Jal Shakti Ministry

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 .

All should work for sustainable water management: Water resources secy

Achieving sustainable water management cannot be done by governments alone, a senior Jal Shakti ministry official said on Monday while emphasising the need for cooperation from industries, academia and civil society on the matter. A day ahead of the start of the eighth edition of India Water Week, Secretary of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Debashree Mukherjee said, "It is an effort to bring together multiple stakeholders, to look at, learn from each other and also try and find solutions to the issues facing us." The event, held once every two years, brings together various stakeholders from diverse fields to discuss sustainable water management. This year, the event will start on September 17 and continue till September 20. "This year, the theme is 'Partnerships and Cooperation for Inclusive Water Development and Management,' which underscores a fundamental truth that achieving sustainable water management cannot be done by governments alone. Water needs

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

Delhi water crisis: AAP MLAs write to Jal Shakti Min, urge intervention

The AAP MLAs have written a letter to Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Paatil urging his intervention to solve the water crisis faced by the national capital amid the prevailing intense heatwave. Calling the situation "very critical", AAP's chief whip in Delhi Assembly Dilip Pandey on Saturday said the Yamuna water issue was an inter-state issue that required coordination of the Jal Shakti Ministry. Pandey said that in the letter from the AAP MLAs, time has been sought to meet the minister for a discussion on the matter. The AAP leader also said that instead of indulging in politics, all parties should work for a solution to resolve the water crisis and provide respite to the people of Delhi. "The entire matter is related to intervene state coordination and without Centre's intervention no solution will come out," Pandey told a press conference. The ruling AAP has accused the BJP ruled Haryana of stopping Delhi's share of Yamuna Water. Delhi's Water Minister Atishi has claimed that wa

2024 Lok Sabha elections: Chasing water dreams in Rajasthan hamlets

Jal Jeevan Mission progress has been slow in Jodhpur; even in villages having pipe water connections, taps are running dry

NGT seeks response from Centre, Delhi govt on 2023 Yamuna floods

Delhi battled one of its worst flood-like situations in several pockets last year because of heavy rain, with more than 25,000 people being evacuated from the inundated areas

Drinking water access have reached 72% households in India: Union minister

Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Sunday said drinking water facilities have reached 72 per cent households in the country and the remaining will be completed by December 2024. When the Jal Jeevan Mission started in 2019, a little over 16 per cent of the households had access to drinking water facilities, Singh told a group of visiting journalists from Assam here. He emphasised that the implementation of the scheme is the responsibility of the state governments, and each state faces different geographical challenges and availability of water resources ranges from surplus to scarce. "We had prepared a guideline in consultation with the state governments and implementation of the scheme was done according to it", he said. Despite the challenges faced during two years of COVID, "I can say with pride that drinking water facilities has reached 72 per cent of the households", the Union minister said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pledged that each household will b

Jal Jeevan Mission achieves 72% rural tap water coverage, eyes 100% in 2024

Making substantial progress towards the government's ambitious Jal Jeevan Mission, approximately 72 per cent of rural households now have access to tap water connections, according to official data. In 2024, the Jal Shakti ministry faces the crucial target of achieving the 100 per cent coverage of tap water connection to every rural household -- a commitment made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019. A senior official expressed confidence that the government will reach the 100 per cent coverage goal by the end of the coming year. However, challenges persist in states like Jharkhand, Rajasthan, and West Bengal, where tap water connection coverage in rural households remains below 50 per cent, the data says. While nine states and Union Territories have already achieved 100 per cent coverage, the focus remains on extending this essential service to every corner of the nation. Simultaneously, the ministry's commitment to making villages Open Defecation Free Plus (ODF Plus) by next

Arsenic found in groundwater in 25 states, fluoride in 27 states: Govt

Arsenic has been detected in groundwater in parts of 230 districts in 25 states and fluoride in 469 districts in 27 states, Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti Bishweswar Tudu informed the Rajya Sabha on Monday. In a written reply, the minister said that the ground water contamination reported by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) is mostly geogenic in nature and does not show significant change over the years. The CGWB under the Ministry of Jal Shakti conducts regular monitoring and assessment of groundwater quality including ground water contamination of Arsenic and Fluoride. The board has carried out various studies in collaboration with other institutions, he said. These studies indicate the occurrence of arsenic and fluoride in ground water beyond permissible limits -- set by the Bureau of Indian Standards -- for human consumption in isolated pockets in various states and Union Territories, he said. Arsenic has been reported in parts of 230 districts in 25 states and ...

Shekhawat slams K'taka CM for spreading falsehood over water projects

Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Monday hit out at Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah accusing him of spreading falsehood and misinformation with regard to the various water projects including the Mekedatu balancing reservoir across the Cauvery river. Shekhawat reacted to Siddaramaiah's statement on Saturday alleging that the Narendra Modi-led government did not address Karnataka's water issues despite scanty rainfall. Alleging that projects like Mekedatu and the Mahadayi River are pending Centre's approval, Siddaramaiah charged, "Do you want to inflict more thirst on Kannadigas, dear Prime Minister?" Lashing out at Siddaramaiah, Shekhawat said in a statement on 'X': "We know it is tradition for Congress to spread false rumour & misinformation. But it isn't becoming of a CM to wreak havoc in people's lives by doing so." Regarding the Mekedatu project, the Minister said the discussion on the Detailed Project Report (DPR) was included as an agenda item during

Telangana was first to give potable water connection to all residents: KTR

He said that the NDA government in the centre had taken inspiration from Telangana's scheme to launch 'Har ghar jal'

Swachh Bharat Mission: 100% of UP villages declared open-defecation-free

95,767 villages in Uttar Pradesh have received their open defecation-free (ODF) status under Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen

75% villages have been declared ODF Plus, says Jal Shakti minister

About 4.4 lakh or 75 per cent of India's villages have achieved the open defecation free-plus status, Jal Shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said on Saturday. An 'ODF Plus' village is one which has sustained its Open Defecation Free (ODF) status along with implementing either solid or liquid waste management systems. Addressing media persons, Shekhawat said over 4.43 lakh villages so far have declared themselves ODF Plus, which is a significant step towards achieving the goals of the second phase of the Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin by 2024-25. He added that all villages in 14 states and Union Territories (UT) have achieved ODF Plus Status, of which four have been declared 'ODF Plus Model'. The top performing states and UTs which have 100 per cent ODF Plus villages are Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Dadra Nagar Haveli, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Ladakh, Puducherry, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Tripura. Of these, Andaman and ...

Court rejects Ashok Gehlot's acquittal plea in defamation case by Shekhawat

Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat had filed a criminal defamation lawsuit against the chief minister for allegedly claiming Shakawat was involved in the Sanjeevani scam

Water level in 75% reservoirs in India below 40% their capacity: Report

As of June 30, the water level in reservoirs of 10 states was lower than the 30-year average

Over 50,000 water bodies rejuvenated under Mission Amrit Sarovar: Ministry

More than 50,000 water bodies have been rejuvenated under the Mission Amrit Sarovar, Rural Development Ministry said on Wednesday. The mission, launched as a part of the celebration of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 24 last year, aimed at rejuvenating at least 75 water bodies in every district of the country with the target to build 50,000 'Amrit Sarovar' by August 15, 2023. The ministry said the target has been achieved ahead of schedule, adding, "So far, 50,071 'Amrit Sarovar' have been completed". To achieve the resolution of rainwater conservation and harvesting through Mission Amrit Sarovar, the Rural Development Ministry worked as the nodal ministry. From renovating the water bodies which had reached the verge of extinction to the construction of new water bodies, a detailed action plan was prepared, it said. "The target of 50,000 'Amrit Sarovar' could be achieved ahead of time because of the efforts made through 'whole of government' approac

Half of India's villages attain ODF plus status: Ministry of Jal Shakti

According to the release, to date, over 296,000 villages have declared themselves ODF Plus

Delhi Jal Board plans to hire experts to train staff in customer services

The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) said on Monday that it plans to hire experts to train its staff on providing better customer services. The utility will also conduct a special drive to disconnect connections of commercial and government consumers who have defaulted on their bills. During a meeting with senior officials, DJB Vice Chairman Somnath Bharti emphasised the need for DJB officers and employees to provide better customer satisfaction. He suggested that they undergo training on the lines of multinational firms to improve the way they interact with consumers. "The DJB will avail the services of experts for training the employees. In the training, the DJB employees will be taught ways to behave better with customers," a statement said. Bharti also directed officers to take strict action against commercial and government users who have defaulted on bills. The defaulting consumers with commercial connections owe Rs 18,000 crore to the DJB. Bharti also said that centralised monitoring

62 water supply schemes affected due to mining, crisis looms over Bilapsur

Sixty-two out of the total 278 drinking water supply schemes in Bilaspur district have been affected due to legal and illegal mining activities in the area, with officials saying reports of water shortage have started pouring in from different localities. The water level in small wells -- where the water is stored and lifted using motors to supply to households -- has gone by about one-and-a-half metre due to the mining activities in the district and the residents apprehend they would face shortages during the the coming summer months. The Jal Shakti Department here has prepared a detailed Project Report (DPR) on restoring the water level by erecting checkdams and sent it to the higher authorities. The proposal has been approved by the district level committee headed by deputy commissioner of Bilaspur, and sent to the state level committee for approval. Officials said as soon the state government's approval is received, the proposal will be sent to the Jal Jeevan Mission for ...

CBI seizes Rs 20 cr in cash from premises of former CMD of WAPCOS Limited

Gupta was booked recently for amassing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income