The Meghalaya Cabinet became the first state to approve a draft water policy to address water issues, conservation, and protection of water sources in the state. The draft was passed on 12 July 2019 following detailed discussions and deliberation with ministers of the Cabinet.
The policy intends to achieve sustainable development, management and use of water resources with community participation. This will improve health and livelihood and reduce vulnerability among people. Issues such as protection of catchment areas and river pollution have also been outlined in the policy.
The committees will be formed at village level and the issue of groundwater will also be catered through this policy. Also, the department will monitor quality of the water to check if it has a high content of iron or if it's acidic.