Conservation of Water Resources is Collective Responsibility: President Droupadi Murmu

New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday stressed the need for collective responsibility in water conservation and urged the citizens of the country to actively participate in building a water-secure India.

Addressing the gathering at the 5th National Water Awards ceremony in the national capital, President Murmu said, "We must remember that conservation of water resources is a collective responsibility, and building a water-secure India is not possible without our active participation."

"Almost all civilisations have developed around rivers. It can be said that this relationship between water and humans has given direction to human history. But it also seems that we deliberately forget the importance of water," she said.

President Murmu expressed concern over the contamination of freshwater resources.

"Despite it being known that freshwater resources are available in limited quantities on earth, we ignore water conservation and management. Due to man-made reasons, these resources are getting contaminated and are also getting exhausted," she said.

The per capita water availability in the country is reducing due to an increase in population. Based on the study titled "Reassessment of Water Availability in India using Space Inputs, 2019" conducted by the Central Water Commission, the average annual per capita water availability for years 2021 and 2031 has been assessed as 1486 cubic meters and 1367 cubic meters, respectively. Annual per-capita water availability of less than 1700 cubic meters is considered a water stressed condition, whereas annual per-capita water availability below 1000 cubic meters is considered a water scarcity condition.

The Centre has taken several initiatives to conserve water and provide people with safe drinking water. It is implementing the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) to make provision of tap water supply to every rural household of the country by 2024. The central government launched AMRUT 2.0 on October 1, 2021, covering all the statutory towns of the country to ensure universal coverage of water supply and make cities 'water secure'.

To ensure optimum utilisation of water, the Centre has been implementing Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojna (PMKSY) from 2015-16.

Under the PMKSY-Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP), 99 ongoing major/medium irrigation projects and 7 phases were prioritised during 2016-17, in consultation with states.

The Centre has approved the extension of PMKSY till 2025-26 with an overall outlay of Rs. 93,068.56 crore. The Command Area Development and Water Management (CADWM) Programme has been brought under PMKSY-Har Khet Ko Pani from 2015-16.

The Bureau of Water Use Efficiency (BWUE) has been set up for promotion, regulation, and control of efficient use of water in the irrigation, industrial, and domestic sectors. "Sahi Fasal" campaign was launched to nudge farmers in the water stressed areas to grow crops that are not water-intensive.

The Mission Amrit Sarovar was launched on National Panchayati Raj Day in 2022 with an objective to conserve water for the future. The mission is aimed at developing and rejuvenating 75 water bodies in each district of the country. (ANI)

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