Govt's priority is saving every drop of water: TN CM

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami Wednesday said that the government has taken up initiatives to save every drop of water from the monsoons, even as he underlined the uncertain nature of the seasonal winds.

Speaking at the '30th-anniversary celebrations of M S Swaminathan Research Foundation,' here, he said rainwater harvesting stands as an important practice for the state which is dependent on neighbouring states for water.

"Several initiatives including desilting of lakes, the building of check dams among others have been taken up. Every drop of water is being saved because of this," Palaniswami said.

This has helped farmers in receiving the required amount of water for agricultural and drinking purposes, he added.

The chief minister also referred to the failure of monsoons, including in the current year, and said rainwater harvesting was important in this situation.

Palaniswami lauded the contributions of 93-year-old M S Swaminathan to the agriculture sector and encouraged the research foundation to scale new heights.

"I request the institution to figure out more strategies and take them to the farmers. This would result in an increase of agricultural output," he said.

Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and agricultural scientist Swaminathan also took part in the event.

A three-day conference 'Achieving Sustainable Development Goals and Strengthening Science for Climate Resilience' was also inaugurated on the occasion.