With the increasing space between need and supply of natural resources,
‘sustainability’ became the talk of the hour. The escalating population worldwide has
called for a judicial approach towards the usage of all kinds of non-renewable and
natural resources. In the race of the crisis of natural resources, water has marked a
striking position over the decades. The deficit for this elixir could be blamed on both
natural and anthropogenic causes. For the latter, choosing the unsustainable path for a
long time has made the crisis scenario worst than ever. The available amount of water
would have been sufficient had it been well-governed, regulated, supervised and used
in a prudential manner. India also has its fair share of water scarcity, especially in the
Indian Himalayan Region, along with many other countries of the world. The alarm of
deteriorating water was neglected for the longest time in IHR. Both the eastern and
western Himalayan states have their own story to tell about the crisis. Even after having
common reasons aiding the scarcity, there is end number of region-specific factors as
well. Certainly, those factors must be studied and taken into consideration. Rapid
urbanization in this fragile ecosystem has added to the aspects of water scarcity. It is
very necessary to have a unique and specific solution for all the states. Despite the
contribution mountains make towards feeding and sourcing a large number of perennial
rivers, the health of the mountainous ecosystem still remains inconspicuous. The rate at
which water scarcity is increasing might lead to a situation where the term ‘water’
becomes an endangered concept of the future generation. So, working towards making
a sustainable environment is a pressing priority. This review paper has shed light on
many factors of water scarcity across the states of the Indian Himalayan Region, along
with a comparative study on issues of both the eastern and western belt of IHR.
Keywords: Anthropogenic, Indian Himalayan Region, Non-renewable, Sustainability.
