The state of Sikkim has a number of Gram Panchayats that are prone to droughts. Around 80 per cent of the State’s rural households depend on springs for drinking water and irrigation. Responding to the urgent need for ensuring water security, the Rural Management and Development Department (RMDD), Government of Sikkim, launched the Dhara Vikas initiative in 2008 to revive the state’s dying lakes, springs and streams. Scientific methods and techniques like principles of geohydrology, watershed and Geographical Information System (GIS) were combined with the traditional knowledge of the community to revive and rejuvenate underground springs.

As a part of its initiative to strengthen State Strategies for Climate Actions in Sikkim, UNDP has supported the RMDD in developing a ‘User Manual for Springshed Development to Revive Himalayan Springs’ which guides communities and practitioners on the process to revive and manage springs to ensure water security.