Lok Sabha Question No. 2926 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-08-08
Subject: Catch the Rain Campaign
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Shri Kalyan Banerjee

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2926

ANSWERED ON 08.08.2024

## CATCH THE RAIN CAMPAIGN

## 2926. SHRI KALYAN BANERJEE

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a) the current status of Catch The Rain campaign along with the details of areas covered with water conservation through Rainwater harvesting since 2019, State-wise; and

(b) the details and achievements made by using remote sensing images from NRSA and GIS mapping technology and the benefits of using the data to plan scientifically new water harvesting system?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI ( SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY )

(a) Ministry  of  Jal  Shakti  (MoJS)  launched  Jal  Shakti  Abhiyan  (JSA),  a  time-bound, mission mode water conservation campaign for implementation in the July - November 2019 period in 1,592 blocks out of 2,836 blocks of 256 water-stressed districts of the country. Jal Shakti Abhiyan could not be taken up  in  2020  due  to  restrictions  imposed  by  the  Covid  19  pandemic.  However,  in  order  to  maintain continuity  of  JSA  2019,  National  Water  Mission  (NWM)  under  the  Department  of  Water  Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti started the 'Catch The Rain' (CTR) Campaign in February 2020. Ministry of Jal Shakti in 2021 took up the 'Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain'  (JSA:  CTR)   subsuming  Catch  the  Rain  campaign  which  covered  rural  and  urban  areas  of  all districts  (all  blocks  and  municipalities)  of  the  country.  JSA:  CTR  campaign  has  five  focused interventions which inter-alia includes rainwater harvesting & water conservation. JSA: CTR 2021 has become an annual feature since 2021 and the 5 th edition of JSA: CTR was launched on 09.03.2024 for implementation during the period 09.03.2024 to 30.11.2024 in rural and urban areas of all districts (all blocks and municipalities) in all the States/UTs of the country.

(b) Under  the  Jal  Shakti  Abhiyan:Catch  the  Rain  campaign  implemented  by  the  National  Water Mission,  Ministry  of  Jal  Shakti,  one  of  the  five  focused  interventions  is  enumerating,  geo-tagging  & making inventory  of  all  water  bodies  and  preparation  of  scientific  plans  for  water  conservation.  The District Magistrates/Collectors have been requested to enumerate with the help of old revenue records and using remote sensing images from NRSA (National Remote Sensing Agency) and GIS (Geographic Information System) mapping technology all existing water-bodies/ water harvesting structures,  mark their  boundaries,  geo-tag  them,  integrate  available  data  from  National  Water  Informatics  Centre

(NWIC), State Water Resources Information systems and using the data for preparing Scientific Water Conservation plans. As per information available on JSA: CTR portal (jsactr.mowr.gov.in), so far, 568 districts have prepared the scientific district water conservation plans in the country.

The Ministry of Jal Shakti has prepared a District Water Body Atlas for 135 districts in the country. The objective is to provide a preliminary understanding of the water spread area, chlorophyll content and turbidity index of water bodies larger than one hectare. Interpreted images from NRSC (National Remote Sensing Centre) served as a foundational data source for creating the District Water Body Atlas using GIS technology. This atlas can guide the scientific planning of new water harvesting systems and further water conservation efforts in the areas where these water bodies are located.

Leveraging  remote  sensing  images  from  NRSA  and  GIS  mapping  technology  significantly enhances the efficiency and effectiveness of water conservation efforts across India. Geo-tagging and continuous monitoring enables the evaluation of water harvesting structures' performance, allowing for the  timely  identification  and  resolution  of  any  issues  or  inefficiencies.  This  approach  promotes  the sustainable  management  of  water  resources,  reducing  the  risk  of  over-extraction  and  depletion,  and ensuring their availability for future generations.

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