“India has made major strides in water security. Our Water vision towards 2047 will be a big contribution to Amrit Kaal. The nation is working together to build 75 Amrit Sarovars in every district. Till now 25,000 Amrit Sarovars have already been constructed," said PM Modi, while addressing the All India Annual State Ministers’ Conference on Water.
The prime minister pointed out that since water is a state subject, their efforts for water conservation will go a long way in achieving the collective goals of the country.
He emphasised on the need for public participation in water conservation, saying that the more efforts are taken in this direction, the more impact will be created.
On the importance of technology, he said, “Technologies like geo-mapping and geo-sensing are playing an important role in the work of water conservation. Various startups are also cooperating in this work."
Prime Minister Modi said that only the government’s efforts towards water conservation are not enough and people’s participation is of utmost importance.
“Only the government’s efforts are not sufficient towards water conservation. A new chapter of Jan Bhagidari (People’s Participation) needs to begin with multiple stakeholders from all sections of society. In the campaigns related to water conservation, we have to involve people, social organizations and civil society as much as possible," said PM Modi.
Crediting the people of India for their efforts, PM Modi said that the government took up many initiatives, be it collecting resources to remove filth, building various water treatment plants or constructing toilets, but the success of this campaign was ensured when the public decided that there should be no dirt at all.
He emphasised the need to inculcate this idea of public participation towards water conservation and highlighted the impact that awareness can create.
PM Modi also stressed the need to come up with government policies and bureaucratic procedures to tackle water-related issues at the policy levels.
Highlighting the success of ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’ as a major development parameter for a state to provide water to every household, the Prime Minister remarked that many states have done a good job while many states are moving forward in this direction.
He recommended that once this system is in place we should ensure its maintenance in the same way in the future. He proposed that Gram Panchayats should lead the Jal Jeevan Mission, and after the work is completed, they should also certify that sufficient and clean water has been made available. “Every Gram Panchayat can also submit a monthly or quarterly report online stating the number of houses that are getting tap water in the village."
PM Modi also added that a system of periodic water testing should also be developed to ensure the quality of water.
The Union Jal Shakti Ministry is organising a national conference on the theme of ‘Water Vision@2047’ in Bhopal during 5-6 January, which brings together key policymakers to discuss “ways to harness water resources for sustainable development."
