SHILLONG:
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, on April 17, said that space technology has played a huge role when it comes to overall socio-economic policy making, decision making, and implementation of different programmes in Meghalaya and other States of Northeast.
The CM was speaking at the two-day precursor event of the G20 Space Economy Leaders Meeting (SELM) in Shillong, where he pointed that the NESAC (Northeast Space Application Centre) has played a pivotal role in providing critical data and information for taking effective steps in various fronts.
He said that Meghalaya receives (almost) in certain areas 12,000 mm of rainfall annually, which is a great thing but it is also a destructive force, and this is where space technology helps to identify the weather conditions, thereby helping the government in disseminating information at the right time.
“The information that we receive allows us to prepare ourselves in a better manner, create the right policies and effective steps to control the damages because of floods. In the issue of flood control, we have seen that space technology has helped us immensely to work in a systematic and scientific manner. The study of damages caused, what immediate actions need to be taken are available because of space technology,” Sangma said.
Informing that the entire North East being a bio-sensitive and bio-diverse region, he pointed out that given the vast forest cover, space technology is helping the government to identify the areas and forest cover that the state has, and different impacts taking place because of climate change by giving real-time information so that right policies and decisions can be implemented.
“Whether its decreasing forest covers, catchment areas, and how to preserve them and all aspects of biodiversity, space technology is really helping us, and I am certain that many areas of concern in connectivity, trade and commerce, and I am sure that more such socio-economic policy making and decision making will happen as we move forward,” he said.