On the occasion of World Water Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan. The campaign that will be implemented till November 30, this year is based on the theme ‘Catch the Rain, where it falls, when it falls. The essence of the campaign is to spread awareness and to implement the rainwater harvesting system in the country. The campaign was launched via video conferencing on Monday (March 22).
Union Ministry of Jal Shakti with Uttar Pradesh government and Madhya Pradesh government will sign a Memorandum of Agreement. The agreement will be for the first river-linking project of Ken-Betwa in the virtual launch.
This project includes the construction of Dhaudhan Dam and a Canal. The canal will link Ken and Betwa river with an aim to provide drinking water supply to about 62 lakh people. Panna, Damoh, Datia, Vidisha, Bundelkhand of Madhya Pradesh and Jhansi, Banda, Mahoba and Lalitpur of UP are the regions that will benefit from this project. In a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), it was announced that the campaign will be undertaken across the country, in both rural and urban areas and the main focus will be on conservation of rainwater.
Every year on 22 March, World Water Day is observed to underline the significance of fresh water in our lives and to raise awareness about the importance of water. According to the UN, almost one-third of the total world population don’t have access to safe water.
