New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday called for sensitising urban local bodies to the challenges arising from urbanisation, including population growth and future water requirements.
Addressing the valedictory session of the Ministry of Jal Shakti’s two-day National Departmental Summit on Water, Modi called for greater adoption of water-saving technologies and suggested dedicated exhibitions and workshops, including on exposure to global best practices, to enable Indian manufacturers and stakeholders to develop and scale efficient solutions.
The PM called for sensitising urban local bodies to the challenges arising from urbanisation, including population growth and future water requirements, an official statement said.
Emphasising the need for ‘janbhagidari’ (public participation), Modi suggested promoting “Jal Utsav” to create greater awareness among people.
He called for making de-silting a regular programme and developing clear criteria and standard operating procedure for de-silting.
On dam safety, the prime minister stressed the need for rigorous preparedness before every monsoon, adherence to prescribed precautions and creating awareness among school students, including through suitable incorporation in educational curricula.
He further called for strengthening knowledge and capacity on water management and governance in universities and higher educational institutions.
Modi appreciated the intensive two-day deliberations and emphasised that the actionable and time-bound action points emerging from the summit should be pursued through a continuous process of review and learning.
He suggested that the summit should not remain a one-time exercise and called for a continuous process of review and follow up.
The PM suggested structured interstate study visits involving public representatives, officials and farmers to facilitate practical learning and replication of successful interventions.
He called for robust water data governance, with water-sector data brought together, systematically managed, analysed and effectively utilised.
Modi recommended the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for data collection and analysis through a uniform format and stressed anticipatory and integrated planning to address water scarcity through suitable utilisation of treated water for agriculture and industrial purposes.
Drawing upon his experience as chief minister of Gujarat, Modi noted that instances of water scarcity could be transformed into opportunities through systematic planning, commitment and deployment of adequate resources and capable officers.
Later, in a post on X, the PM said, “Water security is vital for India and for our planet. It calls for innovative ideas, technology and above all, Jan Bhagidari.”
“At the National Departmental Summit on Water, highlighted some key priorities: Take Jal Utsav deeper among the people. Harness AI and data to improve how we understand, plan and manage our water resources. Encourage technologies that help us use every drop more efficiently. And more…,” he said.
The summit is the first in a series of departmental summits envisioned by the prime minister to strengthen the spirit of Team India, deepen cooperative federalism and foster collective ownership of national priorities through closer collaboration between the Centre and the states, the statement said.
It brought together ministers and senior officials from states and Union territories for focused deliberations on various dimensions of India’s water security.
Union Minister for Jal Shakti C R Patil highlighted four key outcomes of the summit — accelerated completion of water infrastructure projects, strengthening water conservation as a sustained people’s movement, ensuring long-term sustainability of drinking-water sources, and institutionalising effective operation and maintenance of rural drinking-water schemes.
In a post on X after the valedictory session, Patil said, “The Prime Minister has linked water not merely to being a subject of the government but has connected it to ‘everyone’s effort’, public participation, and a people’s movement.”
“The Prime Minister’s inspiring guidance gives us new energy to convert the deliberations from the summit into results,” he said.
“Under his leadership, the Centre and the states together will continue to steadily advance towards building a water-secure and developed India by conserving every drop of rainwater,” the minister said.
