Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday called for the maximum participation of public and social organisations and civil societies in campaigns related to water conservation, saying attempts by the government alone in this direction would not be successful.

Underlining the need for the conservation of all local sources of water, he asked gram panchayats to prepare an action plan for the next five years on issues ranging from water supply to cleanliness and waste management.

 He also asked the states to consider ways to ensure that the water budget was prepared at the panchayat level based on how much water was required in which village and what work could be done for it.

PM Modi was addressing the 1st All India Annual State Ministers’ Conference on Water via video message. The theme of the conference is ‘Water Vision @ 2047’ and its objective is to bring together key policymakers for discussions on ways to harness water resources for sustainable development and human development.

Throwing light on the need to increase forest cover in the state for water conservation, he called for coordinated efforts by the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Water in this regard.

Highlighting the success of the ‘Catch the Rain’ campaign, he reiterated that such campaigns should become an essential part of the state governments. “Instead of waiting for the rains, all the planning needs to be done before the rains,” he added.

Pointing out that in the constitutional system of the country, the subject of water came under the control of the states, he said it was the states’ efforts for water conservation that would go a long way in achieving the collective goals of the country. “Water Vision @ 2047 is an important dimension of the journey of Amrit Kaal for the next 25 years,” he added.

Reiterating his vision of the ‘whole of government’ and ‘whole of the country’, the PM emphasised that all governments should work like a system wherein there should be constant interaction and dialogue between different ministries of state governments, such as Water, Ministry of Irrigation, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Rural and Urban Development and Disaster Management.

The PM underlined that promoting public participation in water conservation would not reduce the accountability of the government and it would not mean putting all the responsibility on the people.

He further added that the biggest advantage of public participation was the awareness that was created among the public about the efforts being put into the campaign and the money being spent. “When the public is associated with a campaign, they also get to know the seriousness of the work. Due to this, a sense of ownership also comes in the public towards any scheme or campaign”, he added.

Highlighting the success of the ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’ as a major development parameter for a state to provide water to every household, the PM remarked that many states have done a good job while many states were moving forward in this direction.

He noted the water requirements in both the industry and agriculture sectors and recommended that special campaigns be run to make them aware of water security. He gave examples of techniques like crop diversification and natural farming that created a positive effect on water conservation.