Training on water security plan for Jal Kranti Abhiyan held in Kohima Kohima, October 24 (DIPR): One day training programme on water security plan for Jal Kranti Abhiyan organized by Central Ground Water Board, North Eastern Region, Ministry of Water Resources, RD & GR, Government of India was held on October 24 at the conference hall of Irrigation & Flood Control, Kohima. Secretary, Irrigation & Flood Control, Bendangkokba, IAS in his short speech exhorted that it is the second training programme organised by the district, a training programme on water security plan of Jal Kranti Abhiyan. He stated that the Central Government is serious about implementing the programme in the state and further added that our duty is to implement the same in the districts, the village levels and further impart what we have learned during the training. He said that Jal Kranti Abhiyan is now incorporated as a part of CGWB and therefore requested the officers to sincerely organize themselves in the State level, district level and in village levels and then implement it sincerely. He also mentioned that each department has already selected 11 (eleven) villages and recently 1 (one) village has been selected from 11 districts totaling to 22 villages. Bendangkokba also encouraged exploring and recharge ground water and rain water harvesting system for drinking purposes. He further requested all officers to give special attention to impart pure drinking water and requested the officers to give special emphasis on the training today. Regional Director CGWB, NER, Dr. Utpal Gogoi in his presidential address said that lack of knowledge and misuse of water resource is leading the region towards water scarcity. He stated that nature produces all the needs of the human beings but greed has created loss. Keeping this in mind, the Ministry of Water Resources, Government of India is implementing Jal Kranti Abhiyan which has two aspects- water security plan has been implemented for drinking purpose, irrigation and any other purpose where it can be uses. The second aspect is to bring about the technical development to the village level where the first stage is to select the villages first and prepare the water security. The framework of water security plan has already been done by CGWB and handed over to IFCD which is the Nodal Office for Nagaland. He also said the ground water development in NE is very poor compared to other regions of India. So the Ministry has taken up to develop this resource to bring up resources in the NE, he stated and urged all the officers and departments to be prepared. Jal Kranti Abhiyan is to bring about consolidated water conservation and management in the country through a holistic and integrated approach involving all stakeholders making it a mass movement. Other activities proposed under Jal Kranti Abhiyan are Jal Gram Yojana, Development of Model Command Area, pollution abatements, mass awareness programme and other activities. The resource person for the programme was Dr. Utpal Gogoi, Regional Director, CGWB, NER, Dr. S.S. Singh Hydrogologist, Dr. D. Khanikar, GGWB, NER.
