IMPHAL, March 25: The DESAM president Moiranthem Angamba has said that Government failure`™s to take up Water Policy to face water scarcity in the state has made the situation in the state progressively severe each year.
He further stated that water scarcity has become so serious that even the scheduled operations at JNIMS were postponed, as there was no water in the hospital. What is unfortunate is that neither the concern department nor the state government has so far taken up any action plan to solve the problem of water scarcity in the state, he added.
Angamba questioned where the sanctioned money has been utilized as the government sanctioned crore of rupees during the (2013-2014) annual budget for the concern water department; Rs 247.81 crore for Public Health Engineering Department, Rs 123.26 crore for Minor Irrigation Department (MID) and Rs 312.06 crore for Irrigation and Flood Control Department.
He reiterated that there is no question of water scarcity as the state received abundant rainfall but due to government`™s failure to take up certain measures to conserve and preserve water, the state faced water scarcity still today. He also said that the government should establish monitoring committee to inquire if the budget being sanctioned is utilized in the right way and all the three concern departments should mutually cooperate to solve water scarcity in the state.
DESAM appealed the government to initiate an immediate plan of action to solve the water problem face by the state, to set up legislation to preserve community pond and wetland area, to conduct environment literacy campaign annually in the state and to include awareness on environment in every curriculum.