NEW DELHI: Expressing concern over the drought in many parts of the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called for water conservation through a mass movement and appealed to farmers and villagers to adopt innovative methods to conserve scarce resources.
Referring to the forecast of ‘above normal’ rainfall this monsoon, Modi said, “Such good news always brings happiness and new 
energy. But this news brings new awareness also… While the news about good rainfall brings comfort, it also provides an opportunity and a challenge. Can we run a movement from village to village to conserve water?”
“Rain water should be preserved. The water of a village should remain in the village. If we make a resolve to do this, it is possible through a mass campaign. So, even though we have a water crisis now, we have one-and-a-half months to prepare (before the onset of the monsoon),” the PM added.
Talking about the drought situation in various parts of the country, the PM said in his monthly radio programme ‘Mann ki Baat’ that concern was natural, particularly since prolonged drought led to drop in water level in reservoirs. “To fight drought and water scarcity, the governments will do their work. But I have seen people also make their own efforts. In several villages, awareness to value water has been there. In such places, there is sensitivity and a will to do something to conserve water,” he said.
He cited how in Gandhiji’s birthplace Porbandar, tanks have been built beneath houses, which are over 200 years old, to conserve water. He also gave examples of Hivre village in Maharashtra where farmers have changed cropping pattern and switched over from cultivating water-guzzling sugarcane and banana to less water-consuming crops like fruits and vegetables. The PM said the village has also adopted sprinklers, drip irrigation, water harvesting and water recharging methods in a big way.
Turning to efforts to clean Ganga, he said, “This task (of cleaning Ganga) can never succeed without people’s participation and we all have to become an agent of change in this.”
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/No-drought-of-ideas-in-Mann-ki-Baat-to-fight-water-crisis/articleshow/51972126.cms
