New Delhi, December 5 (IANS). The Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Thursday signed a $50 million loan for the construction of a water harvesting project in Meghalaya.
It aims to enhance water security by creating water-harvesting systems to improve access to water and mitigate the effects of climate change in the north-eastern state.
According to the Finance Ministry, the project will help in the construction of 532 small water-storage facilities in 12 districts of Meghalaya, as well as develop a 3,000-hectare command area to provide reliable irrigation water to farmers.
The project will also establish 50 weather stations and micro irrigation systems to collect and monitor climate data in the Garo, Jaintia and Khasi regions. This is in line with the Meghalaya State Water Policy (MSWP) 2019.
“In addition to financing, ADB’s value addition will include assisting states in implementing the MSWP and providing guidance on integrating climate adaptation measures into water security plans,” said Mio Oka, Country Director of ADB’s India Resident Mission.
Oka further said that this includes designing water harvesting systems (WHS) to support agriculture, fisheries, horticulture, water supply and other productive livelihoods for economic development.
Juhi Mukherjee, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, said the project aims to achieve sustainable development, management and utilization of the state’s water resources through a participatory approach and promote integrated water resources management.
This project will help in developing water resources management master plans for the entire state keeping in mind micro catchment areas and disaster risk management.
It will guide the formulation of water security plans at the village level, which will be managed by Village Employment Councils, Watershed Management Committees and Water User Associations.
ADB will also help strengthen the capacity of the Meghalaya State Watershed and Wasteland Development Agency and the Department of Soil and Water Conservation in water management, operations, and management.
—IANS
ABS/ABM
