Nashik: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday highlighted Nashik district’s water conservation initiatives during his Mann Ki Baat address, praising the district for creating substantial water storage capacity through community participation under the ‘Catch the Rain’ campaign.Referring to the nationwide water conservation drive launched on July 4, Modi said the campaign had gathered momentum across rural and urban areas. “While places like Sidhi and Narsinghpur in Madhya Pradesh, Nandyal in Andhra Pradesh, Korba in Chhattisgarh, Bhubaneswar in Odisha, and Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh have achieved remarkable progress in lake restoration and groundwater recharge, Nashik district in Maharashtra has successfully created substantial water storage capacity through community-driven water conservation efforts,” he said.
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District collector Ayush Prasad said Nashik has adopted a multi-pronged water security strategy involving govt departments, local bodies and citizens.“The initiatives include the Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyan 2.0, the silt-free dam and silt-enriched farm scheme, stream deepening and widening, artificial groundwater recharge shafts, rainwater harvesting, micro-irrigation, water budgeting, water-efficient agriculture, and the Jaltara project,” Prasad said.He added that special efforts are being undertaken on lands allotted under the Forest Rights Act to improve soil and water conservation, increase productivity and revive traditional water sources.“The Catch the Rain campaign aims to conserve every drop of rain locally to strengthen long-term water security by actively engaging local administration, gram panchayats, various departments, non-govt organisations, and local residents,” Prasad said.The collector said Nashik’s work in water management had earlier earned national recognition, with him being invited to present the district’s best practices at the 55th Water Series Webinar organised by the National Water Mission under the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti.
