Union Joint Secretary, Ministry for Development of North Eastern Region and Central Nodal Officer (CNO) for Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) 'Catch the Rain' (CTR), Angshuman Dey, along with Scientist D, CGWB, Gargee Sharma, members of Jal Shakti Abhiyan, who are on three day visit to the district here, had an exhaustive interactive session with students of 108 Higher Secondary Schools and High Schools on day first of their visit.
The students and teachers of Govt Higher Secondary School Boys Doda and Government Higher Secondary School Girls Doda attended the session in person while students and teachers of other Higher Secondaries and High Schools participated virtually.
Prior to interaction with students, the Union Joint Secretary conducted a detailed assessment of various crucial aspects of the Jal Shakti Abhiyan.He reviewed implementation of programme in the district in a meeting with SE Jal Shakti and other concerned engineers and officials of the department.
He reviewed the financial and physical progress achieved, so far, in the district and appreciated the efforts of the district administration and other stakeholders in effectively implementing the Jal Shakti Abhiyan.
While interacting with the gathering, he asked the students to understand the need for water conservation, its judicious use, protection of water sources and rain water harvesting to make safe and sufficient water available for our future also.
He asked the students to be the champions of water conservation and spread awareness to motivate the society towards this noble cause.District Development Commissioner, Vishesh Mahajan, presented a detailed report on the steps being taken up by the district administration to harvest the rain water and recharge the ground water in the district.
He informed that all the building constructions within the municipal limits of Doda, Bhaderwah and Thathri have been ordered to have mandatory rain harvesting mechanisms in place. Every household in rural areas have built soakage pits near their homes under MGNREGA in the previous financial year. Extensive awareness campaigns are being run in the schools through Prabhari Officer to motivate the students to imbibe in them the habits of water conservation.
DC informed that 85 Amrit Sarovars (sacred ponds) were established last year by the administration and there is target to construct one Amrit Sarovar in all of the 237 panchayats of the district during current financial year. Besides, a unique campaign is being among the students called "Mai Be Pani Champion", he added. He asked the students to share their stories and activities regarding conservation of water under Catch the Rain campaign.
The district has successfully restored 1021 water bodies through various agencies such as RDD, IWMP, Jal Shakti, Horticulture, Agriculture, and Forest departments. Additionally, the district aims to restore 792 water bodies this year and geo-tag all 492 water bodies in Doda, added the DC.
Conservator of Forest, Chinab Circle, Dr Jatendra Singh, informed that over 10 lakh saplings were planted last year, covering an area of about 2869 acres. He brought before the gathering that under Mission LiFE, more than 250 awareness camps have been conducted in the district, sensitising people for water conservation.
The Jal Shakti Abhiyan is a flagship program of the Government of India focused on ensuring water security and conservation in the country. The program aims to raise awareness about the importance of water conservation, promote water harvesting, and improve infrastructure for water storage and distribution.