Chhattisgarh ranks first in national water conservation initiative

Chhattisgarh has secured the first national position in the third phase of the Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari (JSJB 3.0) initiative. This community-driven water conservation programme is part of the Ministry of Jal Shakti’s ‘Catch the Rain’ campaign.

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai presented the state’s model at a national summit in New Delhi. The state successfully completed 77,719 of its 79,775 registered water conservation structures. Notably, five districts—Surajpur, Mahasamund, Balod, Balodabazar-Bhatapara, and Kabirdham—were among the top ten performers in India.

One highlighted innovation is the Koriya district’s ‘5 Per Cent Model,’ which encourages farmers to voluntarily dedicate 5% of their agricultural land to groundwater recharge structures. This follows previous phases where Chhattisgarh ranked second nationally.