Correspondent
DIMAPUR, March 26: NITI Aayog, in collaboration with Nagaland government, organised a regional workshop on public health and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) for the north eastern states, named a NeVolution initiative, at Chumoukedima on Wednesday.
During the workshop, NITI Ayog addressed the region’s most pressing public health challenges related to water, sanitation, hygiene, and waste management.
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The workshop aimed to support efforts in achieving SDG 6 – universal access to clean water and sanitation -, and improving overall health outcomes across the region by fostering cross-sectoral collaboration and community-driven solutions.
It also focused on three key pillars – Swachh North East: sanitation, solid and liquid waste management, Swajal North East: water quality, biological and chemical contaminants, and Swasth North East: public health implications of WASH.
Representatives from various states of the Northeast attended the workshop.
In his keynote address at the inaugural session of the workshop, Nagaland PHE and cooperation minister Jacob Zhimomi highlighted Nagaland, along with the rest of northeastern states, lagged behind the other states of India in addressing the challenges related to public health and WASH due to various reasons.
He said even though the infrastructure is in place, there is less water or no water during dry season in Nagaland.
Zhimomi said the only source of water in the state is rivers, adding these rivers are primarily rain-fed and not glacier-fed, unlike Arunachal Pradesh.
“Even within the Northeast, Nagaland is a separate chapter and our challenges are unique,” he stressed.
He appealed to NITI Ayog to give adequate recommendations about Nagaland based on the ground report to the government of India for overall development of the state.
Nagaland rural development minister Metsubo Jamir, in his address as the guest of honour, highlighted the issues concerning the people of the state.
He said the national programmes for poverty alleviation should be responsive to the local needs and regional peculiar requirements.
In his address, programme director, NITI Aayog, Yugal Joshi said the recommendations of the workshop would be placed before the central government to address the public health challenges in the region.
