AMN
The Central government today signed a 50 million dollar loan with the Asian Development Bank for a climate-adaptive water harvesting project in Meghalaya. The project will support the construction of more than 500 small water storage facilities across 12 districts in the state. The project will develop three thousand hectares of command area to provide reliable irrigation areas for farmers.
The project will also establish 50 weather stations for climate data gathering and monitoring, and micro-irrigation systems in Garo, Jaintia, and Khasi regions.
It will also pilot-test renewable energy micro-hydropower in three WHSs.
The project will help develop a state-wide WHS master plan considering micro catchment areas and disaster risk management. This will guide the creation of water security plans at the village level to be managed by the village employment councils, watershed management committees and water users’ associations.
Juhi Mukherjee, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, who was also the signing authority from Government of India, said that the project aligns with the Meghalaya State Water Policy (MSWP) 2019, which seeks to achieve sustainable development, management, and utilisation of the state’s water resources through a participatory approach, reduce vulnerability, and promote integrated water resource management.
Mio Oka, Country Director of ADB’s India Resident Mission, for ADB said, “Beyond financing, ADB’s value addition will involve assisting the state in implementing the MSWP and providing guidance on integrating climate adaptation measures into water security plans.”
“This includes designing water harvesting systems (WHS) to support agriculture, fisheries, horticulture, water supply, and other productive livelihoods for economic development,” Mio Oka added.