Jal Shakti Ministry chairs water sector conference for Southern states

V. L. Kantha Rao, Secretary, Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation (DoWR, RD & GR), Ministry of Jal Shakti, chaired the Regional State Water Secretaries Conference held at Dr. MCR HRD Institute of Telangana which brought together senior officers from the Water Resources Departments of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry, Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar Islands together at a single platform to discuss wide array of matters about the water sector.

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Conference Objectives and Participation

According to the Ministry of Jal Shakti, officials of DoWR, RD&GR, New Delhi and 15 heads of major organisations of the department participated in the day-long conference. Key objectives of the conference encompassed review of the implementation of ongoing schemes of the department in the participating States/UTs; works done by the organizations of the Department in these States, understanding concerns of the States/UTs with respect to ongoing schemes/projects and inter -state matters; and detailed deliberations on these aspects to further strengthen thrust areas of Centre-State co-ordination and partnerships.

State Feedback and Central Directives

During the conference, State Govt. officials illustrated the scheme implementation status, expectations from the Government of India and related bottlenecks in respective states/UTs in the field of water resources. The Secretary, DoWR, RD & GR, underpinned the need for timely completion of ongoing projects and to reduce the gaps in Centre-state coordination to ensure time-bound progress of priority works. He called upon the States/UTs to participate in the revision and reformation of schemes of DoWR, RD &GR for next FC cycle.

Focus on Critical Water Management Issues

Apart from the regular ongoing schemes, discussions also took place on Flood forecasting activities and the adoption of advisories issued by the DoWR, RD & GR by the States/UTs on Sediment Management, Salinity Ingress in Coastal areas, implementation of the provisions of the Dam Safety Act, Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari, among others. Participating states/UTs were requested to streamline the implementation of these critical advisories on a priority basis.

Concluding Remarks and Future Commitment

In his concluding remarks, the Secretary reiterated the significance of the meeting in formulating and executing integrated strategies for sustainable and effective development of water resources in the region. He reaffirmed the department's commitment to providing comprehensive support for the planning, development, and management of water resources projects/schemes across the Country. (ANI)