Aizawl: A meeting on the conservation and restoration of catchment areas of the Barak river in Assam, Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland was held at the deputy commissioner’s conference hall in Khawzawl district on Thursday.The meeting on the project, titled “Conservation & Restoration of Catchment Areas of Barak River in the States of Assam, Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland”, was chaired by Khawzawl deputy commissioner K Vanlalthiana.In Mizoram, the project will be implemented in eight districts — Aizawl, Champhai, Mamit, Lunglei, Serchhip, Kolasib, Saitual and Khawzawl, officials said.The project discussed measures to conserve and restore the tributaries of the Barak river and their surrounding catchment areas in the district. It aims to conserve forests, wildlife and water resources while improving the livelihoods of farmers.Rajkhungur Basumatary, senior manager of the North Eastern Region Community Resource Management Society (NERCORMS), made a presentation explaining the project in detail. The initiative will be funded by the Govt of India and KfW, Germany, and will be implemented under the North Eastern Council (NEC). NERCORMS will serve as the executing agency for the project.The Barak river and its tributary systems have been affected by issues such as improper land use, inadequate management of watershed areas, and insufficient coordination in the management of the river system. These factors have contributed to an increase in floods, landslides and other related difficulties.During the meeting, officials of various departments were instructed to collect and provide the data required for the project. NERCORMS officials will visit Mizoram again from Oct 12 to 16 to conduct field inspections of the catchment areas in Khawzawl district and hold discussions with govt officials concerned.
