Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti Shri Raj Bhushan Chaudhary while giving a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today said that water conservation through rain water harvesting is one of the top priorities of the Government. The major steps taken by the Government for water conservation and rain water harvesting to mitigate water crisis in the country are as follows:
The Government of India is implementing a scheme called Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), which inter alia includes water conservation and water harvesting structures. Financial assistance is given to various states under the 15th Finance Commission grants, which can be used for rainwater harvesting, among other things.
Jal Shakti Ministry has been implementing Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) on an annual basis since 2019. In the current year, Jal Shakti Ministry is implementing Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain (JSA:CTR) 2024 in all the districts (both rural and urban) of the country, which is the 5th in the series of JSA. JSA:CTR is the convergence of various Central Government schemes and funds such as MGNREGS, Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), Per Drop More Crop, Repair, Renovation and Restoration component under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY), Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), Finance Commission grants, State Government schemes, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds etc.
One of the major interventions undertaken under the campaign includes construction and repair of rainwater harvesting structures including rooftop and water harvesting structures. Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0 has provisions for rainwater harvesting by channelizing rainwater into water bodies (not receiving sewage/waste). Through preparation of 'Aquifer Management Plan', cities aim to create strategies for groundwater recharge enhancement by developing roadmaps for improving rainwater harvesting within urban limits. Through IEC campaign, awareness is created about water conservation methods like rainwater harvesting.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has formulated guidelines for the States to adopt measures suited to local conditions, such as the Unified Building Bye-Laws (UBBL), 2016 of Delhi, Model Building Bye-Laws (MBBL), 2016 and Urban and Regional Development Plan Formulation and Implementation (URDPFI) Guidelines, 2014, which give adequate attention to the need for rainwater harvesting and water conservation measures. The Government of India is implementing the Atal Bhujal Yojana in 8,213 water stressed Gram Panchayats (GPs) in 80 districts of 7 States, namely, Haryana, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
The scheme marks a paradigm shift from groundwater development to groundwater management. Government of India is implementing “Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY)” with the objective of increasing the physical access of water to farms and expanding cultivable area under assured irrigation, improving on-farm water use efficiency, introducing sustainable water conservation practices, etc. PMKSY has three components/schemes, namely Har Khet Ko Pani (HKKP), Repair, Renovation and Restoration of Water Bodies (RRR) Scheme and Surface Minor Irrigation (SMI) Scheme. Ministry of Jal Shakti has established Bureau of Water Use Efficiency (BWUE) under National Water Mission on 20.10.2022 to act as a facilitator to promote improvements in water use efficiency in various sectors like irrigation, drinking water supply, power generation, industry, etc. in the country.
