In News:

Marking World Water Day, the Ministry of Jal Shakti, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change and the Government of Haryana, launched the much-anticipated sixth edition of Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain - 2025 in Panchkula, Haryana.

World Water Day 2025

• Observed On: 22nd March 2025
• 2025 Theme: ‘Glacier Preservation’
• Global Context: Declared by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993, conceptualized at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit.
• Linked SDG: Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG-6) – Clean Water and Sanitation for All by 2030.
• Purpose: To raise global awareness on water conservation and promote sustainable water use.

India's Observance: Launch of Jal Shakti Abhiyan – Catch the Rain 2025

• Launched by: Ministry of Jal Shakti, in collaboration with Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and Government of Haryana.
• Launch Venue: Panchkula, Haryana (first time outside Delhi).
• Theme: “????????????????: ??????????????” (People’s Action for Water Conservation – Towards Intensified Community Connect).
• Focus Areas:
  • Rainwater harvesting
  • Groundwater recharge
  • Community-led water conservation
  • Ecological restoration (forests, rivers, springs)

Key Campaigns & Initiatives

Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain 2025 (JSA:CTR)

• Targeted Districts: 148 water-stressed districts across India.
• Tagline: “Catch the Rain where it falls, when it falls.”
• Objective: Promote localized water conservation through people’s participation and decentralized planning.

“Jal-Jangal-Jan” Abhiyan

• Aim: Restore ecological connectivity between water, forests, and communities.
• Collaborators: MoEFCC and Jal Shakti Ministry.
• Tools Used: Awareness videos, AV content, best practice compilations.

State-Level Innovations: Haryana Model

• Launched:
  • Mukhyamantri Jal Sanchay Yojana – Enhancing water harvesting through community participation.
  • Water Resources Atlas – Scientific mapping of water availability.
  • Online Canal Water Management System – Real-time irrigation data for efficiency.
  • E-booklet on Integrated Water Resources Management.
• Infrastructure Projects under SBM-G & JSA:
  • Community Sanitary Complexes
  • Solid & Liquid Waste Management
  • Gobardhan (Biogas) Projects
  • Borewell Recharge Systems
  • Micro-irrigation and Rainwater Harvesting Projects

Key Government Schemes Related to Water

• Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) – Time-bound, mission-mode campaign for water conservation.
• Atal Bhujal Yojana – Participatory groundwater management in critical areas.
• AMRUT 2.0 – Urban water supply and sewerage services improvement.