People joining water harvesting campaign in big way: Paatil

Surat: Groundwater recharging through rainwater harvesting was imperative for the survival of future generations, Union Jal Shakti minister C R Paatil said here on Sunday.
Speaking at an event titled 'Water Harvesting - Public Participation' under the 'Catch the Rain' campaign, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched in March 2021, Paatil said that people from Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh have joined the campaign to recharge groundwater.
Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel and his MP and Rajasthan counterparts, Mohan Yadav and Bhajanlal Sharma, respectively, took part along with Bihar deputy CM Samrat Chaudhary.
Paatil said, "India has 18% of the world's population and 18% livestock, but only 4% of drinking water. If we do not make arrangements for it, then we may leave money and property for our future generations, but they will not be able to survive without water."
He added that water cannot be produced in industry. "Water of every village should remain in the village, and the water of the field should be in the field. So, we have decided to take this campaign forward," the minister said.
"More and more people are joining the campaign. People of Rajasthan, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh living in Surat are contributing to the campaign for their native states," the union minister added.
People in Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Haryana have also undertaken rainwater harvesting work, he said, adding he urged citizens to adopt one village and dig a bore with their own money.
Paatil said that dams alone cannot help address water issues, as all the possible dams were constructed, and the remaining are under construction.