Dimapur, 3 May (MTNews): Tongpang Ozukum, Advisor for Water Resources, attended the 12th high-powered review meeting of the Brahmaputra Board on May 1st in Guwahati, where he briefed the board on the state’s water bodies, soil erosion, and challenges.

 

Tongpang Ozukum
Tongpang Ozukum, Advisor for Water Resources, attended the 12th high-powered review meeting of the Brahmaputra Board on 1 May in Guwahati. (Twitter photo @gssjodhpur)

 

 

Union Jal Shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat chaired the meeting, which was also attended by Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Kailash Choudhury.

 

According to Ozukum, during his deliberations, he expressed concern that Nagaland’s water bodies are drying up, and that there is a need to rejuvenate the water bodies. Nagaland has 1432 water bodies, according to the first water body census, he stated.

 

Ozukum also mentioned that Nagaland has roughly 15 major rivers, but “every year because of erosion, the rivers become bigger and bigger” and that this year they would like to focus on flood management and erosion.

 

“I raised that, it’s a genuine problem that we are facing therefore the ministry should approve our projects,” he added.

 

During the meeting, Ozukum also mentioned the centrally sponsored scheme – Common Area Development Water Management (CADWM), which is funded 50:50 by the Ministry and the State. However, he believes that such funding is not only not feasible and viable for Nagaland, but also for other Northeastern states.

 

He stated that due to this funding pattern, several Northeastern states, including Nagaland, are unable to avail the scheme and requested that the government relax the funding pattern 90:10 so that all northeastern states can participate in the noble project.

 

When asked about the Jal Jeevan Mission, Ozukum emphasized that it falls under the purview of PHED, but he was tasked with representing the department at the conference. He stated that Nagaland was one among the states that performed well at the Jal Jeevan Mission.

One thought on “Advisor Tongpang Ozukum raises concern over water bodies”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *