Manipur officials attend workshop on water security

Our Correspondent

Imphal, July 13 (EMN): Officials from Manipur are attending a four-day workshop to address the issue of drying springs and evolving threats to water security across the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region at Kathmandu.

Manipur officials attending the workshop informed that keeping in view the limited capacity and resources of the state, international organisations like the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) were asked to extend their cooperation to the state of Manipur and Northeast states to revive the springs.

An agenda for an umbrella pilot project for Regional Springs Rejuvenation [Nagaland – Manipur – Mizoram] as a component of climate resilient solution programme was also put up during the workshop.

It is estimated that nearly 50% of the springs in the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) are drying up, affecting communities whose lives and livelihoods depend on spring water, while lack of scientific evidence, inadequate knowledge and skills of communities and institutions, lack of gender-responsive policies and governance systems and lack of investments are some of the challenges and gaps that needs to be addressed for advancing springshed management in the HKH.

The workshop gathered administrators and researchers from HKH region – Nepal, Bhutan, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, China and Myanmar among others.