Workshop on benchmarking of minor irrigation schemes held in Nagaland

[caption id="attachment_277949" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Namri Nchang (second from right) with other officials during the national-lever workshop on ‘Benchmarking of Minor Irrigation Schemes’ at Hotel Vivor, Kohima, on Friday. ( EM Images )[/caption] Our correspondent Kohima, Oct. 18 (EMN): To review and address the concerns of minor irrigation projects in the north-eastern part of the country, the department of Water Resources and Nagaland organised a one-day national workshop programme on Benchmarking of Minor Irrigation Schemes under the aegis of National Hydrology Project (NHP), Ministry of Jal Shakti, department of Water Resources, RD & GR at Hotel Vivor in Kohima on Friday. Namri Nchang, advisor, Water Resources department, Government of Nagaland, stated that it was gratifying to know the agenda of the workshop covered a wide range of topics on irrigation benchmarking. He said it was an opportunity to discuss problems of mutual interest with delegates from various states of the country. “With your participation, I’m assured that the workshop will emerge with positive outputs and will be a successful one,” said Nchang. The legislator also lauded the National Project Monitoring Unit (NPMU) of NHP for choosing Nagaland to host the national-level workshop. “This is clear indication that you have reposed your confidence and faith in us,” he added. Asserting that for Nagaland, it would be the first time to carry out a study on Benchmarking of Minor Irrigation Projects under NHP, he encouraged the officers and staff involved to give their best. NHP is a World Bank assisted project as a follow up of hydrology project phase I and II being implemented in the entire country, including north-eastern states of the India, which were not part of the previous hydrology projects. Its objective is to improve the extent, reliability and accessibility of water resources information and to strengthen the capacity of targeted water resources management institutions in India, which is the basis for management and development of water resources. Meanwhile, topics like 'benchmarking for enhancing irrigation efficiency and water productivity in irrigation commands', 'benchmarking irrigation projects in India-a case study', 'irrigation scenario in Nagaland', 'challenges for irrigated agriculture and key indicators to assess its effectiveness', and ensuring water security through climate smart water technologies for sustainable hill agriculture' were discussed at the workshop. Various delegates from states like Tamil Nadu, Assam, Goa, Meghalaya, Rajasthan and Manipur attended the workshop.