Mehsana: Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel launched the state-wide ‘Catch the Rain Sujalam Sufalam Jal Abhiyan 2.0’ from Dawada in Mehsana district, marking a significant step towards realizing the ‘Catch the Rain’ initiative.

With the aim of responding effectively to Prime Minister Modi’s call to collect and store rainwater wherever it falls, as much as it falls, this campaign will be conducted across the state from April 4 to May 31, 2025.

Under ‘Catch the Rain Sujalam Sufalam Jal Abhiyan 2.0,’ efforts to strengthen water storage systems and raise groundwater levels will be accelerated.

For this purpose, various state government departments, including Water Resources, Water Supply, Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam, Rural Development, Forest & Environment, and Urban Development, will undertake water conservation projects with public participation in all districts.

These projects include deepening existing lakes, desilting check dams and reservoirs/rivers, repairing damaged check dams, maintaining and cleaning canals, implementing rainwater harvesting, constructing farm ponds and earthen dams, creating terraces/forest ponds, cleaning drinking water sources, repairing lake waste weirs, and removing wild acacias, bushes, and shrubs obstructing river flow.

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel launched the campaign by initiating excavation work using a JCB at Dawada village in Mehsana district.

The Chief Minister urged everyone to actively participate in the ‘Ek Pad Maan Ke Naam’ campaign and Swachh Bharat, emphasizing the importance of collecting and storing rainwater drop by drop to address global warming and enhance green cover for environmental protection.

He expressed confidence that the prime minister’s ‘Catch the Rain’ initiative will contribute to long-term water security by deepening lakes, check dams, and cleaning rivers under ‘Catch the Rain Sujalam Sufalam Jal Abhiyan 2.0.’

From 2018 to 2024, the state government has undertaken 107,608 projects under this initiative, including the deepening of lakes, creation of 36,979 new lakes, desilting of 24,086 check dams, and cleaning of 66,213 km of canals.

As a result, the state’s water storage capacity has increased by 119,144 lakh cubic feet, while also generating 199.60 lakh man-days of employment.

The success of Sujalam Sufalam Jal Abhiyan has been recognized nationally, earning the SKOCH Award in the Platinum category in 2020 and the Gold category in 2021.

At the inauguration, Minister for Water Resources and Water Supply Kunwarjibhai Bavaliya, MP Haribhai Patel, Mehsana district MLAs, District Panchayat President Trishaben Patel, Narmada Water Resources and Water Supply Secretary P.C. Vyas, along with officers, office bearers, and villagers from the Water Resources Department and district administration, were present. DeshGujarat