RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh has emerged as the best-performing state in the third phase of the Ministry of Jal Shakti’s Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari (JSJB) and Catch the Rain campaigns, with nearly 78,000 water conservation structures completed, according to an official statement.
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai presented the state’s water conservation initiatives at a departmental summit of the Ministry of Jal Shakti in New Delhi, attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The JSJB is a community-driven initiative aimed at conserving water and replenishing groundwater through the creation of low-cost water conservation structures under the Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain programme.
During a session on Catch the Rain, Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao outlined the state’s measures for rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge and protection of drinking water sources.
Sai suggested four measures to strengthen water conservation efforts nationwide. These include developing state-specific Catch the Rain plans, instituting State Water Awards to recognise high-performing states, mapping water conservation structures through BISAG-N (Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics), and conducting quarterly reviews chaired by chief secretaries.
Highlighting Chhattisgarh’s community-based approach, Sai said the state had created more than four lakh water conservation structures during the first phase of JSJB and over 24 lakh in its second phase.
Under JSJB 1.0, the state created 4,05,561 structures. During JSJB 2.0, work was taken up on 24,07,456 structures, of which 23,07,768 had been completed.
In the third phase, 79,775 structures have been recorded so far, with 77,719 completed, making Chhattisgarh the leading state nationally, the statement said.
The state’s ‘5 Per Cent Model’, pioneered in Koriya district, was also highlighted. Under the initiative, farmers voluntarily set aside five per cent of their farmland for groundwater recharge.
Five districts — Surajpur, Mahasamund, Balod, Baloda Bazar-Bhatapara and Kabirdham — have figured among the country’s top 10 districts for water conservation, according to the statement.
Preliminary estimates suggest that groundwater-stressed blocks categorised as critical and semi-critical in Chhattisgarh have declined from 26 to 19. The number of critical blocks is also projected to fall to zero.
The Centre has set a target of creating two crore new water conservation structures by May 31, 2027.