Context: Recently, the National Water Mission (NWM), Ministry of Jal Shakti in collaboration with Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS), Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports have launched the ‘Catch the Rain’ Awareness Generation Campaign.
Key Points

• Tag line: Catch the rain, where it falls, when it falls.

Aims

• To nudge all stake-holders to create Rain Water Harvesting Structures (RWHS) suitable for the climatic conditions and subsoil strata to store rainwater.
• To engage people at the grassroots through effective campaigning and Information, Education and Communication (IEC) activities for implementation of the campaign.

Activities

• Drives to make water harvesting pits, rooftop RWHS and check dams.
• Removal of encroachments and desilting of tanks to increase their storage capacity.
• Removal of obstructions in the channels which bring water from the catchment areas.
• Repairs to traditional WHS like step-wells and using defunct bore-wells and old wells to put the water back to aquifers.
• As a preparatory phase of Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) II, NYKS will undertake an awareness campaign through various IEC activities, to cover 623 districts from December 2020 to March 2021.
• IEC activities will include conducting education and motivational programs, mass awareness campaigns, environment building including wall writing, etc.
• States have been requested to open Rain Centers in each district, which will act as a technical guidance centre to all in the district.

Significance

• Emphasized focus on water conservation and rainwater harvesting will make youngsters understand the importance of water.
• Highest priority to the issue of water conservation will lead to the adoption of an integrated approach towards water management.
• The idea of “No or only limited will water to flow out of the compound” will help in improving soil moisture and rising groundwater table.
• In urban areas it will reduce water gushing onto roads, damaging them and will prevent urban flooding.

Steps Taken for Water Conservation
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act

• Aims to improve groundwater harvesting, build water conservation and storage mechanisms and has enabled the government to introduce water conservation as a project under the Act.

Jal Kranti Abhiyan

• Active efforts to revolutionise villages and cities through block-level water conservation schemes.
• For example, the Jal Gram Scheme under it aimed at developing two model villages in water-starved areas for water conservation and preservation.

National Water Mission

• Aims to conserve water, minimise wastage and ensure more equitable distribution both across and within states through integrated water resources development and management.

NITI Aayog's Composite Water Management Index

• Aims to achieve effective utilization of water.

Jal Shakti Ministry and Jal Jeevan Mission

• Jal Shakti Ministry was formed to tackle water issues holistically.
• Jal Jeevan mission aims to provide piped water to all rural households by 2024.

Atal Bhujal Yojana

• Central sector scheme for sustainable management of groundwater with community participation through the formation of Water User Associations, water budgeting, preparation and implementation of Gram-panchayat-wise water security plans, etc.

Jal Shakti Abhiyan

• Launched in July 2019 as a campaign for water conservation and water security in the country.

National Water Awards

• Organised by the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti.
• Focus on the good work and efforts made by individuals and organisations across the country, and the government’s vision for the path to Jal Samridh Bharat.