Meghalaya to adopt water policy

Meghalaya has become the first state in India to approve a draft water policy to address water issues, conservation and protection of water sources.

Chaired by Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, the state cabinet discussed at length the various aspects of the policy before approving the draft policy.

The policy was drafted by the state water resources department in consultation with experts in water conservation and protection of water bodies.

Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said that being a hilly state, Meghalaya receives a lot of rainfall but the same water cannot be retained and it reaches Bangladesh in no time.

Among the other issues discussed on the policy was the need to optimise usage and conservation of water, steps needed to protect water bodies and water sources including groundwater and protection of catchment and springshed areas.

Recently, the state government launched the Jal Shakti mission to address problems related to water.

Jal Shakti Abhiyan

The Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) is a time-bound, mission-mode water conservation campaign launched by the Centre, which is implemented in two phases.

Phase 1: From July 1 to September 15 for all states and Union Territories.

Phase 2: From October 1 to November 30 for states and UTs receiving the retreating monsoon (Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Puducherry and Tamil Nadu).

During the campaign, officers, groundwater experts and scientists will work together with state and district officials in the most water-stressed districts for water conservation and water resource management by focusing on accelerated implementation of five target interventions. They are…

* Water conservation and rainwater harvesting.

* Renovation of traditional and other water bodies.

* Reuse and recharge structures.

* Watershed development.

* Intensive afforestation.

These efforts will be supplemented with special interventions, including the development of Block and District Water Conservation Plans, promotion of efficient water use for irrigation and better choice of crops through Krishi Vigyan Kendras.

Maharashtra’s Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyaan

Maharashtra faces severe water crisis with depleting groundwater levels and reservoirs going dry. According to Central Water Commission, Maharashtra has 17 reservoirs and in June six of them were completely dry.

The Groundwater Survey and Development Agency found that of Maharashtra’s 353 talukas, 279 have experienced depletion in groundwater levels.

The number of tankers deployed across the state increased to 6,597 in June. Last year, in the same week, 1,777 tankers were deployed. Twenty-six of 36 districts are reeling from water scarcity and crop failure extends over 85.76 lakh hectares, affecting 82 lakh farmers.

With many districts in the state facing deficient monsoon, the government has decided to try cloud seeding. The government has already allocated Rs 30 crore for the project.

Cloud seeding is an attempt to induce rain by dispersing substances such as silver iodide or dry ice (solid carbon dioxide) onto clouds using an aircraft.

Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyaan

The state government launched the Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyaan in 2015 in a bid to make Maharashtra a drought-free state by 2019.

The project involves deepening and widening of streams, construction of cement and earthen stop dams, work on nullahs and digging of farm ponds.

The main objective of the project was to make 5,000 villages free of water scarcity every year.

Last year, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis repudiated the Opposition’s allegations that Jalyukt Shivar has “failed” after a drought-like situation gripped parts of the state.

He said the programme aims at creating structures to store rainwater through harvesting and not letting it percolate in the soil.

Fadnavis said the government treated 16,522 villages under the programme and completed 5.57 lakh works worth Rs 7,692 crore with public participation.

Officials say the state has created water storage facility of 24,000 tmc (thousand million cubic feet) across 16,000 villages under the scheme that has also bought 34 lakh hectares under irrigation.

However, according to the Maharashtra Economic Survey, trend points to a steady drop in people-driven projects in successive years despite the government’s campaign pertaining to water conservation.