Jal Shakti

India holds meetings with Tanzania, Zimbabwe to bolster collaboration

India held high-level meetings with Tanzania and Zimbabwe to enhance collaboration in water resource management and development, Jal Shakti Minister C R Paatil said. During his interaction with the delegation from Zimbabwe, led by Deputy Minister V P Haritatos, at the ongoing National Water Week-2024 here, Paatil said discussions were held on strengthening water management and driving agricultural reforms in the southern African country. "Haritatos emphasised the importance of enhancing Indian investments in Zimbabwe's water sector, highlighting the pivotal role Indian companies like WAPCOS can play," Paatil said in a post. "We assured the delegation of India's commitment to providing comprehensive technical assistance and fostering cooperation to address Zimbabwe's water-related challenges," he said. Ensuring food security and supporting sustainable growth through innovative solutions in irrigation system design, improved water supply and enhancing irrigation efficiency were key .

Jal Shakti minister calls for widespread reuse of treated wastewater

Jal Shakti Minister CR Paatil called for the widespread adoption of reuse of treated waste water during a meeting of the Empowered Task Force (ETF) on Ganga rejuvenation on Wednesday. The meeting, which was chaired by Paatil, saw the participation of senior officials from the Ministry of Jal Shakti and key ministries, along with state representatives from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, and West Bengal, according to an official statement. Director General of the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), Rajeev Kumar Mital, delivered a detailed presentation on the progress since the last ETF meeting, focusing on several critical areas such as the reuse of treated water, biodiversity conservation, and the remediation of polluted river stretches. The session also addressed the River Action Plan and natural farming initiatives to rejuvenate the river. Paatil underscored the need for close coordination among stakeholders to ensure timely completion of projects under the Nam

HP: Hamirpur's diarrhoea cases hit 286 with 34 new cases in 24 hours

Thirty-four new diarrhoea cases were reported from 10 villages of Himachal Pradesh's Hamirpur in a span of 24 hours, taking the total number of patients in the district to 286, an official said on Friday. Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr R K Agnihotri said the 34 cases were detected till Thursday night. Of the total 286 cases, 14 patients are in hospital while 193 have been discharged. The remaining patients are getting treated at home, he told PTI. Twelve villages of Gram Panchayats Lamblu, Chamned, Gasota, Bafrin and Pandher in Hamirpur district have been reporting diarrhoea cases since last Friday. The area has a population of around 4,550. A team of the health department visited the affected villages and advised people to take proper care, he added. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has sought details about the outbreak of the disease in the affected villages of the district. He also directed the health department to ensure that there was no shortage of medicines

Har Ghar Jal initiative: Can some states come in the way of 100% coverage?

The Jal Shakti ministry's data shows the target is within striking distance: 73.57 per cent of the households have already been covered by this flagship scheme of the Narendra Modi government

Jal Shakti dept suffers Rs 1,411 cr loss due to floods: Himchal Dy CM

Himachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri on Monday said the Jal Shakti Department has suffered losses to the tune of Rs 1,411 crore due to floods and landslides caused by heavy rains in the hill state. He said 5,203 drinking water schemes, 1,237 irrigation schemes and 55 sewerage schemes were affected while 101 flood control works were damaged. Agnihotri, who holds the portfolio of Jal Shakti Vibhag, said while 4,623 schemes have been restored so far, it will take time to fix all of them. "We have been able to restore them because of the passionate and steely spirits of our employees," he said. "I appreciate the work being done by the employees and officers of the department for the restoration of drinking water and sewerage schemes in difficult circumstances," he added. Agnihotri said the government's aim was to provide relief to the affected people at the earliest. So far, 118 people have died in rain-related incidents and road accidents in the state since the on

IPA inks MoU with Centre to work in area of water conservation, others

Indian Plumbing Association (IPA) will work with the government to sensitise public against water wastage, promote adoption of water saving gadgets and reclamation of used water under an agreement. In a statement on Monday, the industry body said it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with National Water Mission (NWM), Ministry of Jal Shakti to work on various parameters to minimize water wastage , and its re-usage in India. NWM is one of the eight missions of the government launched under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) for combating the threats of global warming, IPA said. Some of the objectives of the pact are "to impart and promote public education, awareness and outreach programmes and water stewardship. The focus will be on the circular economy of water including grey water use (5Rs: reduce,recycle,reuse,replenish and respect) in the built environment." Also to share knowledge-based information on water conservation and water use efficiency, ...

NITI Aayog member Singla inspects Jal Shakti Abhiyan, NWM works in Thane

NITI Aayog member Jagruti Singla reviewed Jal Shakti Abhiyan and National Water Mission works in Thane district and directed authorities to ensure geo-tagging of these projects for better monitoring, an official said on Thursday. Singla was accompanied by Thane Collector Ashok Shingare and Zilla Parishad CEO Manuj Jindal during the visit on Wednesday. "The NITI Aayog member was given a detailed presentation on 1191 works of water conservation and rainwater recharge, 179 works of renovation of traditional water bodies and tanks, 320 works of reuse and recharge of water structures etc that were carried out over the last one year," the official said. Work on 19 check dams and 152 of watershed development have been undertaken this year by the soil and water conservation and minor irrigation departments, he said. "Of the 75 works undertaken by the minor irrigation department of the Zilla Parishad under the Amrit Sarovar scheme, 46 have been completed. Of the 39 rainwater recharge works

Centre appoints nodal officers for 150 water stressed districts: Officials

The Centre has appointed nodal officers for 150 water stressed districts across the country to take stock of the work under the 'catch the rain' programme, officials said on Thursday. These officers would visit respective districts coordinating implementation of various rain water harvesting, conservation measures and source sustainability aspects, etc., they said citing an official order in this regard. Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain (JSA:CTR) - 2023 with the theme "source sustainability for drinking water" was launched by President Droupadi Murmu on March 4. In this regard, officers of the government of India are hereby appointed as Central Nodal Officers (CNOs) for the identified 150 water stressed districts to take stock of the progress of the works under JSA:CTR-2023 with the directions to visit their districts, said the order issued by the Personnel Ministry. The Central Nodal Officers will be working with a team of Technical officers (ground water scientists and engineer

As govt supply doubles, 11.5 cr families have tap water connections

As many as 11.49 crore households now have tap water connections and over 1.53 lakh villages have potable water supply as the government doubles down on its efforts to make drinking water available to all, according to latest official data. The data as of March 21 showed massive jumps in piped water supply to schools, anganwadi centres and aspirational districts after the government allocated Rs 70,000 crore for the purpose in the current financial year ending March 31, (2022-23). This was 12 times more than the Rs 5,500 crore allotted in 2018-19. The statistics came on a day that is marked as World Water Day with the UN World Water Development Report 2023 saying 26 per cent of the world's population do not have access to safe drinking water and 46 per cent lack access to basic sanitation. The government is implementing various schemes including Jal Jeevan Mission, Atal Bhujal Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana, Namami Gange and National Aquifer Mapping and Managing ...

Water security important concern: PM Modi at launch of Jal Jan Abhiyan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said water security is an important concern for India and conserving the resource is a collective responsibility. Modi said this in a virtual address at the launch of Jal Jan Abhiyan, a joint nationwide campaign of Brahma Kumaris and the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, in Rajasthan's Sirohi district. We will have to generate faith in the value of water conservation among the people of the country," he said and called for combating water pollution. The prime minister said depleting groundwater is a major challenge for the country.

78.1 mn rural households provided tap water in last 3 years under JJM: Govt

More than 7.81 crore rural households have been provided tap water connections under the Jal Jeevan Mission over last three years, Minister of State for Jal Shakti Prahlad Singh Patel informed the Lok Sabha on Thursday. In a written reply to a question, the minister said as on January 31, 2023, out of 19.36 crore rural households in the country, around 11.06 crore (57.12 per cent) are reported to have tap water supply. At the time of the announcement of JJM, 3.23 crore (17 per cent) rural households were reported to have tap water connections. Goa, Telangana, Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Gujarat and Haryana are among the states and Union Territories which have provided tap water to every rural household. The central government, in partnership with the states, is implementing the JJM since August 2019 to make tap water supply available to every rural household in the country. The estimated outlay of the mission is Rs 3.60 lakh cror

Climate change adversely affected rain patterns: Union Jal Shakti Minister

Climate change has adversely affected rain patterns, leaving scanty and erratic showers that negatively impact its harvesting, Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said on Thursday. Speaking at the 1st All India Annual States' Ministers Conference on 'Water Vision24/7' here, Shekhawat also said rapid urbanisation, increased demand and water pollution had reduced per capita availability of water from 5000 cm to 1500 cm, which would further reduce to 1200cm by 2047. "Climate change has changed rainfall patterns with scanty and erratic showers, which has and continues to negatively impact this harvestable component. By 2047, our requirement is likely to surpass availability of water and this is the reason why Prime Minister Narendra Modi insisted this conference should be held with all states to chalk out a roadmap to ensure preparedness and contingency planning," the minister said. "India's water availability of 4,000 BCM (billion cubic meters) through rain, glaciers or

How safe are India's dams?

The long-term safety of a dam depends on the extent of degradation of its materials, weakening of the foundations and seismological threats

Ministry of Jal Shakti sets up National Dam Safety Authority

The move came ahead of a Supreme Court hearing in connection with the case related to the safety of the Mullaperiyar dam

Over 90 million rural households receiving tap water: Jal Shakti Ministry

In Goa, Haryana, Telangana, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Puducherry, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, every rural household has tap water supply, said a statement issued by the ministry

BS Number Wise: Cities leak money in supplying tap water to households

Households pay only a fraction of supply cost, and the government signs the bill for subsidies

A new water policy for India

It marks a shift from the command-and-control approach to nature

Best of BS Opinion: Beyond the Jal Shakti Abhiyan, vaccine supply, and more

Here's a selection of Business Standard opinion pieces for the day

Beyond the Jal Shakti Abhiyan

NITI Aayog reckons that nearly 600 million Indians are already facing "high to extreme" water stress. The situation is set to worsen as the water demand is likely to double by 2030

Over 40 mn rural homes get tap water connections under 'Jal Jeevan Mission'

Goa has become the first state to provide 100% tap water supply followed by Telangana and Andaman and Nicobar Islands