India, ADB sign $50 million loan MoU for water harvesting project in Meghalaya

The Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $50 million loan memorandum of understanding (MoU) for climate-adaptive water harvesting project in Meghalaya. The project will support construction of 532 small water-storage facilities across 12 districts in Meghalaya besides developing 3,000 hectares of command area to provide reliable irrigation areas for farmers.

India, ADB sign $50 million loan MoU for water harvesting project in Meghalaya

India, ADB sign $50 million loan MoU for climate-adaptive water harvesting in Meghalaya

The Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $50 million loan Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a climate-adaptive water harvesting project in Meghalaya.

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Aims

The US$50 million loan agreement between India and ADB aims to enhance water security by constructing water-harvesting systems to improve access to water and reducing community vulnerability against climate change impacts in Meghalaya.

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The MoU Signs By

The signatories to the India and ADB $50 million loan MoU for the Climate-Adaptive Community-Based Water-Harvesting Project in Meghalaya were Juhi Mukherjee, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, for the Government of India, and Mio Oka, Country Director of ADB’s India Resident Mission, for ADB.

Key Highlights

The India and ADB $50 million loan project will support construction of 532 small water-storage facilities across 12 districts in Meghalaya besides developing 3,000 hectares of command area to provide reliable irrigation areas for farmers.

These facilities will incorporate climate-resilient designs to capture and manage heavy rainfall and flash floods during monsoon season. The stored water shall improve water security during the dry season.

The project will also establish 50 weather stations for climate data gathering and monitoring, and micro-irrigation systems in Garo, Jaintia, and Khasi regions.

ADB will help strengthen the capacity of the Meghalaya State Watershed and Wasteland Development Agency and the Soil and Water Conservation Department in water management, operation, and management. In addition, the project will train farmers, especially women, to increase livelihood productivity in irrigated agriculture such as horticulture and fishery techniques

Static Current Affairs related to Meghalaya for upcoming exams

• Statehood Day: 21 January 1972
• Capital city: Shillong
• Largest city: Shillong
• Total Districts: 12
• Governor: C. H. Vijayashankar
• Chief Minister: Conrad Sangma (NPP)
• Total Assembly Constituencies: Unicameral (60 seats)  
• Parliamentary Constituencies: Rajya Sabha (1 seats) and Lok Sabha (2 seats)
• Total Population (2011 census): 2,964,007
• Official language of Meghalaya: English
• Literacy rate (2011): 74.43% (24th) 
• Sex ratio (2011): 989♀/1000 ♂ (3rd)