Shillong: The Meghalaya government is planning water harvesting structures at 300 locations at a cost of Rs 250 crore in 2023-24.

The government has operationalised the State Water Mission through which an integrated and coordinated approach to water management is being put in place. Besides, it is currently implementing externally-aided projects worth Rs 2,500 crore focusing on environmental sustainability, forest management and water harvesting.

Water crisis is a major issue in rural areas and several urban pockets. In the city, many households buy water or collect it from public taps. One reason for the scarcity is the depletion of catchment areas.

The state government is also taking measures to replenish the forest cover. About 88 lakh saplings have been planted over the last five years to grow 10,000 hectares of forests.

Meghalaya is also implementing the country’s largest ‘Payment for Ecosystem Services’ project called Green Meghalaya. Under this programme, communities are being incentivised to conserve forests.

“We are currently covering about 16,000 hectares of forests and have disbursed over Rs 13 crore during the current financial year,” Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said while tabling the state budget recently.

About 50,000 hectares of forests will be protected under this programme and Rs 250 crore will be transferred to the communities over the next five years.

The state government has also formulated a Climate Action Budget to mitigate the adverse impact of climate change. The allocation towards climate action for 2023-24 is Rs 3,412 crore, which is about 15% of the total budget allocation.

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