Concerned About The Water Crisis, PM Narendra Modi Writes Letter To All Village Pradhans Asking Them To Conserve Rainwater

New Delhi: ‘Dear sarpanchji, namaskar. I hope that you and all my brothers and sisters of the panchayat would be in the best of health. The rainy season is about to begin. We are grateful to God that we have been blessed by enough rainwater. We should make all efforts and arrangement to conserve this blessing (water),” reads the letter Prime Minister Narendra Modi has written to all ‘gram pradhans’ (village chiefs) requesting them to help conserve rainwater during the forthcoming monsoon.

The PM in his one-page letter also made a special request to the Pradhans and suggested the construction of check dams and embankments along rivers and streams, clean up ponds for storage of dam water. Moreover, it was also requested that all gram pradhans should convene a meeting of the gram sabha (village assembly) wherein this letter should be read out.

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It is requested that a discussion should be held in the village on how to conserve water. I have faith in all of you that adequate arrangements would be made to save every drop of rainwater. If we are able to conserve rainwater effectively, then not only will the crop yield increase, but we will also have a large reserve of water, which we will be able to utilise for many purposes, the prime minister wrote in the letter.

See Narendra Modi’s Letter

The Hon'ble Prime Minister of India, Shri @narendramodi has written letters to all sarpanches of India, urging them to ensure the conservation of water in villages ahead of the upcoming monsoons. pic.twitter.com/P4iGiJYa8N

— Swachh Bharat I #AzadiKaAmritMahotsav (@swachhbharat) June 14, 2019

The letter ends with an urge from PM Modi, he adds,

Just as you made Swachhata (cleanliness drive) a successful mass movement by making cleanliness a people’s movement, I urge you all to also lead this water conservation campaign and make it a people’s movement. Let us all make the impossible possible and contribute to the creation of a New India.

Also Read: PM Modi Defines His Commitment To The Environment As Part Of Indian Culture

Water Crisis In India: A Reality Check

60 crore Indians face high to extreme water stress, states NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India). It also estimates that by 2030, the country’s water demand is projected to be twice the available supply, implying severe water scarcity for hundreds of millions of people. Moreover, at present, India treats only 30 per cent of its water and reuses a negligible amount leading to water pollution due to the discharge of untreated wastewater.

Also Read: Bangaloreans, It’s Time To Save Water! Learn From This Society That Is Saving 500 Litres Of Water Daily

NDTV – Dettol Banega Swachh India campaign lends support to the Government of India’s Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM). Helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan, the campaign aims to spread awareness about hygiene and sanitation, the importance of building toilets and making India open defecation free (ODF) by October 2019, a target set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when he launched Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in 2014. Over the years, the campaign has widened its scope to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and menstrual hygiene. The campaign has also focused extensively on marine pollution, clean Ganga Project and rejuvenation of Yamuna, two of India’s major river bodies.