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Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has launched the state-wide 'Catch the Rain - Sujalam Sufalam Jal Abhiyan 2.0' from Davada in Mehsana district, marking a significant step towards fulfilling the 'Catch the Rain' call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
To give strong momentum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to collect and conserve every drop of rainwater at its source, 'Catch the Rain - Sujalam Sufalam Jal Abhiyan 2.0' will be carried out across Gujarat from April 4 to May 31, 2025. As part of this initiative, intensified efforts will be made to strengthen water conservation systems and improve groundwater levels across Gujarat. To achieve this, various state government departments--including Water Resources, Water Supply, Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam, Rural Development, Forest and Environment, and Urban Development--will implement water conservation initiatives in all districts through active public participation, a press release said. These initiatives will encompass a wide range of activities such as deepening of existing ponds, desilting of check dams and reservoirs/rivers, repairing damaged check dams, and maintenance, repair, and cleaning of canals and distributaries. Additional works will include rainwater harvesting, construction of farm ponds and earthen bunds, development of terrace and forest ponds, cleaning of drinking water sources, tanks, sumps, intake structures and surrounding areas, repair of pond waste weirs, and removal of invasive wild babul and dense vegetation obstructing river flows. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel formally launched the state-wide 'Catch the Rain - Sujalam Sufalam Jal Abhiyan 2.0' by performing a traditional coconut-breaking ceremony and initiating excavation work through a JCB machine at Davada village in Mehsana district. On this occasion, Kunvarji Bavaliya, Minister of Water Resources and Water Supply; Haribhai Patel, Member of Parliament; MLAs of Mehsana district; Smt. Trusha Patel, President of the District Panchayat; P.C. Vyas, Secretary of Narmada, Water Resources and Water Supply; along with officials from the Water Resources Department, district administration, and local citizens were present. The Chief Minister urged citizens to actively take part in the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam campaign, highlighting it as a crucial step towards increasing green cover and tackling the challenges of global warming. He also called for collective support for the Swachh Bharat Mission and emphasised the need to conserve every drop of rainwater to protect the environment. Expressing confidence in the initiative, he stated that Catch the Rain Sujalam Sufalam Jal Abhiyan 2.0--through the deepening of ponds and check dams and the cleaning of rivers--would significantly boost water storage and ensure long-term water security, reinforcing the effectiveness of the Prime Minister's visionary Catch the Rain approach. Under this campaign, the state government has carried out 1,07,608 works between 2018 and 2024, including lake deepening, creation of 36,979 new lakes, desilting of 24,086 check dams, and cleaning of 66,213 kilometres of canals and waterways. As a result of all these efforts, the state's water storage capacity has increased by a total of 1,19,144 lakh cubic feet, and 199.60 lakh man-days of employment have been generated. The success of the Sujalam Sufalam Jal Abhiyan has also been recognised at the national level, earning the Platinum category SKOCH Award in 2020 and the Gold category in 2021. (ANI)
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