Ministry of Jal Shakti’s ‘Catch the Rain’ Campaign: Chhattisgarh Emerges Top-Performing State with 77,719 Water Conservation Structures Completed

Key facts

• Chhattisgarh emerged as the top-performing state in the third phase of the Ministry of Jal Shakti’s Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari (JSJB) and Catch the Rain campaigns, with nearly 78,000 water conservation structures completed.
• In the third phase, 79,775 structures were recorded in Chhattisgarh, with 77,719 completed.
• Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai presented the state’s water conservation model at a Ministry of Jal Shakti departmental summit in New Delhi in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao shared details about the state’s initiatives on rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge, and conservation of drinking water sources during the Catch the Rain session.
• Sai proposed four measures: state-specific ‘Catch the Rain’ plans, ‘State Water Awards’ for high-performing states, mapping of water conservation structures through BISAG-N, and quarterly reviews chaired by chief secretaries.
• Under JSJB 1.0, Chhattisgarh created 4,05,561 structures, while under JSJB 2.0, work was initiated on 24,07,456 structures, with 23,07,768 completed.
• The ‘5 Per Cent Model’ pioneered in Koriya district involves farmers voluntarily dedicating five per cent of their farmland to groundwater recharge.
• The districts Surajpur, Mahasamund, Balod, Baloda Bazar-Bhatapara and Kabirdha have secured places among the country’s top 10 districts in water conservation efforts.
• JSJB is a community-led programme that promotes water conservation and groundwater recharge by building low-cost structures under the Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain initiative.
• Preliminary estimates indicate that the number of groundwater-stressed blocks classified as ‘critical’ and ‘semi-critical’ in Chhattisgarh has declined from 26 to 19, with ‘critical’ blocks projected to fall to zero.
• The Centre has set a target of creating two crore new water conservation structures by May 31, 2027.