Meghalaya: First 'International Water Conclave' commences in Shillong

Guwahati: The first “International Water Conclave,” organised by the Ministry of Jal Shakti and Meghalaya government, with support from the partner agencies, was inaugurated in Shillong by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Friday (February 9).

The two-day conclave is being attended by delegates from Thailand, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam and stakeholders from different agencies and international institutions.

As part of the conclave, a Shillong declaration will be signed by delegates from different parts of the country to share best practices and models for conservation of the water bodies and sustainable management of water resources.

Stressing on the significance of holding the crucial conclave in Shillong, Chief Minister Sangma said that water does not have boundaries and when it comes to crucial issues like water and environment, there is a need for inter-state and international dialogues.

The Meghalaya Chief Minister said that if the neighbouring states or countries are not aligned in collective efforts and goals, the desired results cannot be achieved.

Stressing on roles of climate councils in the state, regional and national levels, Chief Minister Sangma said, “The issues concerning climate change are impacting water resources on a large scale. The involvement of different stakeholders to discuss and work collaboratively on climate issues with coordinated response and information sharing will go a long way in addressing the concerns. The objective of this conclave is to bring different departments of the government and members of the civil society together to address the issues and not just focus on scheme implementation or completion of targets.”

Underscoring the importance of water policy, the Chief Minister said that Meghalaya has been very proactive and is one of the few states to have a state water policy, which is a holistic approach towards water from its distribution, storage, water reservoirs, protection of catchment areas, and rejuvenation of springs for management of water.

He further said that the policy has enabled the government to address various challenges and concerns related to water.

“This conclave is of great importance to the region to collaborate and synergise our efforts to achieve a larger goal and outcome and to bring different departments like the Public Health Engineering (PHE), Soil and Water Conservation, Forest, Agriculture, Fisheries, Mining, and Tourism together,” the Meghalaya Chief Minister added.

Chief Minister Sangma also suggested the use of technology to collect information and data, and monitor different aspects related to water.

He said that Meghalaya will soon have a data innovation centre to collect data and information departmentally and then superimpose those to create a predictable model which will be useful for various departments for overall management of water.

The Chief Minister also informed that the Asian Development Bank is supporting the government in building 600 small multipurpose reservoirs throughout the state and additionally, 81 fish sanctuaries have been developed across Meghalaya.