Water Treasures of the Himalayas

A billion lives depend on the waters of the Himalayas; sixty million live in this mountain range, while the rest live in its foothills, on the plains of the Indian subcontinent.

For them, the Himalayas are a providential water tower. Despite their astonishing diversity, all these peoples share the common belief that this is a “Sacred Land”, and this mountain range is, above all, the “Abode of Snow” where pure water springs, rivers gush and lakes are crystal-clear.
Born from the eternal snows, in the most mystical land on earth, water perfectly embodies the essence of purity. In the Himalayas, water inspires a growing number of people even while it continues to frighten them. It can at times unite them and at other times divide them, provide for them and bring death. In this mosaic of peoples, languages, religions and lands, it plays a vital part in the geographical distribution of the various ethnic groups, their social organization and the way they see themselves.
This volume offers a complete view of the great Himalayan mountain range by taking an itinerary which follows the water and contrasts the two flanks of this formidable climatic barrier. By doing so, it stresses both the importance of this water tower of Asia, which provides for a thousand million people, and the scope of the current economic and ecologic issues which are at stake. It also offers an anthropological insight into the various bonds formed between man and water in the Himalayas.