Beyond the Jal Shakti Abhiyan

NITI Aayog reckons that nearly 600 million Indians are already facing "high to extreme" water stress. The situation is set to worsen as the water demand is likely to double by 2030

For the first time, the government has got its timing right in conducting the rainwater-harvesting drive, the Jal Shakti Abhiyan phase-II. The programme was launched on March 22, the International Water Day, much before the onset of the monsoon, and is slated to continue till November-end. Normally, soil and water conservation measures are taken up during the monsoon season, which is an inappropriate time to do so. Jobs like cleaning, dredging and widening water streams and water-holding ponds, lakes, and reservoirs need to be carried out prior to the onset of the monsoon. The pre-monsoon dry season is an opportune