Asok Kumar, Additional Secretary and Mission Director, National Water Mission, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India called on Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar at Raj Bhavan, today.
On the occasion, the Governor said that water conservation was an important issue today, which required serious attention and we should work in this direction. He added that there was a need for comprehensive management plan regarding rain water harvesting, conservation and rejuvenating the traditional water resources, forestry activities and awareness etc.
“Nature has blessed Himachal Pradesh immensely and the environment is very favourable. But, due to continuous change in the environment the situation is getting serious and many natural calamities force us to think in this direction”, said Arlekar.
He said that we need to save every drop of rain and stop the fast flow of water. It would be helpful in providing water in the areas where there is shortage of water and also helpful in protecting the fertile land due to flash flood in lower areas, he added. He said that the State Government has made concerted efforts in this direction but it required massive campaign through Panchayats in rural areas in particular.
Asok Kumar apprised the Governor that as a part of National Water Mission, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the massive campaign in the name of “Catch the Rain” on the occasion of the World Water Day on March 22nd this year. He said that the basic mantra of the campaign was “Catch the Rain, where it falls, when it falls”. He said that the campaign has been given a momentum in the state and a lot of work has been done, which could be augmented further. He urged to bring awareness on this subject in the state universities so that it could be given a wider appearance.
