Tribune News Service
Shimla, August 29
Water conservation is an important issue, which requires serious attention and we should work in this direction, said Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar today. He was interacting with Additional Secretary and Mission Director, National Water Mission, Ministry of Jal Shakti, G Asok Kumar, who had called on the former.
The Governor said there was a need for comprehensive management of rain water harvesting, conservation and rejuvenation of traditional water resources, forest activities and awareness.
“Nature has blessed Himachal Pradesh immensely and the environment is very favourable. However, due to the continuous change in the environment, the situation is getting serious and natural calamities have forced us to think in this direction,” said Arlekar.
He said we need to save every drop of rain and stop the fast flow of water. It will be helpful in providing water in the areas where there is shortage of water and also helpful in protecting the fertile land due to flash floods in lower areas. The state government has made concerted efforts in this direction but it required massive campaigns through panchayats in rural areas in particular, he added.
Asok Kumar apprised the Governor that as part of the National Water Mission, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched a campaign, “Catch the Rain”, on the occasion of World Water Day on March 22 this year.
He said the basic idea of the campaign was to catch the rain, where it falls, when it falls. He said the campaign had been given momentum in the state and a lot of work had been done.
Courtesy: Tribune News Service