Resource detail

The central objective of the research project ‘Documenting and Assessing Adaptation Strategies to Too Much, Too Little Water’ is to document adaptation strategies at local or community level to constraints and hazards related to water and induced by climate change in the Himalayan region, including how people are affected by water stress and hazards, their local short and long-term responses, and the extent to which these strategies reduce vulnerability to water stress and hazards. Five case studies were carried out in four countries. Migration has become an important adaptation; it has increased over the years and its nature has also undergone significant change. The need to diversify income generation strategies underlies the central role of migration and commuting in the actions households take to reduce the impact of extreme climatic events. The existing pattern of vulnerability is a result of the gender, income, and social position of respective individuals or classes. The adaptive capacity of the affected community is not only related to the ability of information, goods, and services to flow into and out of an area impacted; it also depends on the social capital and institutional checks and balances present in rural areas.