5000 springs mapped in Meghalaya: CM Conrad Sangma advocates for Water Conservation Technology

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaNovember 15, 2024

Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma emphasized a groundbreaking initiative aimed at conserving water resources during his speech at the 13th JICA National Workshop on Forestry in India on November 14. The event, themed “Adapting Together: Community Driven Solutions for Climate Resilience,” took place from November 13-15, 2024, at Taj Vivanta, Shillong.

Organized by the Meghalaya Basin Development Authority (MBDA) under the Project for Community-based Forest Management & Livelihoods Improvement in Meghalaya (MegLIFE), the workshop brought together various stakeholders to discuss innovative environmental strategies.

Speaking at the event, Chief Minister Sangma informed the gathering about the significant initiative to map 5000 springs using the latest technology with the intention to conserve water by putting up automatic check dams. He said, “Utilizing modern technology to preserve our natural resources is not just necessary; it is our responsibility.” He highlighted major setbacks of the state and the need for immediate interventions and future prevention of certain crop diseases through various innovative studies and research.

Chief Minister Sangma expressed gratitude to all stakeholders for successfully organizing the workshop. He highlighted the state’s efforts in reducing the maternal mortality rate (MMR), which had become a case study for Harvard Business School, and emphasized the importance of applying the same enthusiasm to socio-environmental and forestry sectors. “Our success in reducing MMR shows what we can achieve when we work together with a deep desire for change. It’s time we bring this drive to other crucial areas like the environment,” he said.

The Chief Minister went on to add that the desire for change is being implemented in other sectors of society as well. He pointed out that even though 76% of Meghalaya is under forest cover, there are many areas where intervention is needed for sustainability. “I am very happy today to see a concerted effort from all sides to tackle the problem of sustainability which is not an easy task but with the right sense of purpose I am sure we are heading in the right direction to make a difference,” he stated.

He emphasized the critical role of community participation in the success of environmental initiatives. “The community is a component which we cannot ignore, and their participation is paramount to the entire exercise,” he added. He also highlighted the introduction of Payment for Ecosystems and its implementation, which, despite appearing to be a significant investment, has a much larger impact by preventing environmental damage and creating livelihoods.

In conclusion the Chief Minister, said that the government will give it’s utmost commitment towards JICA and the stakeholders of the state government particularly MegLife, MBDA etc in their endeavours and added he would like to also study the suggestions and reports of the workshop for learning to improve the mechanisms already in place. He further said that JICA needs to work with others sister states of the region as the environment is not constrained to Geography as the region as a whole is a sensitive area environmentally and would face severe consequences if not attended at the earliest.

The event was also attended by Dr. D. Vijay Kumar, IAS, Project Director, MegLIFE; Vineet Sarin, Chief of Development Operations, JICA India; Shri Rajesh S., IFS, Inspector General of Forest, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate; Sampath Kumar, IAS, Principal Secretary, Forest and Environment, Government of Meghalaya; and other officials.