Make Jal Shakti Abhiyan a success

The Jal Shakti Abhiyan, launched by the Central government, is a key initiative aimed at ensuring water security for all people in the country. The first phase of the programme, which was launched in 2019 after the formation of the Jal Shakti ministry by integrating other existing ministries related to water, is over and the second phase is set to be launched on April 1. The aim of the programme is to provide water to every household (Har Ghar Jal) by 2024. The second phase will have the motto "catch the rain where it falls when it falls’’, and will be implemented across 734 districts covering over 6,00,000 villages. The overall strategy for implementation of the programme consists of management and conservation of rainwater and preservation and rejuvenation of water bodies, including the recharging of aquifers in the country. The first phase of the programme did not yield the expected results. The shortcomings and failures of the programme should be studied and the lessons should guide the implementation of the second phase.

The importance of the programme cannot be overemphasised because nearly 600 million Indians are considered to be facing “high to extreme water stress” and the country’s water demand is likely to double by 2030. India supports about 18% of the world’s population and 15% of the livestock but has only about 4% the global fresh water resources. The shortage and stress will be aggravated by climate change which will result in unexpected events including weather variations which will have an impact on the availability of water. Events like excessive rainfall or failure of the rains, the rise in sea levels and the melting of glaciers will have serious consequences. The Jal Shakti Abhiyan at present only has the limited aim of making the minimum requirement of water available to all households in the next three years, but the long-term scenario should not be lost sight of.

The figures for water conservation and water bodies renovation projects, rain water harvesting, reuse and recharge initiatives and watershed development during the first phase show that performance could have been better. One encouraging achievement, as was brought out by a recent report, was the exemplary use of MGNREGA funds for water conservation and rainwater harvesting by some villages. The programme needs to be made a people’s programme with greater involvement of agencies and organisations outside the government. There is increasing awareness about the worth of water among the people but it has not been turned into habits and practices in everyday life. Wastage of water is very high even as there is acute scarcity in many places. The programme needs to be made a success in national interest.