Minister blames jhum cultivation, cultivation for drying up of water sources
Shillong, Feb 25: PHE minister Marcuise N Marak has announced the government’s steps to rejuvenate over 740 water sources across the state as he held climate change and jhum cultivation responsible for drying up of water sources in the state.
“Climate change is happening everywhere,” Public Health Engineering (PHE) minister Marcuise N Marak he said while referring to the recent All India Water Ministers Conference where all the state ministers admitted to witnessing the phenomenon.
The state PHE department recently identified over 74o critical water sources with reduced flow of water, according to the minister.
Terming the water scarcity as an impact of climate change, the minister said the government has started taking corrective measures.
“We will get the results after a couple of years. We have started rejuvenation of the water sources wherever they are drying up,” he said.
A climate council formed under the leadership of chief minister Conrad K Sangma, Meghalaya has decided to take corrective measures to rejuvenate these critical water sources.”
Asked, the minister said that the drying of water sources has also affected the implementation of the JJM projects.
“Wherever villages are not getting water it is because of the sources drying up. We are taking up all the measures.”
He also claimed that the main reason for drying up of water sources is due to the practice of jhum cultivation mostly in Garo Hills and some parts of West Khasi Hills.
Referring to the slogan of government of India’catch the rain when it falls’, Marak said, “So we are following that principle and we are trying to rejuvenate our rivers and water sources.”
He said that the government is also emphasizing the need for promoting rain water harvesting in the state.
“We are planning to go for a rain water harvesting. It can be done in two ways – one is to encourage water harvesting at the household level and the other is to recharge the ground water,” Marak added.
