Modi wants urgent action on water conservation

Surat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today called for urgent action on water conservation and emphasized the need to adopt the mantra of ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recharge, and Recycle’ to secure the nation’s future regarding water-related issues. He stated that water can only be saved when its misuse ends, consumption is reduced, water is reused, water sources are recharged and contaminated water is recycled.

Modi was speaking at the launch of the ‘Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari’ initiative via video conferencing. Under this programme, approximately 24,800 rainwater harvesting structures are being constructed across the state with community partnerships to enhance rainwater harvesting and ensure long-term water sustainability.

The ‘Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari’ initiative seeks to conserve water with a strong emphasis on community partnership and ownership. It is driven by a whole-of-society and a whole-of-government approach. The Ministry of Jal Shakti, in collaboration with the State Government, launched the ‘Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari’ initiative in Gujarat, where the state government has endeavoured to mobilize citizens, local bodies, industries and other stakeholders to ensure a water-secure future.

“Water conservation is not just a matter of policies but also social commitment”, the Prime Minister said, highlighting the importance of a conscious citizen, public participation and people’s movement. He claimed while water-related projects worth thousands of crores had been initiated in the past, their results could be seen only during his tenure as prime minister.

Highlighting the necessity of environment and water conservation, Modi pointed out that India is home to only 4 per cent of the freshwater in the world. He explained, “Even though the country has several magnificent rivers, large geographical regions remain bereft of water and the water table is also receding at a fast pace.” He underlined that water scarcity combined with climate change has had a huge impact on the lives of people. 

The Prime Minister highlighted the importance of embracing innovative approaches and modern technologies in the mission to secure water. He stressed making water-efficient farming crucial for sustainability. He stated that the government is continuously promoting techniques like drip irrigation in the direction of sustainable agriculture. He also spoke about campaigns like ‘Per drop more crop’ and said that it is helping conserve water while also increasing farmers’ incomes in water-scarce regions.

Despite the challenging conditions, the Prime Minister emphasized that only India has the potential to find solutions for itself and the world. He credited the understanding of India’s ancient scriptures and said that water and environment conservation is not considered bookish knowledge or something that arose out of a situation.  “Water and environment conservation is part of India’s traditional consciousness”, PM Modi exclaimed. He said that the people of India belong to a culture that considers water as a form of God, rivers as Goddesses and Sarovars as the abode of the Gods.

“Ganga, Narmada, Godavari and Kaveri are revered as mothers”, he said. Quoting ancient scriptures, the Prime Minister explained that saving and donating water is the highest form of service as all life forms began from water, and are dependent on it. He underlined that India’s ancestors knew the importance of water and environmental conservation.

– global bihari bureau