Telangana ranked 1st, leads nation in water conservation projects

New Delhi: With the construction of 5.2 lakh water conservation structures, Telangana has emerged as the best-performing state under the Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari (JSJB) 1.0 initiative, the Ministry of Jal Shakti said on Tuesday.

Chhattisgarh secured second place with 4.05 lakh completed projects, followed by Rajasthan with 3.64 lakh structures, Jal Shakti Minister C R Paatil said.

Paatil announced this year’s awards being given under the “Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain” campaign.

The awards will be presented at the 6th National Water Awards by President Droupadi Murmu on November 18, alongside V L Kantha Rao, Secretary of the Department of Water Resources, River Development, and Ganga Rejuvenation.

Launched in September 2024 in Surat, JSJB promotes community-led water stewardship through a whole-of-government and whole-of-society model. States were tasked with creating a minimum of 10,000 artificial recharge and storage structures, while municipal corporations were required to complete at least 10,000, and urban local bodies (ULBs) 2,000 each.

Uttar Pradesh dominated the northern zone, with Mirzapur taking the top slot with 35,509 completed works, followed by Varanasi (24,409) and Jalaun (16,279). All three districts will receive Rs 2 crore each.

Chhattisgarh swept the eastern zone’s top positions with Balod ranking first with 92,742 structures, followed by Rajnandgaon (58,967) and Raipur (36,282).

In the southern zone, Telangana districts once again led the performance metrics — Adilabad topped the list with 98,693 works, followed by Nalgonda (84,827) and Mancherial (84,549).

Madhya Pradesh’s East Nimar ranked first in the western zone with 1.29 lakh completed structures, while Tripura’s North Tripura led the northeastern and hilly states category.

In total, 67 districts have been selected for awards across categories, including districts from Bihar, Odisha, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir. Cash prizes ranged from Rs 1 crore to Rs 2 crore for top performers, and Rs 25 lakh for districts under Category 3.

Raipur Municipal Corporation topped the national municipal corporations list with 33,082 completed works, followed by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (14,363) and the Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation (14,331). Each will receive Rs 2 crore.

Among the top 50 non-municipal ULBs, Guna Municipality in Madhya Pradesh ranked first with 2,227 works and will receive Rs 40 lakh.

The ministry also recognised contributions from the corporate and civil society ecosystem. The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) Water Mission and the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) were named the best industry associations.

Jaltara Save Groundwater topped the NGO category with 8,256 completed works, followed by GirGanga Parivar and the Art of Living, he said.

Philanthropists Karmabhoomi se Matrabhoomi and Hasmukhbhai from Gujarat were honoured for supporting local water conservation efforts.

Fourteen officers from the Central Water Commission and Central Ground Water Board were recognised for district-level coordination across Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Telangana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tripura, Jammu & Kashmir, and Uttarakhand.

A total of 100 awards have been announced this year across states, districts, ULBs, partner ministries, NGOs, industries, philanthropists, and nodal officers.

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