Int’l Water Conclave concludes
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Feb 10: Curtains fell on the much-vaunted ‘International Water Conclave’ on Saturday with a key takeaway — “The grass is greener in the Northeast, but it may not remain the same way for a long time if we do not do something about the imminent climate crisis” — as put across by one of the delegates from Arunachal Pradesh.
The sum and substance of the issues deliberated over were community engagement, focus on climate-resilient interventions, and the use of technology.
The Assam representative of the PHE department also mentioned that Meghalaya should lead the way for an interstate panel for water uses.
Chief Secretary DP Wahlang emphasised the need to not overlook the Transmission and Distribution (T&D) losses, which are often not paid attention to.
Addressing the gathering, he said, “We always talk about the T&D losses in the power sector, but when it comes to the losses in the water system, we often tend to overlook it. The majority of the water is lost in the distribution process,” he added. Wahlang called it a sad state of affairs and talked about the absence of waste management and water conservation in the educational curriculum.
Following his address, the ‘Shillong Declaration’ was released as a pledge to work towards a better future for the people of the hills, by generating necessary data, mindful reviews, and analysis of the same.
The second day of the conclave featured a plethora of discussions, ranging from ‘Water and Livelihoods,’ ‘Water, Gender and Equity,’ ‘Online talks on hill systems,’ ‘Water Quality, Community and Governance,’ ‘Rivers and Water Systems,’ to ‘Way Forward for Action on Water in Hill Regions’ from different parallel sessions. Delegates from across states and countries like Bhutan, Cambodia, Thailand, and Nepal participated.
Conclusively, the same sentiments that the discussions should not remain limited to the venue but should show results at the grassroots level, echoed.