Matribhumi Samachar English
The National Water Mission (NWM), Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation (DoWR), Ministry of Jal Shakti organised a workshop-cum-orientation programme for Central Nodal Officers (CNOs) and Technical Officers (TOs) of the ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain – 2024’ (JSA: CTR 2024) campaign, in New Delhi today. These officers would be visiting 151 focused districts for ensuring effective implementation of the campaign. The event was graced by Union Minister of Jal Shakti Shri C.R.Paatil and Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Dr. Raj Bhushan Choudhury.
A Central Team consisting of CNO and TO will undertake two visits to the allotted districts. The workshop highlighted the roles and responsibilities of the visiting officials to the districts. The JSA:CTR-2024 campaign is being implemented from 09.03.2024 to 30.11.2024 in all the districts (rural as well as urban areas) of the country with the theme ‘Nari Shakti se Jal Shakti’ to underscore the pivotal role of women in water conservation.
Addressing the audience, Shri Paatil appreciated the efforts of Ministry of Jal Shakti in water sector. He emphasized upon scaling up the actions towards meeting the cumulative water demand. He also exemplified the Surat Municipal corporation and cited its efforts made towards supplying treated water to industries at a cost-effective tariff along with the implementation of sustainable afforestation. The Minister stressed upon involvement of NGOs working in water sector for effective implementation of various schemes launched / run by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, especially in rural areas. Shri Paatil assured his commitment for a water secure future through action-oriented policy and planning. He also opened an avenue for everyone including general public to reach out to Ministry for water related issues and kind suggestions through every means of communication, including social media platforms.
In her inaugural address, Secretary (Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation) Ms. Vini Mahajan stressed upon practicing ‘Whole of the Government” approach through engaging partner Ministries/Departments and state government agencies. She emphasized on working with urban authorities as well as rural agencies for scaling up the installation of rain water harvesting structures. She addressed that our main source of water is rain water and therefore our water bodies should be ready to receive the maximum amount of rainfall. All efforts should be made to catch the rain, where and when it falls.
In the wrapping-up session, Secretary (Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation) Ms. Debashree Mukherjee observed that the prolonged heat wave in the current year has an adverse impact on the water security in the country, which can be mitigated effectively by increasing water storage in the water bodies, ponds, ground water, reservoirs, etc. Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch The Rain campaign can be an effective tool to get ready for addressing the challenge of increasing water storage by desilting of water bodies, maintenance of rain water harvesting structures etc. The success of the campaign is primarily dependent on getting the district authorities enthused and motivated for effective implementation of the campaign. She stressed that we also need to bring the local civil society organizations and district authorities together at a common platform to implement the campaign. Usage of local media can be another tool for effective dissemination of the advantages of the campaign. Central Teams can also assess the saturation of Anaganwadis, Schools, etc. with the creation of rain water harvesting structures in their premises. The teams can also impress upon the district authorities for completing geo-tagging of water bodies, she added.
The event witnessed presentations/sharing of presentations on various important topics/themes including ‘The District Waterbody Atlas’, which is significant to water conservation and sustainability efforts in India by the National Water Informatics Centre (NWIC); presentation on ‘Springshed Management’ sheds light on the critical importance of preserving and managing our spring ecosystems by the National Institute of Hydrology; ‘The rain water storage and recharge structures including defunct bore-wells’ showcased practical solutions to enhance water availability through efficient rain water harvesting techniques by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) and the presentation on the Jal Jeevan Mission by Mission Director (Jal Jeevan Mission, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation); and the experience sharing by Shri Pramod Kumar, Director, Pensioners’ Welfare who was CNO during the previous years’ JSA:CTR campaign provided invaluable insights and best practices.
