Saturday, 30 July 2022 | PNS |Dehradun
Irrigation, Watershed, Panchayati Raj, Tourism and Culture minister Satpal Maharaj exhorted Indian Forest Service (IFS) probationers to lay stress on soil and water conservation along with afforestation. This will enable the nation to better face the challenge posed by climate change while also meeting its targets in carbon sequestration and land degradation neutrality. Maharaj said this while speaking at the conclusion of two-week training on soil and water conservation and watershed management at the Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy (IGNFA) here on Friday. Addressing the IFS probationers he said that the situation has to be managed with integrated vision for ecological balance and proper ecological services. He said, “Soil and water are the basis of life and their sustainable development and conservation has always been important for the welfare of humans. This has also been discussed in our various scriptures. I am happy to know that the Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation facilitated a 12-day training in soil and water conservation and watershed management for the IFS probationers.”
The minister further said that for adequate services from ecology, sectors like agriculture, forestry or other land-uses cannot be viewed with different viewpoints. Further, durable development is not possible without the involvement of the people living in the area concerned. Referring to soil erosion, the minister said that it is a very serious problem facing the nation. He said that mountain States are especially hard hit by this problem. It is surprising that by controlling soil erosion alone, about 45 per cent of the nation’s carbon sequestration capacity can be achieved. The minister said that in the past few years, climate change had resulted in increased intensity of rain while at the same time a decrease in the annual rain days had also been affected. He also expressed concern at natural sources of water drying up in various parts of the nation.The forest officers have a vital contribution to make in tackling such challenges, he said.
IGNFA director Bharat Jyoti, IISWC director M Madhu and others were also present on the occasion.
