Jan Bhagidari Boosts Groundwater Recharge in Vizianagaram under JSJ: CTR
UPSC / SSC current affairs note · IR
Why in news
The Ministry of Jal Shakti highlighted Vizianagaram district's success in groundwater recharge under the 'Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari: Rain Water Harvesting' campaign. Inspired by PM Modi's appeal in the 135th episode of 'Mann Ki Baat', the district's efforts showcase how community participation can enhance water security. This is significant as it demonstrates a scalable model for water conservation across India.
Background
The 'Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari' initiative is a nationwide campaign to promote rainwater harvesting and water conservation. It emphasizes community participation and convergence of various government schemes. Vizianagaram, in Andhra Pradesh, has been facing groundwater depletion and recurrent droughts, making it a suitable candidate for such interventions.
Key facts
Vizianagaram district completed 8,973 water conservation works, including restoration of 6,424 minor irrigation tanks and 2,549 feeder canals.
The works generated 1.28 crore person-days of employment.
Desilting and restoration removed about 109.9 lakh cubic meters of silt and cleared 82.48 lakh square meters of vegetation.
Over 2,090 kilometers of feeder canals were restored to facilitate rainwater flow into tanks and recharge areas.
The revived tank system is expected to create an additional storage capacity of 0.70 TMC.
Restored feeder canals and tanks together are expected to contribute about 0.60 TMC to groundwater recharge.
193 groundwater-stressed villages were prioritized, with restoration of 596 feeder canals and 1,767 minor irrigation tanks.
94 cascade tank systems were revived to restore natural hydrological connectivity between water bodies.
The initiative is part of the 'Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari: Rain Water Harvesting' (JSJ: CTR) campaign, inspired by PM Modi's 'Mann Ki Baat' appeal.
The campaign emphasizes collecting rainwater where it falls, when it falls.
Prelims pointers
- Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari: Rain Water Harvesting (JSJ: CTR) campaign
- Ministry of Jal Shakti
- Mann Ki Baat 135th episode
- Vizianagaram district, Andhra Pradesh
- Minor irrigation tanks and feeder canals
- Groundwater recharge
- TMC (Thousand Million Cubic Feet) as a unit of water measurement
- Cascade tank systems
Mains angles
- Discuss the role of community participation in water conservation and management in India.
- Critically examine the effectiveness of government schemes like JSJ: CTR in addressing groundwater depletion.
- Analyze the significance of traditional water harvesting structures in ensuring water security and climate resilience.