Shillong, Feb 10: Here are the 12-point Shillong Declaration after the two-day International Water Conclave ended in Shillong on Saturday.
1. The vital role of water as a critical resource and the need for enhanced resilience around water in hilly terrains, as underscored by the declining water table and spring water levels, waning traditional water systems, retreating, and polluting rivers, changing rainfall patterns, increase in the natural disasters and the recent pandemic, among others.
2. The fact that hill regions will be vulnerable, in absence of improved, safe, and sustainable water management and any uncontrolled anthropogenic action can add to this risk.
3. The importance of protecting springs, rivers, and all other traditional water management systems as well as the complex nature of the hill ecosystems, and of ensuring sustainable and safe preservation of the aquifers and other water resources
4. The necessity for adopting state-of-the-art technology for sanitation, waste, and wastewater treatment as well as for water recycling, to augment water availability.
5. The critical need to aligning agriculture, horticulture, forestry, poultry, animal husbandry, and all related livelihood initiatives in an appropriate manner, addressing water productivity of the hill ecosystems.
6. The unavoidable act of ensuring safety and quality of water for all kinds of human and cattle consumption, by minimizing contaminations and instituting context-appropriate measures for purifications and verifications
7. The Importance of not hampering the synergy with nature, and reassuring the commitment to the water and ecosystems, while bringing advanced amenities to enhance the quality of lives in hill systems.
8. The vitality of reconciling with any challenges to water systems, its sustainability and related measures and any adverse impact on the environment, while planning new infrastructure, industry, commerce, and business, in and for the region.
9. The significance of realising the critical challenges posed to the nature and ecosystem, while ‘commoditising’ water and profiteering on it.
10. The need of participatory planning, implementation, and oversight of safe, sustainable, and resilient water management and governance systems to meet the drinking, domestic, irrigation, commercial, industrial, infrastructural, developmental, and emergency water needs of populations in all hill regions, in a reasonable manner.
11. The essentiality of safeguarding gender, equity and inclusiveness in the entire processes around water and climate.
12. Realising the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation with an acknowledgement that water, sanitation and hygiene are fundamental for sustainable development.
All participants of the Conclave hereby commit to the careful realisation of the better future for the hill lives around water and climate, by way of generating necessary data, mindful reviews, and analysis of the same, and actions that lead to sustainability. We expect that the fellow citizens who are residing in other terrains, community and civil society groups, governments at different levels, and global authorities, will reciprocate the spirit of this declaration and act upon the importance of building the future and safety of lives and the world around water.
