Latest news with #CatchtheRain
Hindustan Times
25-06-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
Groundwater recharge, rooftop audits key focus in ‘Catch the Rain' action plan
As part of the national Catch the Rain–2025 campaign, the Gautam Budh Nagar administration is pushing towards groundwater recharge and rainwater harvesting in wake of monsoon, said officials on Tuesday. The plan includes the installation of piezometers across urban and rural areas, identification of water-stressed zones, and auditing of rainwater harvesting systems in high-rise buildings. Deployment of piezometers was among the key issues discussed. 'Catch the Rain' is a national water conservation campaign launched by the centre under the National Water Mission, Ministry of Jal Shakti. The directives came during a recent review conducted by director, Department of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and the central nodal officer for the Jal Shakti Abhiyan, Rituraj Mishra during his visit to the district this week. Mishra emphasised the urgency of water conservation, calling it a shared responsibility, and urged all departments to finalise their water conservation action plans without delay, officials said. Deployment of piezometers was among the key issues discussed, said officials. To be sure, a piezometer is a device used to measure the pressure or level of groundwater in the soil, especially in wells or boreholes. It helps authorities monitor how deep the water table is and how it fluctuates over time. 'Piezometer data will allow us to monitor groundwater levels scientifically and respond to stress zones more precisely. This will greatly improve how we plan recharge efforts across the district,' said hydrologist, ground water department, Guatam Budh Nagar, Ankita Rai. Authorities have also been asked to coordinate with the district groundwater department to ensure that all high-rise residential societies have operational rooftop rainwater harvesting systems. Audits will be conducted to assess their functionality and enforce corrective action where needed, said officials. 'Water conservation cannot be the responsibility of a single department. All stakeholders must come together with clear, actionable plans. Catch the Rain–2025 is not just a campaign, it is a long-term commitment to securing our groundwater reserves,' said chief development officer, Vidyanath Shukla, adding that local bodies have been instructed to engage RWAs in spreading awareness and taking ownership of rooftop rainwater harvesting systems. To further reduce pressure on the water table, departments have been instructed to maximize the use of Ganga water in supply networks and minimise dependence on groundwater extraction, officials informed. As of May 2025, approximately 100 high-rise buildings across Gautam Budh Nagar have functional rainwater harvesting systems, according to the ground water department records. Among government establishments, around 60% have operational systems in place. According to assistant engineer, minor irrigation department, Pramod Kumar, implementation under the campaign is progressing steadily, with multiple projects already underway.
Time of India
14-06-2025
- Climate
- Time of India
UP uses remote sensing to micro map floods for monsoon season
Lucknow: To understand and thereby prevent flooding during the monsoon season, the state govt, for the first time, has superimposed flood inundation maps generated through 20 years of remote sensing onto cadastral maps for micro-mapping of floods. The information was provided by relief commissioner Bhanu Chandra Goswami at a meeting to review flood preparedness in the state chaired by chief secretary Manoj Kumar Singh. The chief secretary said that, as per the weather department's forecast, the monsoon is expected to break over eastern UP by June 20 and western UP by June 25. In light of this, Singh said flood preparedness at the village level should be ensured based on micro-mapping. He said that officials and personnel should be assigned duties at the flood control room and all flood posts should be established by June 20. A mock drill at the tehsil level will be conducted on June 26, and all 44 sensitive districts have to participate in it. Singh directed officials to carry out inspections and repair work of flood-prone villages and embankments by June 20. The sites for establishing flood shelters should be identified immediately, and adequate boats and other necessary resources should be pre-identified. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Pinga-Pinga e HBP? Tome isso 1x ao dia se tem mais de 40 anos Portal Saúde do Homem Clique aqui Undo "During floods, cooked food, clean drinking water, sanitation facilities, and fodder should be adequately provided in relief camps, and there should be no compromise on the quality of distributed relief materials," he said. He further said that inlets and outlets of Amrit Sarovars should be cleaned, encroachments removed, and catchment areas improved. The emphasis was also placed on increasing awareness of water conservation under the 'Catch the Rain' campaign. The relief commissioner informed the chief secretary that 44 districts, 118 tehsils, 2,500 villages, and 5,600 hamlets in the state are flood-sensitive. Pre-deployment of rescue forces at the tehsil level was done for flood rescue, with 48 teams of 17 flood companies of PAC, 15 teams of SDRF, and 11 teams of NDRF pre-deployed in 74 highly sensitive tehsils. "Over 10,000 trained disaster friends will assist in search and rescue operations. For flood management, 18 highly sensitive districts have been allocated 50 lakh each, 12 sensitive districts 25 lakh each, and 14 generally sensitive districts 10 lakh each," he said. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
Time of India
10-06-2025
- Climate
- Time of India
Reservoirs in Gujarat filled up to 44% of storage capacity: Govt
Gandhinagar: With the monsoon approaching, the Sardar Sarovar Dam was filled up to 53.04% of its storage capacity on Tuesday. Overall, the 207 reservoirs of the state have a storage capacity of 44.18%, the state govt informed. Exactly a year ago, on June 10, 2024, the storage capacity of reservoirs of the state stood at 40.81%, the govt said. A water resources department issued a statement saying that storage in 17 reservoirs of central Gujarat was 44.08% of its total capacity. South Gujarat's 13 reservoirs had a storage of 43.25%, north Gujarat's 15 reservoirs were filled up to 29.38% of their capacity, Saurashtra's 141 reservoirs had 28.10% storage, and Kutch's 20 reservoirs had a storage of 27.57%. Six reservoirs in the state were filled between 70% to 100%, 20 reservoirs between 50% to 70%, and 71 reservoirs between 25% to 50%. As a result, sufficient water was provided to meet the needs of citizens in rural and urban areas during the summer, the govt said. The statement said that as a result of campaigns like the Sujalam Sufalam Jal Abhiyan, Gujarat has become self-reliant in water management. A state-wide project of 'Catch the Rain' has also been launched, the govt added.
Indian Express
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
CM Bhupendra Patel releases book on kingdom of Patidars in Ahmedabad
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Sunday released 'Sonani Hatdi — the proud kingdom of Patidars', a book on the 750 years of genealogy of the royal courts of Patdi, at Vishv Umiyadham in Ahmedabad. 'The freedom struggle started with the non-cooperation movement, while today's time is of prosperity through cooperation. The development of a society where people are united with each other through cooperation, sympathy and mutual trust, continues to move forward,' he said. CM Patel said there is strength in unity, adding that when people work together, the biggest tasks can be done easily as collective strength is more impressive than individual strength. 'Gujarat is making progress in every field today due to the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. For this, the Prime Minister has given priority to matters ranging from cleanliness to semiconductors and green energy,' he said. Talking about the nine resolutions by the Prime Minister, Patel said that the former has already started campaigns to tackle the challenges ahead in the future. 'We have to keep our heritage alive along with the development of the country by making cleanliness a habit. He had asked to increase the green cover through campaigns like 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' to defeat the challenge of global warming and to develop the habit of water conservation in the future generation through campaigns like 'Catch the Rain',' he added. President of Vishv Umiya Foundation, RP Patel, said that at the time of Independence, there was only one indigenous kingdom of Patidar community in Patdi. 'Today, everything from ploughs to helicopters is being built by the people of this community. Temples are centres of power.'
Indian Express
04-06-2025
- Health
- Indian Express
Visit aspirational dists, spend at least 24 hrs: PM Modi to ministers
PRIME MINISTER Narendra Modi Wednesday asked all ministers to visit aspirational districts and blocks and spend at least 24 hours there, The Indian Express has learnt. This was conveyed during the meeting of the Union Council of Ministers, the first after Operation Sindoor, under the PM's chairmanship and went on for over three-and-a-half hours. Without mentioning Operation Sindoor, the PM in his closing remarks is learnt to have told the ministers that the world has seen India's defence might. The nature of war has changed and all can happen in just 20 minutes, he is learnt to have told the ministers. During the meeting, Cabinet Secretary T V Samanathan made a presentation on '11 years of transformational governance', detailing the NDA government's achievements. Secretaries of the central government were present. It is learnt that Modi asked the ministers and secretaries to not compare the last 10 years of achievements with the previous 10 years and focus on the targets set for the coming years. Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation Secretary Debashree Mukherjee made a presentation on her ministry's 'Catch the Rain' campaign. The PM suggested that MGNREGS funds should be used for water conservation works like it is used in other schemes PMAY-G. During the meeting, Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava made a presentation on obesity. In March, the Prime Minister had termed obesity as the 'root cause of many diseases' and appealed to the people to 'reduce the intake of cooking oil by 10 per cent in your daily diet as it leads to obesity'. NITI Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam made a presentation on Aspirational District Program (ADP) and Aspirational Block Programme (ABP). It was pointed out that 5 Union ministers have not visited aspirational districts assigned to them. The PM then asked ministers to visit aspirational districts and spend at least 24 hours there. Harikishan Sharma, Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express' National Bureau, specializes in reporting on governance, policy, and data. He covers the Prime Minister's Office and pivotal central ministries, such as the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare, Ministry of Cooperation, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ministry of Rural Development, and Ministry of Jal Shakti. His work primarily revolves around reporting and policy analysis. In addition to this, he authors a weekly column titled "STATE-ISTICALLY SPEAKING," which is prominently featured on The Indian Express website. In this column, he immerses readers in narratives deeply rooted in socio-economic, political, and electoral data, providing insightful perspectives on these critical aspects of governance and society. ... Read More
