India cannot develop rapidly without water security, effective water management, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi while launching an ambitious rainwater harvesting campaign Catch the Rain on Monday.

“Today, when we are trying for rapid development, it is not possible without water security, without effective water management. The vision of India’s development, the vision of India’s self-reliance, is dependent on our water sources, is dependent on our water connectivity,” Modi said while virtually launching the campaign on World Water Day.

The challenge of water crisis is increasing equally with India’s development and it is the responsibility of the present generation to fulfil its responsibility towards the generations to come, he said.

He said his government has made water governance a priority in its policies and decisions. In the last six years, many steps have been taken in this direction, citing the examples of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojna, Namami Gange Mission, Jal Jeevan Mission and Atal Bhujal Yojana. The Prime Minister also interacted with sarpanches (village heads) and ward panches (elected members in a village administration) in Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat.

River linking

Modi also presided over the signing of a memorandum of agreement between Jalshakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh to implement the Ken-Betwa Link Project, the first project of the National Perspective Plan for interlinking of rivers.

The Prime Minister said the agreement is important to realise the dream of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Modi pointed out that the better India manages rainwater, the lesser the country’s dependence on groundwater. Therefore, success of campaigns like ‘Catch the Rain’ is very important. He called upon everyone to step up water conservation efforts in the days leading up to the monsoon. Emphasising the importance of sarpanches and district collectors, the Prime Minister said that the Jal Shapath (water pledge) which is being organised all over the country should become everybody’s pledge and second nature.

Safe drinking water

The Prime Minister also said management of river water has also been discussed for decades. To save the country from a water crisis, it is now necessary to work rapidly in this direction. He said the Ken-Betwa Link Project is also part of this vision. He lauded both the Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh governments for making this project a reality.

The Prime Minister said just a year and a half afo, only about 3.5 crore out of 19 crore rural families, got piped drinking water. But after the launch of Jal Jeevan Mission, about 4 crore new families have piped drinking water connections.

According to Modi, it was for the first time after independence, a government is working so seriously with regard to water testing. Despite Covid-19 pandemic, about 4.5 lakh women have been trained to do water testing and every village would have at least five trained women for water testing, he added.

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