Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged people to conserve rainwater, saying every drop of water saved today serves as the greatest asset for future generations and lauded public participation in the Jal Shakti Ministry's 'Catch the Rain' campaign.
Addressing the 136th episode of the 'Mann Ki Baat' programme, Modi said he is delighted to see overwhelming participation by people from villages, cities, panchayats and social organisations in the campaign, which has been underway since July 4.
Modi recalled that in the previous episode of 'Mann Ki Baat', he had spoken about the 'Catch the Rain' campaign and appealed to the people to turn it into a mass movement.
"The message of 'Catch The Rain' is very simple: conserve the water right where and when the rain falls... Under this initiative, fresh momentum is being given to rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge, the rejuvenation of old water bodies, and tree plantation. I am delighted to see overwhelming participation from people everywhere --be it villages or cities, panchayats or social organisations," Modi said.
Highlighting the steps being undertaken across the country, the prime minister said in some places, silt is being removed from old ponds, while in others, wells and stepwells are being revived.
Borewells no longer in use now serve as channels for groundwater recharge.
He also spoke about steps taken in parts of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha.
"Around 1,500 ponds have been constructed in the Sidhi district of Madhya Pradesh. 'Amrit Sarovars' have been restored in Narsinghpur, while significant water storage capacity has been developed in Nashik, Maharashtra," he said.
"In Nandyal, Andhra Pradesh, all gram panchayats have joined this campaign, and old ponds have been made functional again. Our cities are not lagging either; encouraging results from this campaign are visible in Korba (Chhattisgarh), Bhubaneswar (Odisha), and Vizianagaram (Andhra Pradesh)," the prime minister said.
Urging people to take responsibility for a pond, well or stepwell in their vicinity and save every drop of water, he said, "Every drop saved today serves as the greatest asset for future generations."
(With inputs from PTI)