To boost cooperation in water conservation and management as well as agricultural research and education, Punjab Government on Tuesday signed four Memorandums of Understandings (MoUs) with Israel.
The MoUs were signed in the presence of the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on the second day of his Israel visit, which is aimed at strengthening collaboration between the two sides in the key areas of agriculture, water management and homeland security.
The Chief Minister said that the MoUs would help Punjab secure the much-needed technical expertise and knowhow for strengthening its water management systems and improving its agricultural research and learning.
The MoU on water management was signed between Punjab Water Resources Management and Development Corporation and Israel’s national water company, Mekorot Development and Enterprise Limited.
Under the MoU, Mekorot will formulate a water conservation and management plan for Punjab, and will recommend use of appropriate technology, detailed project reports etc.
The basic data shall be provided by the Punjab Water Resources Management and Development Corporation, with the two parties to decide on any additional data that might need to be collected, or any studies that might be required to be carried out. The plan will be finalized within two months, unless the parties agree to an extension.
Besides, a joint working group, comprising an equal number of members from each of the parties, shall be formed within three weeks of the MoU to monitor the process of execution of the plan, which has been necessitated due to the water crisis faced by Punjab as a result of overexploitation of groundwater resources.
The three MoUs, relating to agricultural research, have been signed by the Punjab Agricultural University with Israel’s ARAVA Institute, Tel Aviv University (TAU) and Galilee International Management Institute.