Under the leadership of Yogi government, UP has become a national model of water conservation. Revival of more than 52,000 reservoirs, river rejuvenation, groundwater augmentation and Har Ghar Jal Yojana brought water to Bundelkhand-Vindhya. UP received many honors in the National Water Awards.
Lucknow. Under the direction of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Uttar Pradesh has become a role model for the country in the field of water conservation. Large scale work has been done under ‘Amrit Mission’ for water conservation and harvesting in UP. Along with cleanliness, schemes for revival of reservoirs and rain water harvesting were implemented at a fast pace in 75 districts. Major improvement in rural water level was recorded by conserving more than 52,000 reservoirs, ponds and tank systems. UP has also achieved a big achievement in providing water to every household in Bundelkhand and Vindhya. Along with this, awareness is being increased in the society by running ‘Jal Samvardhan Jan Andolan’.
Revival and beautification of reservoirs completed in 75 districts
Under Amrit Mission, revival and beautification work of reservoirs was completed in 75 districts of the state. In AMRUT Mission 2.0, large scale infrastructure was created for water security for urban areas. More than 52,000 ponds and reservoirs were revived in the state, leading to significant improvement in rural water table. Water availability has increased in more than 22,000 water structures. 95 new projects were approved to strengthen the canal system. Upon their completion, irrigation capacity of 36 thousand hectares of land will be restored and approximately 9 lakh farmers will be directly benefited.
Besides, 273 hectares of government land was also protected. Sensor based water measuring instruments were installed to monitor the water level. More than 42 thousand structures like rain water harvesting and check dams were prepared for groundwater recharge. This resulted in more than 20% increase in groundwater recharge.
Under the awareness programs conducted in schools and Anganwadi centres, more than 1.20 lakh schools and more than 50 thousand Anganwadi centers joined the water conservation campaign, which developed the habit of water saving in the community.
Mirzapur: Revival of Lohandi River and large reservoirs
Mirzapur has become a successful example of water conservation and river rejuvenation. There are 12 development blocks and 809 gram panchayats, where earlier there was problem of falling water level and drought. Hand pumps and wells would dry up in summer. Revival of Lohandi river was carried out under a special campaign starting from 24 February 2024. This 15 km long river passes through 11 gram panchayats. In its 10.63 km portion, work was done under MNREGA and in the remaining part, work was done with public participation.
Large rain water harvesting systems were built in government institutions. Water was saved by adding sprinkler irrigation to 3894 hectares in one year. The hand pumps which were dry earlier have now become operational. Ground water level rose by an average of 1 meter in six development blocks. The groundwater level in villages along the river bank rose by 2.27 metres, leading to refilling of dry wells and borewells. Apart from this, construction of 156 agricultural ponds and 4 check dams provided irrigation facilities to the farmers and increased production. 4.23 lakh man-days of employment were generated, of which 52% were women.
Jalaun: Rejuvenation of Noon River and rain water harvesting
The picture of water conservation has also changed in Jalaun district. The 83 km long Noon river originating from village Satoh of Koch tehsil was dry and polluted for a long time. The river was revived with the participation of local people and administration. Check dams were built to harvest rain water and trees were planted on both sides of the river. Today the water of Noon River is being used for irrigation and the water crisis in the area has reduced.
Water to every house in Bundelkhand and Vindhya: a big achievement
‘Har Ghar Jal’ scheme was one of the most effective schemes in Uttar Pradesh. Bundelkhand and Vindhya regions, which once struggled for water, today have tap water available in almost every house.
Availability of tap water in Bundelkhand
- Mahoba: 1,39,904 houses (99.83%)
- Jhansi: 2,49,111 houses (99.16%)
- Lalitpur: 2,05,966 houses (99.51%)
- Chitrakoot: 1,63,698 houses (99.83%)
- Jalaun: 2,08,170 houses (98.16%)
- Banda: 2,68,583 houses (99.86%)
- Hamirpur: 1,85,674 houses (99.54%)
Vindhya region
- Mirzapur: 3,49,332 houses (98.35%)
- Sonbhadra: 2,92,905 houses (93.34%)
UP’s excellent performance in national awards
The result of successful implementation of the schemes of Yogi government was seen in the recently held 6th National Water Awards. In the water conservation category, Mirzapur, Varanasi and Jalaun from the northern region got first, second and third position respectively. Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation also won the third prize in the water harvesting public participation category. Local water conservation initiatives recognized on national platform.