Lok Sabha Question No. 4138 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-19
Subject: Rainwater Harvesting Projects
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Shri Kuldeep Indora

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI

## DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4138

ANSWERED ON 19.12.2024

## RAINWATER HARVESTING PROJECTS

## 4138.    SHRI KULDEEP INDORA

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government has taken any initiatives for rainwater harvesting projects to be implemented in water deficient States like Rajasthan;

(b) if so, the details thereof;

(c)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  make  it  compulsory  for  all  its  establishments  to  set  up  rain harvesting system to collect roof water for groundwater recharge;

(d) if so, the details thereof; and

(e) the steps taken/being taken by the Government to persuade industries and private entities to take part in the initiative of rainwater harvesting?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI

## ( SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY )

(a) & (b) Water is a state subject and the efforts to manage and conserve rainwater including its harvesting comes under the domain of States/UTs. Central Government supplements the efforts of the States/UTs on water  conservation  and  recharge,  including  rainwater  harvesting,  through  technical  and  financial  support. Some of the major initiatives taken by the Government for rainwater harvesting across the country including Rajasthan are as follows:

i.  Government  of  India  has  been  implementing  a  scheme  namely  Mahatma  Gandhi  National  Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) which inter-alia includes water conservation and water harvesting structures.

ii. Financial assistance is given to various States under 15th Finance Commission tied grants which can be inter-alia utilized for rainwater harvesting.

iii. The Ministry of Jal Shakti has been implementing Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) since 2019 on an annual basis.  In  the  current  year,  Ministry  of  Jal  Shakti  is  implementing  Jal  Shakti  Abhiyan:  Catch  the  Rain (JSA:  CTR)  2024,  5 th in  the  series  of  JSAs,  in  all  the  districts  (rural  as  well  as  urban)  of  the country. JSA: CTR  is  a convergence  of various Central Government  schemes  and  funds  like

MGNREGS, Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), Per Drop More Crop, Repair,  Renovation  and  Restoration  Components  under  the  Pradhan  Mantri  Krishi  Sinchai  Yojana (PMKSY), Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), Finance Commission grants, State Government schemes, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds etc. One of the major interventions of the campaign is water conservation and rainwater harvesting which interalia includes construction and repair of rainwater harvesting structures including rooftop and recharge structures. The details of works completed in the above intervention under JSA: CTR in Rajasthan is as follows:

| Years of Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain (JSA: CTR)   | State     |   Water Conservation and Rain Water Harvesting works completed |
|----------------------------------------------------------|-----------|----------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2021                                                     | RAJASTHAN |                                                         128202 |
| 2022                                                     | RAJASTHAN |                                                          38283 |
| 2023                                                     | RAJASTHAN |                                                          63407 |
| 2024                                                     | RAJASTHAN |                                                          83733 |
| Total                                                    | Total     |                                                         313625 |

Source: JSA: CTR portal (jsactr.mowr.gov.in)

iv.  Atal  Mission  for  Rejuvenation  and  Urban  Transformation  (AMRUT)  2.0  has  provisions  for harvesting the rainwater through  storm  water  drains into water  body  (which  is  not receiving sewage/effluent).  Through  preparation  of  'Aquifer  Management  Plan'  cities  targets  to  strategize groundwater  recharge  augmentation  by  developing  a  roadmap  for  improving  rain  water  harvesting within city limits. Through IEC campaign, awareness is created about practices for water conservation like rainwater harvesting.

v.  Ministry  of  Housing  &  Urban  Affairs  has  formulated  guidelines  for  the  States  to  adopt  measures suitable to local conditions, such as Unified Building Bye Laws (UBBL) of Delhi, 2016, Model Building Bye Laws (MBBL), 2016 and Urban and Regional Development Plan Formulation and Implementation (URDPFI)  Guidelines,  2014  with  adequate  focus  on  requirement  of  rainwater  harvesting  and  water conservation measures.

vi.  Central  Ground  Water  Board  (CGWB)  has  prepared  a  Master  Plan  for  Artificial  Recharge  to Groundwater-  2020  in  consultation  with  States/UTs  which  is  a  macro  level  plan  indicating  various structures for the different terrain conditions of the country including estimated cost. The Master Plan has  provisions  for  construction  of  about  1.42  crore  Rain  water  harvesting  and  artificial  recharge structures in the country to harness 185 Billion Cubic Metre (BCM) of monsoon rainfall.

vii.  National Water Policy (2012) has been formulated by Department of Water Resources, RD & GR, which inter-alia advocates rainwater harvesting and conservation of water and also highlights the need for augmenting the availability of water through direct use of rainfall.

viii.  Department  of  Land  Resources  (DoLR)  implements  Watershed  Development  Component  of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (WDC-PMKSY) for the development of rainfed and degraded lands in the country. The activities undertaken, inter-alia, include rainwater harvesting, nursery raising, pasture development, livelihoods for asset-less persons etc.  The continuation of the scheme as WDCPMKSY 2.0 has been approved by Government on 15 th December, 2021.

(c)  to  (e) The  Government  has  taken  significant  steps  to  promote  rainwater  harvesting  across  all  its establishments  and  to  involve  industries  and  private  entities  in  this  critical  initiative.  As  per  the  Model Building  Bye-Laws  (MBBL)  formulated  by  the  Ministry  of  Housing  and  Urban  Affairs  (MoHUA),  it  is mandatory to install rainwater harvesting systems in Government buildings. Additionally, under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), the construction of rooftop rainwater harvesting  structures  in  Government  and  Panchayat  buildings  is  permissible.  To  advance  this  goal,  the  Jal Sanchay  Jan  Bhagidari  (JSJB)  initiative  has  been  launched  under  the  Jal  Shakti  Abhiyan:  Catch  the  Rain (JSA:  CTR)  campaign,  which  emphasizes  the  construction  of  rainwater  harvesting  structures  in  saturation mode.  Ministries/Departments/Public  Sector  Undertakings  (PSUs)  have  been  requested  to  utilize  existing schemes to saturate  the  construction  of  recharge  structures  in  their  office  and  residential  premises,  both  at headquarters and field levels.

The JSJB initiative  actively engages with industrial associations to support water recharge initiatives through their   Corporate  Social  Responsibility  (CSR)  funds  and  also  to saturate  their  office  and  residential premises with water recharge and storage structures. People with resources are encouraged to build recharge structures in their states and villages of origin. State and District authorities are requested to encourage and spread awareness about the importance of CSR and private initiative in water.

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