‘Save water’, appeals Modi in Mann Ki Baat address

In his first address in the second edition of the monthly show ‘Mann ki Baat’, the prime minister also said ‘one size fits all’ approach is not required in the conservation of water. He urged citizens to unite for conserving water and appealed to people to make a list of methods to conserve water and share the same on social media using the hashtag ‘JanShakti4JalShakti’. He also talked about revival of Naga river in Vellore.

“In different parts, different methods may be adopted but the aim is same — to conserve every drop of water. There cannot be a single formula to deal with water crisis across the country. For this, efforts are being made in different parts of the country, in diverse ways. But the goal remains the same, and that is to save water and adopt water conservation,” he said.

“In Punjab, drainage lines are being fixed to avoid the problem of waterlogging. In Telengana’s Thimayapalli construction of tanks is changing the lives of the villagers.

In Rajasthan people have created small ponds in the farms which have brought a lot of change to the people. In Vellore, a collective effort of 20 thousand women came together to revive Naga river. I also read about the women in Garwhal who are working together on rainwater harvesting,” he mentioned.

Modi appealed to all Indians, including eminent people from all walks of life to create awareness on water conservation. He also urged people to share knowledge about traditional methods of water conservation. “If you know about any individuals or NGOs working on water (conservation), do share the details,” he said.

He asked people to use #JanShakti4JalShakti to upload their content relating to water conservation on social media.

Several cities across India are facing water shortage as water levels in various dams and water bodies have gone down significantly. He said water scarcity affects many parts of the country every year. “You will be surprised that only 8 per cent of the water received from rains in the entire year is harvested in our country,” he lamented.

“Now the time has come to find a solution to this problem,” he said, adding that like the other problems on hand, India can also solve this predicament by the participation of the people.

“Therefore, keeping the importance of water in mind, a new Jalashakti ministry has been created... This will allow faster decision-making on all subjects related to water,” he pointed out.

A few days ago he had written a letter to the sarpanchs and gram pradhans across the country. “...in order to save water, to collect water, to save the very drops of the rainwater, they should convene a meeting of the Gram Sabha and sit and discuss the resolution to this problem with the villagers,” he said.