ponds

Subsurface (aquifer)
Storage and Flow

Water Conduits

Stone Spouts Figure 2. Stone spouts in Kathmandu.

Figure 1. Flow chart showing the operating system of traditional water supply system in Kathmandu Figure 3. Measurement of stone spout discharge and EC.
valley (modified from Khadge and Tiwari 2014).

Results f

Discharge Comparison
70
64

60
Number of Stone Spouts

50

41
40 38

30
22 23

20

10 8
4 5 5 5 4 5 4
2 3 2 2 3
1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
0
0 0-0.01 0.01-0.02 0.02-0.05 0.05-0.1 0.1-2 2-5 5-12 12-15 15-18 18-20 20-22
Stone Spout flow Discharge ( Litres per Second)

post-monsoon 2017 pre-monsoon 2018 post-monsoon 2018

EC comparison
30

26
25 24
23
No. of Stone Spouts

20
17
16
15
15 14 14
12
10
10 9
8 8 8 8
7 7 7 7
6 6 6 6
5
5 4 4 4
2 2 2
1 1 1 1
Figure 3. Spatial and temporal variation in stone spout discharge in Kathmandu Valley. 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0-50 50-100 100-200 200-300 300-500 500-750 750-1000 1000-1200 1200-1400 1400-1600 1600-1900 1900-2200 2200-2500 2500-2700
Electrical Conductivity (μsm)

Discussion post-monsoon 2017 pre-monsoon 2018 post-monsoon 2018

Figure 4. Seasonal variation of stone spout discharge and EC.

• Seasonal drying of stone spouts indicates depletion of groundwater aquifers,
disruption of supply mechanisms, and/or lowering groundwater tables. This could be
due to various factors including: urbanization, over-population, depletion of shallow
Conclusions and Recommendations
• Large numbers of stone spouts dry seasonally and are no longer capable of meeting
groundwater aquifers, reduced surface infiltration capacity, destruction of state
water demands of the Valley.
canals, excessive groundwater extraction, and obstructions to sub-surface flow areas.
• These ancient heritages should be revived to preserve our historical ambience.
• Seasonal drying of stone spouts appears to be focused in urban areas, and maybe due
• Future work should explore how aquifer storage and recovery could recharge shallow
to a combination of the factors listed above.
and deep aquifers, springs and ponds, and thus reviving our historical stone spouts.
• Dry stone spouts appear to be increasing (n = 38 in 2017; n = 41 in 2018).

Citizen Science - scientific work undertaken by members of the general public, often in collaboration with or under the direction of professional scientists and scientific institutions. [Oxford English Dictionary]

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SmartPhones4Water = Citizen Science + Mobile Technology + Young Researchers
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