JAMMU: Commissioner Secretary, Housing & Urban Development Department (H&UDD), Mandeep Kaur, today inaugurated a one-day orientation programme on ‘Conservation and Rejuvenation of Water Bodies in J&K’ held under AMRUT 2.0 Mission at Udyog Bhawan, here.
The event was attended by eminent conservation experts from the Indian National Trust for Art Culture and Heritage (INTACH), University faculty, HoDs of the Housing & Urban Development Department and officers and engineers from Urban Local Bodies, Jal Shakti Department and UEED, while the Kashmir based HoDs participated online.
Pankaj Kumar Sharma, Mission Director, AMRUT 2.0, gave a brief presentation about the National Water Missions besides the progress made under AMRUT 2.0 Mission in J&K.
He apprised the participants that AMRUT 2.0 marks a renewed and fortified effort under the Government of India’s flagship mission towards creating sustainable and water-secure urban spaces. This orientation programme aims to foster awareness, collaboration and practical solutions for achieving these goals, he added. He further informed that the total central assistance of Rs. 867 crore has been committed by the Union Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs.
The Commissioner Secretary H&UDD appreciated the expertise shared by Manu Bhatnagar, Principal Director, Natural Heritage Division, INTACH, New Delhi; Salim Beg Convenor INTACH J&K, and Dr. Deepika Salathia, Department of Environmental Sciences University of Jammu. She asked all the participants from the Engineering Department including ULBs and UEEDs to get their expertise translated into meaningful work on the conservation and rejuvenation of water bodies. She stressed on devising innovative, community-driven and technically sound approaches to save these water bodies.
Mandeep Kour further appreciated that this orientation programme offers a unique opportunity to learn from each other’s experiences, engage in meaningful dialogue and chart a path towards tangible solutions that can transform urban water management practices.
She apprised that Jammu University has done a listing of all water bodies and there is a need to conserve them by applying nature-based solutions with the help of conservation experts.
Convener INTACH J&K, Saleem Beg, highlighted the role of INTACH in the conservation of Natural Heritage Projects.
Manu Bhatnagar, Principal Director of Natural Heritage Division, INTACH New Delhi, in his address, highlighted the issues and challenges being faced in the conservation of the Water bodies due to rapid urbanisation and changing climatic conditions. He emphasised on the fact that concreting should immediately be stopped instead traditional methods of stone pitching with earthwork work be used to ensure the survival of lakes.\
Jagdish Raj Hans, Chief Town Planner, Jammu, presented detailed acts, rules and regulations in the matter and gave insight into the importance of Urban Planning to ward off stress on the water bodies.
Dr Dipika Slathia, Professor of Environmental Sciences, JU, gave a detailed presentation on the type of water bodies, threats and their conservation in Jammu.
S. M. Sahni, Convenor, INTACH Jammu Chapter, said that the Housing & Urban Development Department has identified the challenges and issues in the conservation of water bodies and initiated many steps to resolve these in a time-bound manner.
