Himachal Governor Acharya Devvrat on Tuesday underlined the need for active participation of common people in tackling the water crisis in an effective manner as the Government schemes alone were not sufficient.
Devvrat was speaking after inaugurating a seminar on water conservation and management at Raj Bhawan, which was attended by activists and experts working on water issues including Magsaysay award recipient Dr Rajendra Singh.
The Governor expressed concern that both farmers and people residing in towns were facing the problem of water scarcity. Himachal Pradesh was providing water to neighboring states but now it was facing the same problem, he added.
He said that the State would take the benefit of Dr Rajender Singh who rejuvenated the water sources in Rajasthan and other states.
Acharya Devvrat said that rapid growth in population, rising demand for food and cash crops, urbanization and rising standard of living had resulted in the problem of water scarcity. He said that for efficient water conservation and management, people should be made aware about the necessity of water, its conservation and they should be involved in the activities of water management.
The Governor said that he had launched Himachal Pradesh Water Conservation literacy Special Campaign in the state and to give it a practical shape, different measures for specific area should be adopted for efficient water management, and active cooperation of the local people should also be sought.
The campaigns like drug de-addiction, cleanliness, Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao and Zero Budget Natural Farming & Cow Rearing had been started for social cause and people of every sphere had supported the issues, he added.
In his key note address, Dr Rajinder Singh stressed that we should connect the society with the rivers and through package of practice we should work in co-ordination. He also stressed on decision making process, balance between micro and macro process, and traditional wisdom of water conservation and new techniques of water use.
He explained changes in cropping patterns linked with rainfall patterns and rain water harvesting structures with community participation for rejuvenation of rivers.
Dr Rajinder Singh added that it was a matter of concern that water level in the state was also going down and drought or flood like situations prevailed in Himachal. It was high time to slow down the pace of water flow and conserve it for recharging the water bodies, said he.