Lok Sabha Question No. 476 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-11-28
Subject: Rainwater Harvesting
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Smt. Rachna Banerjee

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 476

ANSWERED ON 28.11.2024

## RAINWATER HARVESTING

## 476. SMT. RACHNA BANERJEE

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a)  the  details  of  the  schemes  introduced  by  the  Government  to  increase  the  practice  of  rainwater harvesting in the country;

(b) the steps taken/being taken to check the impact on water crisis; and

(c) the steps taken/being taken by the Government to manage the increasing water crisis problem in the country?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI

## ( SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY )

(a) Water is a State subject and the efforts to increase the practice of rain water harvesting in the country falls  under  the  mandate  of  the  State  Government.  Central  Government  supplements  the  efforts  of  the States/UTs through technical and financial support. Water conservation through rainwater harvesting is one  of  the  foremost  priorities  of  the  Central  government.   Major  steps  taken  by  the  Government  for rainwater harvesting to reduce water stress in the country 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  15 th 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 MGNRES, 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 undertaken

under  the  campaign  includes  construction  and  repair  of  rainwater  harvesting  structures including rooftop and water harvesting structures. To further strengthen the momentum of Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain Campaign, 'Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari' (JSJB) initiative was launched in Surat on 6 th September 2024. This campaign pledges for united action from all stakeholders,  including  government  bodies,  industries,  local  authorities,  philanthropists, resident  welfare  associations  (RWAs) and individuals for  construction of artificial  recharge structures/borewell recharge, among other activities, to increase the  storage capacity & help augment groundwater recharge.

- 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  target  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 rain 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  Structure  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 (WCD-PMKSY) for the development of rainfed and degraded  lands  in  the  country.  The  activities  undertaken,  inter-alia,  include  rainwater harvesting.
- ix. The activity of installing rainwater harvesting structures at the Gram Panchayat level has been included in the Panchayat Development Plan (PDP) for Panchayats to opt for the same as per their needs for execution from  Finance Commission (FC) funds or any other available funds with them.

(b) To monitor and evaluating the present progress of the Jal Shakti Abhiyan JSA:CTR on water crisis, JSA:CTR portal (jsactr.mowr.gov.in) has been developed through which the assessment of the campaign and  its  effectiveness  is  monitored.  As  far  as  JSJB  initiative  is  concerned  a  separate  dashboard  under JSA:CTR portal has been developed for uploading data related to artificial recharge structures. Besides, Central teams  consisting of Central Nodal Officers(CNO) and Technical Officers (TOs) are sent for field visit to the focus districts during the campaign for interaction  with district/ state authorities on Jal Shakti Abhiyan, to monitor the efforts of the district/ state authorities towards water conservation and to provide support  &  assistance  to  the  district/  state  authorities.  In  addition,  State  Governments  and  stakeholders concerned are sensitized on regular basis to take steps to check the impact of water crisis.

(c) The government is making several efforts to manage the increase water crisis problem in the country such as focusing practice of rainwater harvesting, creating water storage capacity and recycling and reuse of  water.  National  Water  Policy  (2012),  inter-alia  advocates  rainwater  harvesting,  conservation  and efficient  utilization  of  water  resources,  conservation  of  rivers,  river  bodies  in  a  scientifically  planned manner  through community  participation. Ministry of Jal Shakti and its partner Ministries are implementing several programmes/ schemes aimed at resolving the issues relating to water scarcity. Some of these programmes/ schemes include Mahatama Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Jal Shakti  Abhiyan; Catch the Rain (JSA:CTR), Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY),  Atal  Bhujal  Yojana  (ABY),  Command  Area  Development  and  Participatory  Irrigation Management, Surface Minor Irrigation Schemes and Repair Renovation & Restoration of Water Bodies etc. Central Government in coordination with stakeholders concerned take appropriate steps from time to time in addressing the issues of water scarcity.

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