Springshed management

SHILLONG, DEC 16: The state water resource department in collaboration with the Meghalaya water resource development agency organised a one day workshop on ‘Designing Springshed Management for Meghalaya’ on Tuesday.

The workshop was held with the intention to discuss and elaborate on how to sustain and rejuvenate the dried up springs as well as the drying springs in Meghalaya.

For a majority of the rural population, springs are the fundamental source of drinking water, sanitation and irrigation.

However, with changing climatic conditions and rainfall pattern, a large number of villages, hamlets and settlements are facing acute water shortage because either perennial springs have dried up or have become seasonal.

Agriculture principal secretary P Kharkongor applauded the organisers for conceiving the idea of having the workshop on Springshed Management stating, “It is the right time to make people aware because they are the natural custodians of this valuable resource”.

Kharkongor also made the suggestion of making use of the 156 identified micro watersheds under the 10th and 11th five year plan of the agriculture department.

“The micro watersheds already have registered watershed committees and these can be used wherever applicable and suitable during the survey for the Spring Shed Development and the agriculture department will be happy to collaborate,” Kharkongor said.

Soil and Water Conservation official L Shabong in his introductory speech said that he hoped that this workshop will open up the eyes of the concerned department like the state water resource and the state soil and water conservation departments to come up with an intervention in order to safeguard all the springs in the each district of the state, which are the traditional source for drinking water.

Shabong also hoped that a system will be put in place through this workshop whereby every spring is mapped geographically in terms of its quantity and quality and with a click of the button anyone can know the exact discharge of spring water anywhere in the state.

The guest speakers at the technical sessions were Anuradha Bhatia, CGWB – Shillong Office, Dr. Himanshu Kulkarni, ACWADAM, Pune, Dr. Anil Gautam, People’s Science INstitute (PSI), Dehradun, Ghanashyam Kharel, GIZ, Sikkim, Pem Norbu, Rural Management & Development Department, Government of Sikkim.- By Our Reporter