We are overdrawing water, depleting aquifers: Jal Shakti Minister

On the demand side, 6 per cent of our total consumption is for domestic use, 5 per cent for industry and 89 per cent is for agriculture, said Gajendra Singh Shekhawat

Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has the task of bringing clean tap water to all households by 2024. With Rs 3.5 trillion coming its way for the Jal Jivan Mission, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech, the Jal Shakti ministry will reach out 140 million rural households over the next five years. He tells Ruchika Chitravanshi that the challenge is to make water productive and manage it well on both the supply and demand sides. Edited excerpts:

How do you plan to make this as big an initiative as Swachh Bharat?

This is the