Water Conservation SchemesWater Conservation Schemes

Comprehensive overview of central schemes aimed at water conservation, efficiency improvement, and governance restructuring.

• National Water Mission (NWM): One of the eight missions under NAPCC with the objective of 'Conservation of Water, Minimizing Wastage, and Ensuring Equitable Distribution' through integrated water resource management (IWRM).
• Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA): A time-bound campaign focusing on water conservation and rainwater harvesting in 256 water-stressed districts across India, executed through collaborative efforts of central and state ministries.
• Atal Bhujal Yojana (Atal Jal): A ₹6,000 crore central sector scheme funded with World Bank assistance, focusing on community-led sustainable groundwater management in water-stressed blocks of 7 states including Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra.
• Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY): Launched in 2015 with the motto 'Har Khet Ko Pani' and 'More Crop Per Drop', integrating Har Khet Ko Pani, Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (AIBP), Per Drop More Crop, and Watershed Development.

Key schemes, river rejuvenation projects, and groundwater conservation acts implemented within Uttar Pradesh relevant to state examinations.

• UP Groundwater (Management and Regulation) Act, 2019: Mandates registration of submersible borewells and installation of rooftop rainwater harvesting systems in commercial, industrial, and large residential properties across UP to arrest depleting water tables.
• Namami Gange & River Rejuvenation in UP: Intensive sewerage infrastructure creation, Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) enforcement in tanneries of Kanpur, and Ghat development along Ganga, Yamuna, Ramganga, and Gomti rivers.
• Catch the Rain Campaign & UP Implementation: National campaign 'Catch the rain, where it falls, when it falls' executed extensively in UP rural districts through village panchayats for desilting tanks, building check dams, and removing encroachments on water channels.
• Khet-Talab Yojana (Farm Pond Scheme): A state-sponsored initiative providing financial subsidies to farmers in Bundelkhand and Vindhyachal regions for constructing farm ponds to store rainwater for protective irrigation during dry spells.

Ancient and indigenous water harvesting methods across various physiographic zones of India that serve as conceptual bases for modern schemes.

• Zabo System (Nagaland): An ingenious indigenous farming and water management system practiced in Pfutsero, Nagaland, combining forest protection, water harvesting in ponds on hilltops, cattle yards, and paddy fields in terraces.
• Johads and Baolis (Rajasthan & Western India): Johads are small earthen check dams that store and recharge groundwater, famously revived by Rajendra Singh (Waterman of India) in Alwar. Baolis are stepwells serving as ornate underground water reservoirs.
• Kuls (Himachal Pradesh): Surface water channels diverted from glacier-fed streams in mountainous terrain of Himachal Pradesh, managed communally by local farmers known as 'Kohris'.
• Eris (Tamil Nadu): Ancient tank irrigation systems systemically linked to river systems in South India, acting as flood moderators and groundwater recharge structures.

Hydrological principles, watershed concepts, and technological applications crucial for objective-type exam questions.

• Watershed Management: The management of rainfall and runoff within a hydrological unit or drainage basin, aiming to conserve soil and water, improve vegetative cover, and enhance biomass production.
• Rainwater Harvesting (RWH): The technique of collection and storage of rainwater into natural reservoirs or subsurface aquifers before it is lost as surface runoff, mandatory in institutional and large residential buildings.
• Micro-Irrigation Efficiency: Drip irrigation delivers water directly to plant roots drop-by-drop, achieving 90-95% water use efficiency compared to 40-50% in traditional flood irrigation.
• Groundwater Aquifers & Over-exploitation: Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) categorizes assessment units into Safe, Semi-Critical, Critical, and Over-exploited based on groundwater extraction versus recharge percentage.