Himachal to borrow irrigation technology from Israel
Shimla: Chief Minister Himachal Prof. Prem Kumar Dhumal said that keeping in view the uncertain weather conditions, global warming and receding of ground water level, it has become essential to optimumly utilise every drop of water and adopt water efficient irrigation techniques to carry forward with the farming activities in the hilly state of Himachal Pradesh more effectively. He said that experts had been warning of melting and extinction of the centuries old glaciers in Himalayas which had so far been the perennial source of water for drinking and irrigation purposes. He said that while the water level in the sea shores and plains was likely to rise due to snow melting and resulting into floods etc., the hilly areas would be experiencing drought like conditions and ground water level was likely to recede drastically threatening survival of all living beings. This was revealed by Chief Minister to an international News Channel here recently.
Prof Dhumal said that Himachal Pradesh, being one of the Himalayan States, was likely to suffer with water scarcity due to disturbed season cycle and might cause damages due to heavy or no rains, to its agriculture and horticulture activities thereby putting the major economic activity of the State in peril. He said that the State had major chunk of its population engaged in farming activities and resultant failure of the farm sector could jeopardize the entire economy of the State.
Chief Minister said that the State was concerned of environmental degradation and had initiated various precautionary steps to protect the environment. He said that massive plantation campaigns were under implementation besides protecting the existing forest wealth. He said that herbal plantations and revival of Deodar like plantation campaigns had been launched in active association of the voluntary organisations and masses in general. He said that green felling, use of plastic carry bags had been banned and people motivated to adopt environment friendly modes as alternate to such daily use items. He said that polluting industrial units had been placed in the negative list and all precautions being taken to check the waste of ground water. He said that clean energy generating hydro power projects were being constructed to optimumly utilise the available hydel potential in the State. He said that hydro power discipline was also being taught as a subject in various vocational training institutions in the State for speedy exploitation of the potential and with a view to generate employment avenues to the educated unemployed youth.
Prof. Dhumal said that the achievements of the State Government in implementation of the Mid Himalayan Watershed Development Project, funded by World Bank and Government of India, had been lauded at the international level and was a step towards ecological safeguards in different parts of the State. He said that Japan International Cooperative Agency had also proposed to help State in giving boost to the organic farming by manufacturing organic fertilizers. He said that the State had constituted a separate Water Management Board to oversee the water management all over the State. He said that the State had taken effective steps to check emission of green house gases. He said that with the protection of Himalayas the impact of the global warming could be slowed down considerably. He said that the State Government was concerned about the degradation of environment in the Himalayan region and had been raising the demand for compensating the Himalayan States at all forums by providing adequate funds to save the Himalayas for the ecological balancing of the entire world.
