Gujarat’s ‘Sujalam Sufalam Jal Abhiyan’ boosted water storage capacity by 20,789 lakh cubic feet this year

Gandhinagar, June 29 (IANS) Gujarat’s ongoing water conservation drive under the ‘Sujalam Sufalam Jal Abhiyan’ has increased water storage capacity by 20,789 lakh cubic feet this year, taking the cumulative rise over the past eight years to a record 1,38,039 lakh cubic feet, Water Resources and Water Supply Minister Ishwarsinh Patel said on Monday.

The initiative, implemented in alignment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Catch the Rain’ campaign, has evolved into a large-scale public participation programme aimed at improving groundwater levels and expanding water conservation infrastructure across Gujarat.

“With the objective of increasing water storage capacity across the state and raising groundwater levels, the ‘Sujalam Sufalam Jal Abhiyan’ has become a significant public movement through participation of citizens,” Patel said.

According to the minister, the campaign was launched statewide on February 23 in Gandhinagar by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. By May, a total of 13,315 works had been completed across various departments through coordinated implementation.

These works include 2,450 projects for deepening ponds, 3,661 desilting works of check dams, and 1,160 repair works of check dams.

In addition, canals covering 626 kilometres and drains stretching 1,277 kilometres were cleaned as part of the programme.

The combined interventions contributed to the reported increase in storage capacity of 20,789 lakh cubic feet this year, while also generating approximately 2.30 lakh man-days of employment.

The government has implemented the programme through coordination between six departments: Water Resources, Water Supply, Forest and Environment, Urban Development, Rural Development, and Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited.

The works are carried out through public participation, the MGNREGA scheme, and departmental execution. Over the past eight years, a total of 1,23,635 works have been undertaken under the initiative.

These include 39,770 works related to deepening and creation of ponds, 26,873 desilting works of check dams, and 7,810 repair works of check dams.

During the same period, cleaning of canals and drains covering 80,793 kilometres has been completed.

The cumulative impact, according to official figures, has been a rise of 1,38,039 lakh cubic feet in water storage capacity and generation of 206.73 lakh man-days of employment.

–IANS

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