New Delhi: To make the ‘Catch the Rain’ campaign a success, people’s active participation is important. This was highlighted by G Ashok Kumar, Additional Secretary & Mission Director, National Water Mission, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, Government of India. He highlighted this while delivering Keynote Address in the valedictory session of APAC virtual ‘Global Water Management Conclave’ in which the Ministry of Jal Shakti, National Water Mission, Government of India were the ‘Host Partners.’
G Asok Kumar said, ‘Catch The Rain campaign talks on the supply side. As the name suggests, it works on collecting and storing rainwater. It aims to bring forth the concept of rainwater harvesting according to the building structures, climatic condition and soil type. We want active participation of people. If we can collect and store rainwater in multiple places, then it can save us from the havoc of flooding or urban flooding, i.e. water logging issues in the urban areas. Along with this, the issue of water replenishment is also being addressed with this campaign. We are also looking into restoring rivulets or small water bodies which have encroachments.’
Talking about the genesis of NWM, he stated that the National Water Mission was formed as a part of National Action Plan for Climate Change in 2011. ‘We have worked in various water related issues, in the demand management side as well as the supply side. We are doing a lot of studies in the river basin areas, water usage efficiency in agriculture and industry, climate change and its impact on water. We are also recognising and awarding various individuals and organisations who are working in the water sector., he added.
‘A campaign called ‘Sahi Fasal’ or right crops to address the issue of cultivating water intensive crops in the water stressed areas with right irrigation techniques. This campaign was launched in November 2019 and we have taken it to Punjab, Maharashtra, Haryana and other states and have yielded positive results,’ highlighted MD, NWM.
