Dimapur, Sep. 3 (EMN): As water scarcity continues to pose a threat to people and the ecosystem, creating public awareness to advocate the sustainability of fresh water resources by both the state and central agencies remains a top priority, the department of Land Resources says.
“With springshed (sic) considered as the best way to recharge groundwater, the need of the hour is to ensure continuous efforts are put in towards seeing a sustained implementation of activities under Springshed programmes that caters to the revival/rejuvenation of dying springs.”
The department issued a press release to the media on Tuesday informing about activities to provide drinking water ‘security’ through the Springshed management in 100 rural villages.
In collaboration with the Rural Development department the department of Land Resources has started activities under what the press release called the “multi-stakeholder initiative to provide drinking water security through Springshed Management in 100 rural villages.”
The press release read: “With natural springs being one of the major source of fresh water especially for people residing at rural areas who rely on this for their daily consumption and irrigational purposes, one cannot ignore the imminent threat that present itself in the form of a complete cut off of water discharge owing to drying aquifiers (water bearing rock formation or underground storage reservoirs).”
The Springshed Development Programme in the state will function in convergence with three entities: Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act which will assist in the capacity of a funding agency; the North East Initiative Development Agency to give coordination and support; the department of Land Resources the implementing agency for Nagaland whose core objective will be in focusing on providing drinking water security through rejuvenation of springs, the updates stated.
In total, eight villages have been listed in the Springshed Development Programme for Dimapur district. The villages are Ruzaphema, Bungsang, Molvum, Toshezu, Kiyevi ‘A’, Tsiepama, Pherima and Medziphema, the updates stated.
The Dimapur division of Land Resources started its Springshed development activities at Ruzaphema village on the 2nd of September 2019, the updates stated. The team conducted a seminar on Springshed management in the village “which saw a healthy participation from the village elders, members of the youth community and district staff,” the department stated.
The officials sought the community’s participation and coordination for successful implementation of the programme.
“This was followed by a visit to two major springs of Ruzaphema village for the purpose of conducting Spring Inventorisation which included activities such as- the collection of water sample for water quality testing, slope measurement to determine the feasibility of constructing engineering structures, calculation of present water discharge rate from the springs and identification of recharge areas,” the department stated.
The Land Resources division will be conducting the rest of its programmes, spring ‘inventorisation’ (sic) and preparation of detailed technical reports in seven villages within the next few days, the press release stated.
