Government has created a number of water management systems in the country like dams, check dams, bunds, rain water harvesting structures etc. to capture and store water. However, large quantity of water still flows into the sea.

State-wise details of rain water saved during the last three years is not maintained.

Water being a State subject, steps for augmentation, conservation and efficient management of water resources are primarily undertaken by the respective State Governments with the technical and financial assistance to them through various schemes and programmes of Central Government.

Master Plan for Artificial Recharge to Groundwater- 2020 has been prepared, which is a macro plan formulated to work out the feasibility of various structures for the different terrain conditions of the country and respective estimated cost. The Master Plan envisages construction of about 1.42 crore rain water harvesting and artificial recharge structures in the Country to harness 185 Billion Cubic Meter (BCM) of water, by harnessing surplus monsoon runoff to augment ground water resources.

To keep continuity to Jal Shakti Abhiyan organized in 2019 and taken up in 1592 blocks out of the 2836 blocks of the 256 water-stressed districts of the country, National Water Mission, Ministry of Jal Shakti launched a campaign “Catch the Rain” with the tag line “Catch the rain, where it falls, when it falls” in 2020 to nudge the states and all stakeholders to create Rain Water Harvesting Structures (RWHS) suitable to the climatic conditions and sub-soil strata, with people’s active participation, before the onset of monsoon to ensure storage of rainwater. The campaign has evoked a very good response and is supported by a number of organizations across the country.

As a preparatory step for the "Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain" campaign in 2021, a massive awareness drive was launched on 21st December 2020 in collaboration with the "Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan" involving Youth Clubs in 623 districts across the country. Over 92 lakh people have participated in the campaign.

Various steps for conservation of rain water with active people’s participation involving village panchayats, urban local bodies, RWAs, NGOs and other stakeholders are covered under National Water Policy, Model Building By-Laws-2016, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme etc. Trainings, workshops, painting competitions, awards, seminars, water talks, webinars etc. are also held for awareness generation and for effective implementation of schemes and programmes on water conservation and rainwater harvesting.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Jal Shakti & Social Justice and Empowerment, Shri. Rattan Lal Kataria in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.

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BY/AS

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