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(GIST OF KURUKSHETRA) Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain

[JULY-2022]

Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain

Context:

India is home to 18 percent of the world’s population but we have just 4 percent of the fresh water resources of the world. This availability is also variable and dependant on the rains. Climate change, which is manifesting itself through changes in the water cycle, also threatens our water security.

Jal Shakti Abhiyan 2019

To address this problem, the Government of India, inspired by the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s impetus on water conservation, launched the Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) in 2019. This was a time-bound, mission mode water conservation campaign, implemented in the July – November 2019 period in 1,592 blocks of 256 water-stressed districts of the country. These blocks fell under the critical or over-exploited groundwater category, where groundwater was being extracted faster than it could be replenished.
JSA was a collaborative effort of various ministries of the Government of India and state governments, coordinated by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti. During the campaign, officers, groundwater experts and scientists from the Government of India worked together with the States and district officials in India’s most water-stressed districts for water conservation and water resource management by focusing on accelerated implementation of five targeted interventions. The JSA aimed at making water conservation a jan andolan through extensive communication and involvement of communities.
JSA focused on five aspects: water conservation and rainwater harvesting, renovation of traditional and other water bodies, reuse of water and recharging of structures, watershed development, and intensive afforestation. Besides, the special interventions included development of Block and District Water Conservation Plans, Krishi Vigyan Kendra Melas, Urban Waste Water Reuse, Scientists and IITs, and 3D Contour Mapping of all villages.
Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch The Rain campaign, taken up in all 734 districts (7213 rural blocks and all urban areas) of the country during the pre-monsoon and monsoon period, i.e. from March 2021 to 30 November 2021, was to “nudge the states and stakeholders to create and maintain appropriate Rain Water Conservation Structures, suitable to the soil strata and climatic conditions of the area, with people’s participation, before the onset of monsoons so that they are ready to catch the rain, where it falls, when it falls”.
This unique campaign - by converging funds for all water conservation related schemes (MGNREGS, AMRUT, CAMPA Funds, etc) of central and state governments, funds mobilised locally and from corporate sectors - aimed to create and maintain RWHS with total participation of people. The campaign implemented by National Water Mission (NWM), had the following five focused interventions.

Rainwater harvesting and water conservation
Enumerating, geo-tagging and making inventory of all water bodies; preparation of scientific plans for water conservation.
Setting up Jal Shakti Kendras in all districts
Intensive afforestation and
Awareness generation

Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain 2022:

Building on the success of the Jal Shakti Abhiyans of 2019 and 2021 in generating awareness amongst the citizens of the country, this year ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch The Rain-2022’ (JSA:CTR-2022) campaign was launched by Hon’ble President of India on 29.03.2022.
JSA:CTR-2022 is being taken up in all districts (rural as well as urban areas) of the country with the main theme Catch the Rain, where it falls, when it falls. The campaign is being implemented from 29 March 2022 to 30 November, 2022 - the pre-monsoon and monsoon period in the country. Under this campaign activities are also undertaken under the following new interventions in the campaign in addition to the activities considered under interventions of JSA: CTR-2021:

(a) Spring Shed Development and Management
(b) Wetland Development and Management
(c) Catchment area protection and development