GUWAHATI: With “Nature for Water” as the theme, World Water Day has been observed here today by the Department of Civil Engineering, Regional Institute of Science & Technology (RIST) and the Department of Earth Science, University of Science & Technology (USTM) by holding experts’ talks, interactive sessions with students as well as debate competition with the topic “A National Water Grid will benefit North East India”, according to a Press Communique issued from the varsity.
Addressing the event at RIST, Ms A D Blah, Superintending Engineer, Water Resource Department, Meghalaya said that increase in demand of water means demand for energy. She spoke on Green Infrastructure which means restoring forests and grasslands, protection of flood plains, creating buffers of vegetation along water courses. She said that Grey Infrastructures such as dams, canals for Irrigation and other water harvesting structures should be constructed to combat the problem of scarcity of water. A debate competition was also held on the occasion by RIST.
In another event which was organized today by the Earth Science Department of USTM in association with Meghalaya Basin Development Authority (MBDA), Gautam Chakraborty, OSD of MBDA delivered a presentation on “Impacts of Climate Change on Water Resources in Meghalaya”. The other resource person from MBDA was Nigel Kharmalki, Senior Officer, Soil and Water Conservation Department, Government of Meghalaya. Earlier on the day, the Department of Earth Science also inaugurated its library as well as a wall magazine named “Planet Reporter”.