• Ministry of Jal Shakti is taking up a nation-wide campaign “Jal Shakti Abhiyan : Catch the Rain” (JSA:CTR) focusing on saving and conserving rainwater.

    • The theme is “Catch the rain, where it falls, when it falls” from 22 March 2021 to 30 November, 2021 in the pre-monsoon and monsoon periods of 2021, covering both urban and rural areas of all the districts in the country.

    • National Water Mission, Ministry of Jal Shakti launched a campaign “Catch the Rain” with the tagline “Catch the rain, where it falls, when it falls” in 2020 to nudge the states and all stakeholders to create Rain Water Harvesting Structures (RWHS) suitable to the climatic conditions and sub-soil strata, with people’s active participation.

    • As a preparatory step for the "Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain" campaign in 2021, a massive awareness drive was launched on 21st December 2020 in collaboration with the "Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan" (NYKS) involving Youth Clubs in 623 districts across the country.

    • Government is implementing a number of schemes for rainwater harvesting which include Atal Bhujal Yojana (Atal Jal), Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme etc.

    • Trainings, workshops, painting competitions, awards, seminars, water talks, webinars etc. are also held for awareness generation and for effective implementation of schemes and programmes on water conservation and rainwater harvesting.

    • Central Ground Water Board is implementing Aquifer Rejuvenation Project through Artificial Recharge in selected over-exploited blocks in the country under Aspirational District Programme.

    • As a part of this Scheme, check dams, percolation tanks, sub surface barriers, recharge shafts and piezometers have been constructed in Pulivendula block in Andhra Pradesh and Bachannapet in Telangana.

Rainwater harvesting

Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is the collection and storage of rain, rather than allowing it to run off. Rainwater is collected from a roof-like surface and redirected to a tank, cistern, deep pit (well, shaft, or borehole), aquifer, or a reservoir with percolation. Dew and fog can also be collected with nets or other tools.

Its uses include watering gardens, livestock, irrigation, domestic use with proper treatment, and domestic heating. The harvested water can also be committed to longer-term storage or groundwater recharge.

With water scarcity a pressing problem for many densely populated regions, rainwater harvesting systems can supply households and businesses with water for use in dry seasons and lessen the demand on municipal systems.

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants. The views expressed here are personal.)