Meghalaya retains only 1 billion cubic litres out of 63 billion cubic litres of rainwater: CM

Shillong: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said the northeastern state receives 63 billion cubic litres of water annually through rainfall but is able to retain only 1 billion cubic litres of water.

He said this on Wednesday while launching the Meghalaya Water Smart Kid campaign, an initiative under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) to create awareness about water conservation among children.

"Meghalaya is one of the wettest places on earth. We receive about 63 billion cubic litres of water annually, of which 31 billion cubic litres flow to Bangladesh and 31 billion cubic litres flows to Assam," he said.

The chief minister said to address the issue of water conservation and sustainability, the state government has taken various interventions, which are supported by externally aided projects (EAPs) and the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India.

He informed that 1,000 water reservoirs are being constructed across the state, to harness water and increase the groundwater table through different soil rejuvenation projects.

"We are making concerted efforts to harness water as it is imperative to ensure sustainability and rejuvenation of our water sources", he added.

Sangma said the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department has received huge funding under JJM and EAPs, which is close to around 8,000 crore.

"We have a challenge ahead of us but our officials have been working tirelessly to achieve the targets in ensuring that water is made available to every household in the state", he said.

The CM said that under JJM, Meghalaya has been awarded as "best performer" by the Ministry of Jal Shakti with additional incentives sanctioned.

He said that the state has completed over 4 lakh household fixed water connections and by March 2024, the target of 6 lakh will be completed.

"In 2019, media and other stakeholders had ridiculed the government for poor coverage under JJM, however, we took it as a challenge and ensured that from 45,000 household connections, we managed to increase it to 4 lakh plus households", he said.

The chief minister and PHE Minister Marcuise Marak handed over the award to Water Guardians for inspiring efforts in the conservation of water bodies.

The awards were also distributed to Lumshyiap Village and Water Sanitation Community of Ri Bhoi District, Darechikgre Village and Water Sanitation Community of West Garo Hills District and Dura Kantragre Village and Water Sanitation Community of West Garo Hills District.