The adverse impacts of the climate change are here; they are no longer a distant possibility, as everyone thought earlier. Now these impacts are very much evident before us. Principal Secretary Housing and Environment and the Director General of EPCO Alok Shrivastava expressed these thoughts. He was addressing the inaugural session of the one-day workshop jointly hosted by the Environmental Planning and Coordination Organisation (EPCO), under the collective project of the MP Government and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Shrivastava said that all the departments are being consulted for preparing the climate change policy and the workshop is being organised in this regard.

He urged the officials of Water Resources Department to devise a strategy to ensure maximum utilisation of the State's water resources for the public and equitable distribution of the water.

On the occasion, Water Resources Department Principal Secretary Radheshyam Julania said water is a multi-faceted issue, which includes participation of various Government departments, programmes and society. Three basic points — availability of water, fundamental right over the natural resource and proper maintenance — should be taken into account while devising strategy for water management.

The Executive Director of the EPCO Pravin Garg shedding light on the joint project of the State Government and the UNDP, said the project would be completed with an estimated cost of Rs 4.67 crore in its scheduled three years. He informed that field officers would present their suggestions over the expected action from the State Government under the ambitious National Water Mission.

Significantly, the State Government has established the State Climate Change Cell, which is devising the plan to deal with the climate change, in cooperation with UNDP.

In Monday's programme, as many as 80 participants were present.