A major drive has been launched in Rajasthan for rainwater harvesting and conservation, followed by judicious use of water resources, which will help resolve the issue of paucity of water caused by scanty and erratic rainfall in the State. The drive will benefit rabi crops with its extension to the works during the winter season's rainfall.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has approved a proposal to make an additional provision of ₹302 crore for the Rajiv Gandhi Jal Sanchay Yojana (RGJSY), as part of which the activities for watershed area treatment have been taken up during the last two years. Farm ponds, check dams, field bunds and water harvesting and storage structures have been built under the scheme.
The additional funds will be released to Zila Parishads in all districts, which will spend the money on the works in their respective areas. While the RGJSY’s first phase ended in August 2021 with the creation of water harvesting infrastructure in over 3,900 villages, the additional allocation has been made under the head of the Water Conservation Cess Fund.
Villagers and elected representatives of Panchayati Raj institutions will assist the State government in its efforts for water conservation and rainwater harvesting, which are expected to increase the groundwater level in geographically difficult areas. The projects will be formulated to meet local needs with regular monitoring.
Public Health Engineering Minister Mahesh Joshi said here on Wednesday that the completion of works under the drive through convergence with the departments concerned would ensure the availability of sufficient water for drinking and irrigation. The RGJSY has incorporated the works identified in the Mukhya Mantri Jal Swavalamban Abhiyan undertaken during the previous Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regime in the State.
The contribution of villagers and elected representatives will help in the identification of places where no water harvesting structures were constructed in the past. The activities under the RGJSY also include the repair of minor irrigation structures, the reinforcement of drinking water sources, the construction of artificial recharge structures, and pasture development and plantation.
Mr. Joshi laid emphasis on the construction of water harvesting structures in government buildings and said an effective monitoring system would be evolved for constructing these structures in accordance with prescribed norms for private buildings, which should be technically correct.
