Chief Minister calls for making water conservation a part of daily routine, protecting water structures, and adopting a responsible attitude towards water.
Intensive review of the implementation of the “Water Conservation-Public Participation 2.0” campaign held under the joint chairmanship of Chief Minister Shri Sai and Union Minister of Jal Shakti Shri C.R. Patil.
Union Minister of Jal Shakti appreciates the work and innovations being done in the field of water conservation in Chhattisgarh.
Target of 10 lakh water structures by May 31, water security will get a new foundation.
Groundwater level will increase with pond construction, farmers will get additional benefits.
Raipur February 20, 2026/An intensive review of the implementation of the “Water Conservation-Public Participation 2.0” campaign in the state was held today in a meeting chaired jointly by Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai and Union Minister of Jal Shakti Shri C.R. Patil at the Chief Minister’s residence office in Nava Raipur. Union Minister Shri Patil joined the meeting virtually and addressed it. During this, Collectors of Bilaspur, Durg, and Surajpur districts presented detailed information about the work and activities being conducted under the campaign in their respective districts.
Chief Minister Shri Sai said that water crisis has become not only a serious environmental challenge of the 21st century but also an economic, social, and developmental challenge. He said that public participation is essential to make water conservation sustainable and effective. He referred to the message of the country’s Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, which emphasizes adopting a sensitive and responsible approach towards water, considering the use of water as a blessing. The Chief Minister said that inspired by the Prime Minister’s guidance, the state government is committed to making water conservation a mass movement.
Chief Minister Shri Sai said that in the first phase of the campaign, Chhattisgarh secured the second position across the country, and various districts also received awards in different categories. In the first phase, working on a community participation model, structures like borewell recharge, rooftop rainwater harvesting, recharge shafts, soak pits, and openwell recharge were constructed on a large scale. Shri Sai said that currently, 5 critical and 21 semi-critical groundwater blocks are identified in the state. Compared to 2024, a decrease in groundwater extraction and improvement in groundwater levels have been recorded in 5 of these blocks in 2025, which is an indication of the positive results of water conservation efforts.
Chief Minister Shri Sai said that in the second phase of the campaign, “Water Conservation-Public Participation 2.0”, a more result-oriented strategy based on technology is being adopted. The state government has set a target of constructing 10 lakh water conservation structures by May 31, 2026. The Chief Minister described this as a historic step for the state towards water security. He said that on the occasion of the state’s silver jubilee year, as a special initiative, more than four lakh farmers with more than 10 acres of land are being encouraged to build ponds on their fields. The cooperation of industrial groups is also being taken along with the district administration in this work. These ponds will increase groundwater levels and provide additional facilities like irrigation and fish farming to the farmers.
Chief Minister said that in the second phase, special attention will also be given to the geotagging of all water structures, water budgets of Gram Panchayats, and the creation of water security plans. Also, the youth of the villages will be trained as “Jal Mitra” (Water Friends) to speed up the campaign. The Chief Minister clarified that while focusing on critical and semi-critical blocks, a target of 40 percent water conservation work has been set in semi-critical blocks and 65 percent in critical blocks. He also appealed to the people of the state to make water conservation a part of their daily routine, protect water structures, and adopt a responsible attitude towards water.
Union Minister of Jal Shakti Shri C.R. Patil appreciated the work and innovations being done in the field of water conservation in Chhattisgarh. He said that last year Chhattisgarh secured the second position across the country in water conservation efforts, which is a matter of pride for the state. He said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi had launched the ‘Water Conservation Public Participation Campaign’ from Surat in September 2024 and called for ‘cooperation in water conservation from Karma-bhoomi to Matru-bhoomi’. The objective of this campaign is to make water conservation a mass movement.
Union Minister Shri Patil asked all the Collectors of the state to ensure the full and effective utilization of the funds received for water conservation works under MNREGA. He praised the remarkable work done by a female Sarpanch for water conservation through her own efforts during her visit to Rajnandgaon. Along with this, he emphasized increasing public participation in water conservation.
Chief Minister’s Principal Secretary Shri Subodh Kumar Singh, Secretary of Water Resources Department Shri Rajesh Sukumar Toppo, and Secretary of the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India, Shri Kantarao, and all Collectors of Chhattisgarh were present virtually in the meeting.