Meghalaya’s community-driven efforts to tackle climate change and water scarcity have found a mention in the Economic Survey 2025–26, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said on January 30, at a time when the state is grappling with drying springs and falling water levels.
The chief minister said the Economic Survey, tabled in Parliament by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, has acknowledged Meghalaya’s ecosystem-based and community-focused approach to improving water security.
In a post on X, Sangma said initiatives such as MegARISE, spring mapping and community-led water harvesting are helping protect vital catchment areas, revive forests and enable local communities to respond better to climate challenges. “When communities take the lead, meaningful change becomes possible,” he said.
Meghalaya has been facing increasing pressure on its water resources, with nearly half of the state’s springs either drying up or showing a sharp decline in water discharge. To deal with the issue, the state government has rolled out a series of community-centric climate adaptation programmes.
Key initiatives include the Protection of Vulnerable Catchment Areas in Meghalaya (MegARISE), the Spring Mapping Initiative and the Climate-Adaptive Community-Based Water Harvesting Project.
Under MegARISE, vulnerable catchments are being safeguarded through sustainable forest management, watershed treatment, forest restoration and active community participation. The project aims to carry out plantation work across 8,430 hectares and focus on protecting two major catchments — Umiew and Ganol.
Meanwhile, the Spring Mapping Initiative has used GIS technology to map more than 55,000 springs across Meghalaya, helping authorities take timely steps to conserve and revive these water sources.
The state is also implementing over 500 community-based water harvesting projects to strengthen climate-resilient water management at the grassroots level.
“These efforts are not just about conserving water but about empowering communities to adapt to climate change,” Sangma said, stressing that people’s participation has been at the core of Meghalaya’s water security strategy.