Bihar was adjudged third, after Madhya Pradesh (first) and Odisha (second), in the best state category at the 4th National Water Awards ceremony held at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on Saturday, said government officials.
Bihar shared the third spot along with Andhra Pradesh.
Secretary of Bihar’s rural development department (RDD) N. Saravan Kumar and mission director of Jal-Jeevan-Hariyali Mission Rahul Kumar received the award from vice president Jagdeep Dhankhar and Union minister of Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.
Bihar launched the Jal Jeevan Hariyali Abhiyan in October 2019 to combat the adverse impact of climate change and the conservation of the environment.
Removal of encroachment from public water bodies, rejuvenation of public water storage structures, rooftop rainwater harvesting, afforestation, promotion of organic farming and solar energy, are among the 11 target interventions under the programme.
Around 30,000 public ponds, puddles, aahars, pynes and dug wells have been rid of encroachment in the state since the inception of the programme, with more than 80,000 public water harvesting structures have been rejuvenated, and 1.5 lakh soak pits have been constructed near public wells and hand pumps to increase the groundwater level, said officials.
The promotion of organic farming and micro-irrigation, and rainwater harvesting structures in public buildings are some salient features of the programme.
“Several positive impacts are already visible in just three-and-a-half years of our programme implementation. The far-reaching impact of our campaign will be visible in the years to come. The award is a recognition of achievement towards our statewide campaign in water conservation and management,” said Saravan Kumar.
“Bihar is the first state to launch such a comprehensive state-wide campaign targeting the challenges of environmental protection and climate change. The Central Ground Water Board, government of India, has reported an increase in the state’s groundwater level, and attributed it to the implementation of Jal Jeevan Hariyali Abhiyan, in its recent report on the groundwater scenario of the country,” said Rahul Kumar, mission director of the programme.
The state government has extended the Jal Jeevan Hariyali Abhiyan till 2024-25.
Meanwhile, the NTPC Barauni secured the first rank in the National Awards for Water Resources Conservation and Management, as per a statement by NTPC.
Gurdeep Singh, CMD NTPC and Rajeev Khanna, head of the project, NTPC Barauni received the award. The awards are given in 11 different categories.
