Groundwater is one of the most important natural resources of the country on which our future depends. Found in aquifers below the surface of the Earth, groundwater is the mainstay of India compared to any other nation in the world, according to the World Bank. India accounts for about 25 percent of global demand for groundwater. More than 90 percent of groundwater in India is used for irrigation in agriculture. The remaining 24 billion cubic meters supplies about 85 percent of the country’s drinking water requirements. About 80 percent of the billion strong population of India depends on groundwater for both drinking and irrigation purposes.

Today, as we observe World Water Day, we need to remind ourselves of the ‘request’ made by Hon’ble PM Modi in his Mann Ki Baat speech in June 2019. PM Modi had exhorted us to launch a mass movement for water conservation on the lines of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. He urged us to take a keen look at water conservation and resolve the impending water crisis. Following the mantra of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayaas,’ PM Modi had suggested revisiting age-old methods of water conservation, saving every drop of water and kickstarting an awareness campaign to save water.

While a core focus of World Water Day is to support the achievement of SDG 6 of water and sanitation for all by 2030, the theme for this year’s World Water Day is ‘Groundwater, making the invisible visible.’ It is a fitting theme, because groundwater maintains the base flow of rivers, sustains ecosystems, prevents land subsidence landforms an important part of the climate change adaptation process. Also, it is often a solution for people without access to safe water. As climate change gets worse, groundwater will become increasingly critical. So, while groundwater may be out of our sight, it must not be out of our minds.

It is incumbent on us to think about the depleting groundwater situation in India, if we need to provide a better future to our children. If we are committed to becoming the Vishwaguru or fulfilling the vision of building an Atmanirbhar Bharat shared by PM Modi, then we must implement practicable solutions to raising the groundwater level.

One of the most eco-friendly and effective approaches for the conservation of groundwater is to plant trees. Admittedly, planting trees is one of the easiest ways to conserve groundwater as trees can absorb more water and store it in roots that increase the amount of water on the earth. It is not new knowledge that trees allow more water to seep into the ground and raise the groundwater concentration.

In the last decade there have been a flurry of tree planting drives and campaigns that have been launched at the state and national levels. The good part about these plantation drives is that these were well-intentioned and flagged off by political leaders and celebrities, but the lack of consistency rendered these ineffective and counterproductive.

In the bevy of campaigns, the effort made by the CM Shivraj Chouhan in Madhya Pradesh stands as an imposing example of consistency and strong political and personal will. Having led Madhya Pradesh in the last 15 years through its fair share of water woes, especially in the Bundelkhand region, Shivraj Chouhan understands the impact of, and the need to address, the imminent ground water crisis. Hence, last year, in February, while celebrating the Narmada Janmotsav in Amarkantak, he resolved to plant one-tree-a-day in order to create a movement, although silently. Despite the busyness of his political life, CM Chouhan has followed through on his commitment to plant a sapling every day. He has fulfilled this commitment even while traveling outside of the state capital or even during his campaign tours in Gujarat, Bengal, and Kerala. Having planted more than 500 trees in one year, CM Chouhan has celebrated the first anniversary of his quiet, one-man movement on 19 February 2022. This effort has cemented his image as a farsighted and futuristic environmental thinker and action-oriented leader.

To make his individual effort resonate with the masses, he launched a mass movement called “Ankur Abhiyan” for the people of Madhya Pradesh in May 2022. The motive of this campaign has been to encourage people to plant saplings through this scheme. Ankur Abhiyan allows citizens to register through the ‘Vayudoot app’ where they can upload pictures of their work. The citizens who perform the best and plant the highest number of saplings are declared winners and awarded by the Chief Minister. The success of this campaign can be gauged by the fact that within a year over 6 lakh individuals (over 2 lakh women and over 4 lakh men) have participated in this campaign. People have shown extreme enthusiasm and planted over 2 million saplings, as per the official Ankur Abhiyan Platform.

CM Chouhan has been an avowed proponent of planting saplings for all auspicious and momentous occasions – be it a birthday, birth anniversary, death anniversary of a deceased family member or the launch of a flagship scheme. It is this focus towards tree plantation that will not only reap huge dividends in terms of increasing the ground water level in the state, but also address the threat posed by climate change. As we continue to work towards building Atmanirbhar Bharat, learning from the examples of great leaders like CM Shivraj Chouhan will only help us to ensure that the subject of groundwater takes centerstage and a sustainable tomorrow is carved out for future generations.