Page 68 - GIZ CAFRI Report

NAFCC

Sikkim

Name of the Project: Addressing Climate Change Vulnerability of
Water Sector at Gram Panchayat Level in Drought Prone areas of
Sikkim
Project Focus: Water Security
Location: 74 Gram Panchayat Units (GPUs) in South Sikkim and
West Sikkim districts
Project Finance: Rs. 24.67 Crore (USD 3.29 million)
Duration: 3 Years (2017-2020); Extended upto 2022; Completed
Name of Executing Entity: Rural Management and Development
Department (RMDD), Govt. of Sikkim
Project Beneciaries: 40,000 Household with 0.2 million population

Project Area: e State of Sikkim has been experiencing lesser snowfall, shifts in seasonal timing, uneven rainfall,
accelerated glacial melt, and drying of water sources. (Sikkim SAPCC 2011-2030). South and West Sikkim are the most
drought-prone districts of the state which are worst aected by climate change. Water resources of the State are seen to
be drying up and there is less snow at present time rather than the past. e subsurface aquifers of the State are mainly
recharged by precipitation or through the interaction of surface water
bodies like lakes, glaciers, streams and rivers. But due to the eects of
climate change, the erratic rate of precipitation and accelerated snow cover
melting, the water scarcity problem has been intensied.

According to Indian Meteorological
Department, the annual
precipitation in Sikkim has
decreased from 2533 mm to 1503
mm. Springs, which are the main
source of water in South Sikkim,
have become seasonal or have dried.
e average spring discharge data in
the year 2000 was 100.18 l/m and
after ten years it decreased by 26.12
l/m. With the decrease in
precipitation and spring discharge,
agriculture productivity has been
adversely aected which in turn is Women traveling to longer
aecting socio-economic condition distances to fetch water
of South and West districts of the
state.

Drying water sources which
is adversely aecting rural water security

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