Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma today said that conservation of water bodies and creation of reservoirs is one of the important agenda of the government.
“We will be investing approximately Rs 400 crore in the next three years in creating reservoirs across the state,” Sangma said while inaugurating the Mawrah Multi-Purpose Water Reservoir at Sohra.
The Chief Minister informed that only about 4-5 percent of rain water is retained by the state and the rest flows to the neighboring state and country and creating reservoirs is the only way to retain the rain water.
He also said that the Mawrah Multi-Purpose Water Reservoir would also serve as a multi-purpose project promoting tourism, aquaculture and farming.
Sangma also added that the stretch of 25km road from the Sohra main road to Konthong village will be black topped under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana scheme and work is expected to be completed by January 2025.
“This road will not only be a blessing to the people of the area but will boost tourism to a large extent,” he said.
The Mawrah dam of the reservoir has been designed in an arc shape for the purpose of structural stability and aesthetic beauty. The total water spread of the reservoir is approximated at 7.7 hectares to 8.0 hectares (19 to 20 acres) with the deepest point of 10.50m. Its maximum storage capacity is 5.28 lakh cubic metres or 528 million litres.
Currently, the reservoir is becoming a breeding site for native fish species and is also attracting several migratory birds.
The reservoir is intended to serve as a multifaceted utility water body in the day to day water requirements. It is expected that the reservoir would be an asset that can generate water-based employment opportunities to the local community.