In a bid to address the impending problem of water scarcity across parts of the nation, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to the citizens in his “Mann ki Baat”, emphasizing on water conservation and Jal Shakti ministry’s campaign-based programme and the urban local bodies under ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) asking them to undertake rejuvenation of a water body under their jurisdiction.
 

Acting upon the Jal Shakti ministry’s nation-wide program “Jal Shakti Abhiyan”, MoHUA, which is the nodal agency responsible for urban renewal, has directed all urban local bodies to frame a water conservation program. The thrust areas specified include rainwater harvesting, reuse of treated wastewater, rejuvenation of water bodies and plantation. Every urban local body has been asked to first constitute a rainwater harvesting cell which would envisage the extraction of groundwater, water harvesting potential of the city and monitor projects of rainwater harvesting.

The ministry has told the urban local bodies that “every city must initiate action to revive at least one water body during Jal Shakti Abhiyan”, in an official order issued by it.