Guwahati: Assam’s Goalpara district was awarded the best district in the North-East zone in the National Water Awards 2020 on Friday, which was announced by Union Minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.
Meanwhile, in the Best State category, Uttar Pradesh has been awarded first prize, followed by Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu. Speaking on the occasion, Shekhawat stated that water is fundamental to life.
India’s current water requirement is estimated to be around 1,100 billion cubic metres per year and is projected to go up to 1,447 billion cubic metres by 2050.
The minister also said that, considering the fact that surface water and groundwater are integral parts of the water cycle, it was felt necessary to institute a unified National Water Award with the objective of encouraging the stakeholders to adopt a holistic approach towards water resources management in the country.
It may be mentioned that Goalpara got the award for the district’s work for RWH/Ground Water Recharge in AWCs, water purifiers in schools, the convergence of schemes with MGNREGA, Fisheries, Soil Conservation, and Irrigation for the creation of assets and livelihoods, and conservation efforts at Urpad Beel.
