We need to understand the importance of water for a safer future, says UP Chief Minister Yogi

CM Yogi addresses the closing ceremony of the Groundwater Week programme organized at Lok Bhavan
Once, Bundelkhand and Vindhya suffered from scarcity of water, today, pure water is available in every house: CM

By Our Correspondent

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath asserted on Friday that it is impossible to imagine life without water and that it is crucial to understand this fact to ensure the safety of tomorrow.

Addressing the closing ceremony of the Groundwater Week programme (Bhujal Saptah) organized at Lok Bhavan, the Chief Minister said that in a bid to tackle the problem of depleting groundwater level, the state government made an act in the year 2019. “Under this, it was made mandatory for new residential and commercial buildings to have provisions for rainwater harvesting. This resulted in an increase in the number of rainwater harvesting systems in the state, which will meet future needs.”

Adopting the campaign of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to save water in the state, a campaign of ‘Per Drop, More Crop’ is being run in the state, he added.

The Chief Minister said that the Groundwater Week programme, which began on July 16, is being formally concluded today, but in reality, the program will end on Saturday with a massive tree plantation.

“Under the tree plantation drive, 30 crore saplings will be planted in one day throughout the entire state, and the program will be completed with 5 crore sapling plantations on the occasion of Independence Day. We all have to actively participate in the programme. Similarly, we have to collect rainwater because the higher the groundwater level, the more pure water we will get. On the contrary, the lower this level goes, the more complaints of arsenic and fluoride will be seen. This will also increase the risk of diseases,” he further informed.

The Chief Minister emphasized that while the double-engine government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is constantly taking action to protect people from all problems, it is our duty as citizens to think about what we will leave for our future generations.

The Chief Minister stated that the government has been implementing the Har Ghar Nal program to provide tap water to every household and that in the last six years, the goal of doing so has been achieved. “People used to carry water on their heads for long distances in places like Bundelkhand and Vindhya earlier, but now every home has access to clean water with ease. The government is working to provide RO water in these areas.”

He added: “If you wish ‘Har Ghar Jal Yojana’ to run successfully for a long time, then all the people of the state will have to come forward and understand the importance of water to increase the ground water level because water requirements can be met by 80 to 90 percent through groundwater”, he informed.

Improvement in Ganga due to ‘Namami Gange Project’

The Chief Minister said that the double-engine government has made significant strides toward water conservation through Mission Amrit Sarovar at the district and block levels as part of the “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav,” where Uttar Pradesh came in first.

“Everyone was well aware of the poor condition of the Ganga before the ‘Namami Gange Program. On the other hand, it has significantly improved since the Namami Gange project was launched under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But still, new steps are to be taken in the direction to protect groundwater or surface water because it will strengthen the groundwater level”, said CM Yogi.

CM Yogi appealed to the people of the state that the best time for water conservation is during the rainy season because if we can save every drop at this time, then it will be an effort to save lives in the coming times.