The catastrophe at Uttarakhand in June 2013, was a hot topic of discussion for many of us across the country, but only those who live in the Himalayan states understand the significance and impact it has on their lives. Poor policies and governance were the root cause; much more than heavy rains. Often, these policies are made by people who do not have a proper understanding of the region and its local traditions.

If you work or live in the Himalayas, here is your chance to make your voice heard and have your experience count.

The Mountain Development Summit is a platform of the Indian Mountain Initiative to bring together the Indian Himalayan states for one main reason - to find ways to influence national and state public policies. They do this by collectively sharing experiences and discussing issues concerning development in the mountain regions.

This year the Summit is going to held at Kohima, Nagaland between September 25 and 27, 2013. Sustainable Development Forum, Nagaland, a member of the Indian Mountain Initiative is organising the event and India Water Portal is the anchor for the water theme (the other themes are agriculture and forests).

Submit your contributions by 01 September, 2013

We invite original contributions (technical papers, articles, photo essays and videos) on topics concerning water and development in the Himalayas. Your contribution, if shortlisted, will be included for discussion at the 3rd Sustainable Mountain Development Summit in September 2013 and select content will be published on the India Water Portal.

We want to hear about your experiences so that we can present them at the Summit. The issues that are being highlighted are: 

1. Water conflicts 
2. Water rights and access (including governance and gender issues)
3. Innovations and technologies for water conservation and management 
4. Policy gaps and opportunities in water conservation and management

Irrespective of whether or not you can make it to Kohima for the conference, you can make your voice heard and your experience count. Make the most of this opportunity and send in your work (technical papers, articles, photo essays and videos) to mountain.summit@indiawaterportal.org by 01 September, 2013.

Please note that submitting paper/article/video/photos does not imply presentation/participation at the summit in Kohima.