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President gives water awards, launches drive for conservation
Kovind presented the National Water Awards to states, districts and local bodies, among others, and commended the winners for their efforts towards water management.
The people of India should join the government’s campaign to conserve water and make it the biggest in history, just as they did with the Covid-19 vaccination drive, President Ram Nath Kovind urged on Tuesday.
Kovind presented the National Water Awards to states, districts and local bodies, among others, and commended the winners for their efforts towards water management.
The President also launched the Jal Shakti ministry’s Catch the Rain 2022 campaign that aims at conserving water during the monsoon season.
“Unfortunately, with the advent of modernity and industrial economy, we have lost that connect with nature. Population growth is also one of the factors. We find ourselves cut off from nature that has sustained us,” he said in an official statement.
On the one hand, cities have to draw water from faraway places, while streets get flooded during the monsoons, Kovind said, pointing out that India is home to about 18% of the world’s population, but had only 4% of its freshwater resources.
“We make the difficult journey to Yamunotri (the source of the Yamuna river) to express our gratitude and offer prayers to the Yamuna,” he said. “But when we return to the capital Delhi, we find that the same river has become extremely polluted, and is no longer useful in our city life.”
The Catch the Rain campaign, launched in 2020 by the Jal Shakti ministry, focuses on people’s participation to conserve rainwater to prevent run offs.
District magistrates and village council chiefs would have to play a crucial role in motivating people to participate in water conservation, Kovind said.
“We must take a pledge that as the biggest vaccination programme is being run in the country, in the same way we make this abhiyan (campaign) too the biggest movement of water conservation,” the President said.
The Catch the Rain campaign will continue to be implemented this year till November 30. Last year, the campaign was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Tuesday’s ceremony, hosted by the Jal Shakti ministry, also saw 57 National Water Awards being given in various categories: Best State, Best District, Best Village Panchayat, Best Urban Local Body, Best Media (Print & Electronic), Best School, Best Institution/RWA/Religious organization for Campus usage, Best Industry, Best NGO, Best Water User Association, and Best Industry for CSR (corporate social responsibility), among others.
Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu got the top three prizes in the best state category.
