RAIPUR: A two-day International Water Conference in Chhattisgarh’s Dhamtari perceived ‘effective strategies and actionable plans’ as the need of the hour to be pursued for water conservation and management.Policymakers, environmentalists, experts and representatives from various national and international organisations extensively engaged in dialogues with thought-provoking insights and conversation plans to evolve strategies and practices to ensure meeting the human needs on water under the banner of ‘Jal Jagar’ (Water Awakening) initiative.The event was held at the bank of Ravishankar reservoir (Gangrel Dam) on October 5-6 in Dhamtari district, about 80 km from Raipur.The experts and environmentalists shared success stories from their respective regions, fields, urging the people to undertake doable sustainable measures like rainwater harvesting, efficient irrigation and agricultural practices to reduce water usage, wastewater recycling, and watershed management among others.“Jal Jagar campaign under the initiative of the state government will be a powerful approach to address the water crisis in both rural and urban areas. If we all work together, our future will be secured by overcoming the water scarcity”, affirmed Vishnu Deo Sai, Chhattisgarh chief minister.The need was felt for a multi-faceted approach and community involvement as the environmentalist Padma Shri awardee Umashankar Pandey remarked that water shouldn’t just be a government concern but equally the people’s responsibility too.“We cannot create water, but we can certainly conserve it,” he added.Maninder Kaur Dwivedi, additional secretary, ministry of agriculture and farmers welfare, highlighted how Dhamtari has a long-standing tradition of water conservation. She emphasised developing more such varieties of rice as seen in Dhamtari and adopting alternative crops that required reduced usage of water.
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