Stakeholders convene at the DC’s Office Conference Hall, Kohima, to discuss the conservation and restoration project for the Barak River catchment areas. (DIPR Photo)
KOHIMA, SEPTEMBER 1 (MExN): A meeting on the proposed conservation and restoration of catchment areas of the Barak River across Assam, Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland was held at the Conference Hall of the Deputy Commissioner's Office, Kohima, on August 31.
The meeting was chaired by Additional Deputy Commissioner, Kohima, Ruopfukuotuo Noudi, and attended by representatives of the North Eastern Region Community Resource Management Society (NERCORMS) and officials from concerned State departments.
A NERCORMS representative made a presentation on the proposed project, which is proposed to be implemented by the North Eastern Council (NEC), Shillong, with NERCORMS as the executing agency. The project is proposed to be funded by the Government of India and KfW, Germany.
The project seeks to address environmental challenges in the Barak basin linked to unsustainable land use and inadequate watershed management. These include deforestation, soil erosion, wetland degradation, shifting cultivation, riverbank erosion, high sediment loads and increasing flood risks downstream.
Proposed interventions include catchment restoration, landscape planning, climate mitigation, forestry and horticulture, and development of farm and forest-product value chains. Activities will also cover soil and moisture conservation, plantation and forest protection, biodiversity conservation, springshed management, livelihood promotion and capacity building.
The project is expected to improve vegetation cover, strengthen climate resilience, reduce flood risks and promote sustainable natural resource management.
The meeting also discussed the ongoing feasibility study and information required from State departments, including data on community forests, customary land ownership, upper-catchment management, water resources, agriculture, soil health, agroforestry, biodiversity and traditional ecological knowledge.
NERCORMS said the project would follow a grassroots approach, with local communities' needs and perspectives forming an important part of the planning process. The meeting also stressed participation of all stakeholders, including both men and women.
It was proposed that a nodal officer be designated by the State to coordinate activities related to the project.
