Chief Minister calls for making water conservation a part of daily routine, protecting water structures, and adopting responsible thinking towards water
Grievous review of the implementation of the “Water Storage-Public Participation 2.0” campaign held under the joint chairmanship of Chief Minister Shri Sai and Union Jal Shakti Minister Shri C. R. Patil
Union Jal Shakti Minister lauded the work and innovations happening 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 due to pond construction, farmers will get additional benefits
Raipur February 20, 2026/A thorough review of the implementation of the “Water Storage-Public Participation 2.0” campaign in the state was held today in a meeting organized at the Chief Minister’s residence office in Naya Raipur, under the joint chairmanship of Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai and Union Jal Shakti Minister Shri C. R. Patil. 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 works 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 but also an economic, social, and developmental challenge of the 21st century. He said that public participation is essential to make water conservation sustainable and effective. He referred to the message of the country’s honorable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, which emphasizes adopting a sensitive and responsible approach towards water by considering water usage as sacred.
Chief Minister Shri Sai said that in the first phase of the campaign, Chhattisgarh secured the second position in the country, and various districts also received awards in different categories. In the first phase, working on a community participation model, large-scale structures like borewell recharge, rooftop rainwater harvesting, recharge shafts, soak pits, and openwell recharge were constructed. 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 an 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 under the second phase of the campaign, “Water Storage-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 landholdings of more than 10 acres are being encouraged to construct ponds on their farms. The cooperation of industrial groups, along with the district administration, is also being taken in this work. These ponds will increase the groundwater level and provide additional facilities like irrigation and fish farming to the farmers.
Chief Minister said that in the second phase, special attention will 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 “Water Friends” to accelerate the campaign. The Chief Minister clarified that with a special focus on critical and semi-critical blocks, the target for water conservation works has been set at 40 percent 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 Jal Shakti Minister Shri C. R. Patil lauded the work and innovations happening in the field of water conservation in Chhattisgarh. He said that last year, Chhattisgarh ranked second in the country in water conservation efforts, which is a matter of pride for the state. He said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi launched the ‘Water Storage Public Participation Campaign’ from Surat in September 2024 and called for ‘Contribution to water storage for the motherland from the land of action’. The objective of this campaign is to turn water conservation into 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 under MNREGA for water conservation works. 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 Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Shri Subodh Kumar Singh, Secretary of Water Resources Department Shri Rajesh Sukumar Toppo, Secretary of Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India Shri Kantarao, and all Collectors of Chhattisgarh were present virtually in the meeting.