Jal Shakti ministry, ISRO sign pact; launch new water conservation, research initiatives

Key points

• The Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Monday to strengthen the use of satellite technology and space-based applications for water resource management in the country.
• The ministry also launched a new water research mission with funding support of up to ₹20 crore per project.
• It also unveiled the third phase of its flagship water conservation campaign with a target of creating two crore structures across the country, PTI reported.
• The agreement was signed during a national workshop on research and development (R&D) in the water sector organised by the Ministry of Jal Shakti at the Dr Ambedkar International Centre.
• Under the memorandum of understanding (MoU), the Department of Water Resources and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will jointly work in 24 key research areas, including reservoir monitoring, water-spread assessment, river-flow analysis, satellite-based water quality assessment and studies...