Effective Efforts Should Be Made For Revival Of Rivers And Water Sources – Uttarakhand Chief Minister

For the successful implementation of the Water Conservation and Tree Plantation Campaign, 2024, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami has provided several key directives to ensure effective execution.

These include:

Water Conservation and Revival of Sources:

• Accelerate efforts towards water conservation and storage.
• Revival of rivers and water sources using scientific methods.
• Ensure coordination among all concerned departments.
• Collaborate with organizations like UCOST and USARK for expertise in water conservation.
• Prepare baseline data of identified rivers and water sources.
• Develop short-term and long-term plans for revival.
• Focus on rainwater harvesting and ensure policy compliance.
• Pay special attention to moisture conservation in forest fire-prone areas.
• Construct chaal-khal and amrit sarovars to enhance water storage.

Water Festival Week:

• Celebrate Water Festival Week statewide from June 10 to 16, 2024, to promote water conservation awareness.

Tree Plantation Campaign:

• Launch a large-scale tree plantation campaign starting from the Harela festival and continue for a month.
• Focus on planting more fruitful and shady trees.
• Ensure the conservation of planted trees.
• Extend the campaign to the Nyaya Panchayat level with public participation.
• Conduct public awareness programs and distribute saplings at the Nyaya Panchayat level, schools, and universities.

Forest Fire Control:

• Develop a comprehensive plan to prevent forest fires, emphasizing moisture conservation.

Public Participation:

• Engage the public to ensure the success of the campaigns.
• Link the tree plantation campaign with MNREGA to enhance livelihoods.

Traditional Methods and Public Awareness:

• Use traditional methods for water storage and conservation.
• Transform the campaign into a mass movement through public awareness initiatives.

The meeting included significant contributions from senior officials and environmentalists, emphasizing the need for a collaborative and well-planned approach to water conservation and tree plantation. Public participation and adherence to scientific and traditional conservation methods were highlighted as critical components for the campaign’s success.