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MEMBERS REFERENCE SERVICE

LARRDIS

LOK SABHA SECRETARIAT

NEW DELHI

REFERENCE NOTE For the use of Members of Parliament NOT FOR PUBLICATION

No. 19/LN/Ref./November/2019

For the use of Members of Parliament Not for Publication

JAL SHAKTI ABHIYAN

ources indicated at the end/in the text. This Service does

not accept any responsibility for the accuracy or Prepared by Shri C.V. Sai Ram, Junior Library Assistant and Shri Baikunthanath Mohapatra , Joint Director (23035477) of Lok Sabha Secretariat under the supervision of Dr. Vatsala Joshi, Director and Shri R.C. Tiwari, Joint Secretary. The Reference Note is for personal use of the Members in the discharge of their Parliamentary duties, and is

not for publication. This Service is not to be quoted as the source of information as it is based on the sources

indicated at the end/in the context.

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Jal Shakti Abhiyan

Inspired by the vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on Jal Sanchay, the Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) is a time-bound, mission-mode water conservation campaign. The Abhiyan is designed for implementation in two Phases: Phase 1 from 1st July to 15th September 2019 for all States and Union Territories; and Phase 2 from 1st October to 30th November 2019 for States and UTs receiving the retreating monsoon (Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Puducherry and Tamil Nadu). During the campaign, officers, groundwater experts and scientists from the Government of India will work together with state and district officials in India’s most water-stressed districts* for water conservation and water resource management by focusing on accelerated implementation of five target intervention. The JSA aims at making water conservation a Jan Andolan through asset creation and extensive communication.

Introduction

India is facing the challenge to serve 17% of the world population

with 4% of the world’s freshwater resources.1 Presently designated as a

water stressed nation, India stores less than one-tenth of annual rainfall.

Furthermore, disproportionate use of water for agricultural use, excessive

ground water pumping and deficient monsoon in the last couple of years

make the demand-supply balance more critical.

In order to address water scarcity, it is important to undertake

efforts for conservation, restoration, recharge and reuse of water. In this

pursuit, Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS), Government of India launched Jal

Shakti Abhiyan (JSA). The campaign will run through citizen participation

in two phases, firstly, during the monsoon season, from 1 July, 2019 to 15

September, 2019 and then from 1 October, 2019 to 30 November, 2019 for

states receiving the North East retreating monsoons.

1 Guidelines for urban water conservation, M/o Housing and Urban Affair, Government of India.

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Coverage of Jal Shakti Abhiyan

The focus of the campaign is on water stressed districts and blocks.

Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS) has identified 255 Districts and 1,597 Blocks

across the country as water stressed, and total 756 Urban Local Bodies

(ULBs) have been identified as water stressed. The teams of officers from

the central government will visit and work with district administration in

1597 water stressed blocks in 255 districts, to ensure water conservation

interventions.

Source: The Hindu 26 June 2019

In the short run, the campaign will focus on integrated demand and

supply-side management of water at the local level, including creation of

local infrastructure for source sustainability using rainwater harvesting,

groundwater recharge and management of household wastewater for

reuse. For the long run, the government launched the Jal Jeevan Mission

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(JJM) with an aim to ensure piped water supply to all rural households by

2024.

Thrust Areas

i. Rain Water Harvesting (RWH) ii. Reuse of Treated Waste Water iii. Rejuvenation of Water Bodies iv. Plantation

Rain Water Harvesting

Rain Water Harvesting (RWH) is collection and storage of rainwater

from roof tops, roadside, open areas, etc. which can be stored for further

usage or recharged into ground water to augment water resources.

Measure to be undertaken during Jal Shakti Abhiyan

i. Enforcement of Building Bye-Laws

Rain Water Harvesting (RWH) needs to be implemented as per the

provisions of Model Building By law (MBBL), 2016 shared with all

States/UTs for adoption. Most of the States/UTs have incorporated RWH in

their respective Building Bye-Laws. Cities need to ensure that the RWH

provisions are incorporated in their or State Building Bye-Laws (BBLs), as

may be applicable.

Thereafter, an effective enforcement mechanism should be put in

place for providing RWH structures in all buildings as stipulated under

Building By Law of the city or State/UT.

ii. Establishment of Rain Water Harvesting Cell

Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) should constitute a Rain Water

Harvesting Cell which will be responsible for effective monitoring of Rain

Water Harvesting in the city. The cell should monitor the extent of ground

water extraction and ground water aquifer recharge. This Information

should be displayed at prominent locations for public awareness.

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Reuse of Treated Waste Water

Considering the growing need of water demand in urban areas and

depleting water resources, there is a need to explore alternatives to fresh

water. To optimize the use of water, it is important to undertake treatment

of waste water and reuse it.

In order to promote reuse of treated waste water, State Government

and ULBs should undertake the following measures;

(i) Provision of dual piping under Building Bye-Laws should be checked in

all government (Central/State/UT/ULB) buildings, commercial complexes,

public buildings like educational institutions, hospitals, and Group Housing

Societies, whether the same is available, so that the treated waste water

can be used for horticulture, toilet flushing and fire hydrants.

(ii) In all new government buildings/Group Housing Societies, public

buildings, whenever building plan is approved, it should be ensured that

there should be dual piping as has been provided in City/State/UT BBLs

(iii) In case, city has got sewage treatment plants (STPs), ULB should

ensure that treated waste water is used for the following purposes:

a. Recycling for use in agriculture / horticulture; b. Fire hydrants; c. Large scale construction activities; d. Made available to industry if it consumes water in bulk; e. Supplied to power plants located within 50 Km of the city.

Rejuvenation of Urban Water Bodies

Urban water bodies such as lakes, ponds, step-wells, and baolis have

traditionally served the function of meeting water requirements of

drinking, washing, agriculture, fishing and religious/cultural purposes.

Surface water bodies and traditional water harvesting structures in several

cities have either dried up, or disappeared due to encroachment, dumping

of garbage, and entry of untreated sewage. These water bodies, if revived,

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can store water and recharge ground water besides improving amenity

value of the area.

Every city must initiate action to revive at least one water body

during Jal Shakti Abhiyan. ULBs should identify all the water bodies in the

city and select one for rejuvenation through public consultations.

Plantation

Plantation plays a significant role in absorption of storm and

rainwater for maintenance of ground water table, prevention of soil

erosion and run-off and encourage growth of natural habitat for flora and

fauna.

ULBs should undertake plantation near water bodies, public spaces,

parks and on roadside to improve green cover and water cycle.

Awareness Campaign

There is need for public awareness regarding water conservation. Jal

Shakti Abhiyan has been designed to achieve greater public participation in

the efforts being undertaken by Centre/States/UTs/ULBs in this regard.

Local communities need to be mobilized to play a vital role in efforts being

undertaken under JSA. ULBs should undertake measures to encourage

collective ownership in management of water available locally.

ULBs should engage RWAs, schools, businesses, Civil Society

Organizations (CSOs), Nehru Yuva Kendras (NYKs), NSS volunteers, NCC

cadets, SHGs formed under DAYNULM, elected representatives,

Swachhagrahis to organize door to door outreach, community events,

workshops, flyers, banners, wall paintings, street plays, social media, etc.

for dissemination and building awareness for all four enlisted Water

Conservation measures in urban areas. Leading personalities in films,

sports, social work or public life may be invited to the campaigns.

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Monitoring

In order to ensure effective monitoring, it is important to establish a

clear baseline and benchmark for State/UT/ULB level performance on

implementation of Rain Water Harvesting, Rejuvenation of Water Bodies,

Reuse of Treated Waste Water and Plantation. The progress needs to be

monitored on a real-time basis to ascertain the progress of ULBs and gaps

therein in each of the thrust areas under JSA.

Following measures of monitoring will be undertaken:

i. State/UT/ULB level reporting ii. Video Conferencing with State/UT governments at the Centre level and ULBs at the State/UT level iii. Uploading of progress and photographs on the websites and dashboards of Ministries of Jal Shakti and Housing and Urban Affairs.

Achievements so far

So far, the Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) has delivered over 3.5 lakh water

conservation measures in 256 districts. Out of these, 1.54 lakh are of water

conservation and rainwater harvesting measures, 20000 related to the

rejuvenation of traditional water bodies, over 65000 are reuse and

recharge structures and 1.23 lakh are watershed development projects.

An estimated 2.64 crore people have already participated in the Abhiyan

making it a Jan Andolan. JSA has created a lot of buzz in the country, and it

will do a lot of good in the years to come.

Summary

In brief, in order to address water scarcity, it is important to

undertake efforts for conservation, restoration, recharge and reuse of

water. In this pursuit, Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS), Government of India

has launched the Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) from 1st July, 2019. For the

success of the campaign, the States/UTs/ULBs need to carry out focused

activities to promote and develop the culture of water conservation in

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/topic/Jal-Shakti-Abhiyanhttps://economictimes.indiatimes.com/topic/water-conservationhttps://economictimes.indiatimes.com/topic/water-conservationhttps://economictimes.indiatimes.com/topic/water-conservationhttps://economictimes.indiatimes.com/topic/rainwater-harvestinghttps://economictimes.indiatimes.com/topic/Jan-Andolan

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urban areas which have been identified as water stressed. The crux of this

drive is building large scale awareness campaign so that conservation of

water becomes a Jan Andolan.

References

1. Guidelines for Urban water conservation Jal Shakti Abhiyan, Ministry of

Urban and Housing Affairs, Govt. of India, 2019.

http://mohua.gov.in/upload/whatsnew/5d1c7709d059eGuidelines_UWC_JSA

03072019.pdf

2. PIB Press release dated, 01 July 2019.

https://pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=191069

3. The Hindu press clipping dated 26 June , 2019.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/govt-to-start-jal-shakti-abhiyan-

for-255-water-stressed-districts-from-july-1/article28159138.ece