Rajasthan’s Water Supply Minister inaugurated seminar and 500 saplings planted in Jal Bhawan.
With the objective of water conservation and increasing greenery in the state, the Public Health and Engineering Department, under the guidance of Water Supply Minister Shri Kanhaiya Lal, took an innovative initiative and started a campaign to plant one lakh saplings across the state. The Water Supply Minister started this campaign by planting a sapling in Jal Bhawan and 500 saplings were planted in Jal Bhawan.
At the launch of the campaign, the Water Supply Minister said that it is necessary to save trees for environmental protection. Where trees are saved, nature becomes safe. He said that under this campaign, we have set a target of planting one lakh saplings in a single day in all the offices, institutions, pump houses of the Water Supply Department across the state.
He said that due to excessive water exploitation, increasing demand for water and less recharge of groundwater, many areas of Rajasthan have been included in the dark zone. He said that in the coming times, the biggest crisis will be of water and we will have to make efforts to save water from today.
Shri Kanhaiyalal called upon the people to make the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” campaign a success and said that we should plant trees and also take the responsibility of protecting them.
The Water Supply Minister thanked the officers, engineers and employees of his department for the smooth supply of water, cutting illegal connections and proper distribution of water in the state during this severe summer.
During this time, the Water Supply Minister also laid the foundation stone of a waste water treatment plant in Jal Bhawan under the Nir Nidhi Nirman in collaboration with AU Small Finance Bank. AU Small Finance Bank’s Founder, MD and CEO Shri Sanjay Agarwal explained the objective of water conservation through water treatment plant as ‘4R’ – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Replenish. It is worth mentioning that this initiative of the PHED department will not only reduce the wastage of waste water to a great extent but will also create green space.
State level seminar on water collection and conservation—
Government Secretary Public Health and Engineering Dr. Samit Sharma, citing the example of falling groundwater level in the state, said that if 100 liters of water goes into the ground, then 148 liters is being exploited. He said that for this, big parks, hotels, marriage gardens, hospitals and buildings should follow the rules of rainwater collection and wastewater treatment under the Township Policy of the Rajasthan Government, so that more than 50 percent of the water can be reused.
On this occasion, a one-day state level seminar was also organized in the conference hall of Jal Bhawan to prepare a state level action plan for falling groundwater level, drinking water quality, water security, water conservation, rainwater harvesting and tree plantation works in the state. More than 70 representatives of voluntary organizations doing excellent work in the field of water in Rajasthan also participated in the seminar. Padmashree Shri Laxman Singh Lapodia, Padmashree Shri Himtaram Nagaur and other subject experts expressed their views as keynote speakers in the seminar.
In the program, the Water Supply Minister also administered the ‘Water Pledge’ to everyone to save water.
Mission Director of Jal Jeevan Mission Mr. Bachanesh Agarwal, Joint Administrative Secretary First Mr. Praveen Lekhara along with Chief Engineer, Additional Chief Engineer, department officials, employees, representatives of voluntary organizations were present in the program.