Brahmaputra Board conducts workshop on springshed management

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaJuly 6, 2024

The five-day training workshop on “Springshed Management” organised by the North Eastern Hydraulic and Allied Research Institute (NEHARI) in association with the National Institute of Hydrology (NIH) and Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) concluded on Saturday.

The objective is to enhance rainfall infiltration into the ground thus increasing recharge capabilities of spring aquifers to sustain the local ecosystem.

Diminishing springs in northeastern hills pose huge challenges to ensure water security in the region. To achieve the over-arching goal of ensuring water supply to each household of mountainous regions, springshed management programmes have become the need of the hour.

Following the recommendations of NITI Aayog on capacity building of state agencies for springshed rejuvenation programmes while keeping the importance of these water pygmies in view Ministry of Jal Shakti has initiated various activities on Springshed management in the northeastern region.

The training workshop was inaugurated on July 2 by NEHARI director Ranjit Deka.

In their inaugural address, CGWB scientist Biplab Ray stressed the need for springshed management in northeastern states while discussing the efforts of NIH and CGWB towards addressing the issues of diminishing springs across the Indian Himalayas.

Brahmaputra Board chief engineer Basanta Kr Deka also delivered an important talk, shared his experience and guided the participants.

The course of the programme is tailored for junior to mid-level officers of government departments related to the land and water resources sector serving in the northeastern region (NER). This training workshop was designed to inculcate knowledge on springshed management to help in better conservation and rejuvenation of spring water.

26 government officials serving in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim and Mizoram have participated in the training workshop.

22 lectures, including four field lectures, were delivered by the scientists of NIH and CGWB on various topics about springshed management.

Scientists from CGWB Calcutta, Shillong, Guwahati also delivered important lecture on genesis of spring and Springshed management in the context of northeastern states.

Scientist from NIH Roorkee conducted hands on exercise for data collection using open-source mobile application and conducted a hands-on exercise on digital data creation, handling, and processing using open-source GIS software.

Resource persons from Meghalaya Basin Development Authority (MBDA), Shillong and People Science Institute (PSI), Dehradun delivered important talks and case studies pertaining to springshed management.

In a field trip to nearby spring systems the participants were provided hands-on training for data collection and in-situ water quality testing. The participants were also exposed to spring typology and various interventions that can be made to augment spring recharge during the field visit.

Officials of NEHARI Brahmaputra Board also demonstrated various lab facilities available in NEHARI to the participants being utilized for various works in Brahmaputra River basin.

Brahmaputra Board chairman Ranbir Singh was the chief guest of the valedictory programme and shared important ideas and vision pertaining to the domain.

During the event, participants expressed their gratitude to the Brahmaputra Board for organizing the technical programme.

They further conveyed that the theoretical and practical knowledge gained from the workshop would aid them in carrying out various springshed management activities in their respective states and organizations.