“Water Vision @ 2047 is an important dimension of the journey of Amrit Kaal for the next 25 years”, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi said addressing the 1st All India Annual State Ministers’ Conference on Water via video message today. The theme of the conference is ‘Water Vision @ 2047’ and the objective of the forum is to bring together key policymakers for discussions on ways to harness water resources for sustainable development and human development.
Modi suggested, “We can organise ‘Water Awareness Festivals’ or an event related to water awareness can be added to the fairs held at the local level.” He stressed the need to make the younger generations aware of this subject through innovative ways from curriculum to activities in schools. He informed that the country is constructing 75 Amrit Sarovar in every district wherein 25 thousand Amrit Sarovars have already been built so far.
He emphasised the need to connect technology, industry, and startups to identify problems and find solutions and mentioned technologies like geo-sensing and geo-mapping that can be of great help. He also stressed the need to come up with government policies and bureaucratic procedures to tackle water-related issues at the policy levels.
Highlighting the success of ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’ as a major development parameter for a state to provide water to every household, the Prime Minister remarked that many states have done a good job while many states are moving forward in this direction. He recommended that once this system is in place we should ensure its maintenance in the same way in the future.
He proposed that Gram Panchayats should lead the Jal Jeevan Mission, and after the work is completed, they should also certify that sufficient and clean water has been made available. “Every Gram Panchayat can also submit a monthly or quarterly report online stating the number of houses that are getting tap water in the village.” He also added that a system of periodic water testing should also be developed to ensure the quality of water.
Throwing light on the need to increase forest cover in the state for water conservation, the Prime Minister called for coordinated efforts by the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Water. He also called for attention to the conservation of all local sources of water and reiterated that Gram Panchayats should prepare an action plan for the next 5 years where a roadmap ranging from water supply to cleanliness and waste management should be considered.
