Conservation and promotion of water resources is everyone’s collective responsibility: President
New Delhi. President Draupadi Murmu on Tuesday stressed that conservation and promotion of water resources is the collective responsibility of everyone. Building a water-secure India is not possible without our active participation. President Murmu honored 38 winners in nine categories announced by the Union Jal Shakti Ministry in New Delhi. In the best state category, Odisha got the first prize, Uttar Pradesh got the second place and Gujarat and Puducherry jointly got the third place. Each award winner received a citation and a trophy as well as cash prizes in some categories. The President said that we can make a significant contribution to water conservation with small efforts. For example, we should not leave taps in our homes open, take care that water does not overflow from overhead water tanks, make arrangements for water harvesting in homes and collectively renovate traditional water reservoirs.
The President said that water is a basic need and fundamental human right for every person. A clean and prosperous society cannot be built without ensuring access to clean water. Unavailability of water and poor sanitation has a greater impact on the health, food security and livelihoods of the disadvantaged. The President said that it is a well-known fact that there are limited fresh water resources available on Earth, yet we ignore water conservation and management. These resources are getting polluted and depleted due to man-made reasons. He was happy to note that the Government of India has taken several steps to promote water conservation and water harvesting. The President said that water conservation is part of our tradition. Our ancestors used to build ponds near villages. They used to build reservoirs near or inside the temples, so that the water stored in them could be used in case of water shortage. Unfortunately, we are forgetting the lessons of our ancestors. Some people have encroached on the water bodies for personal gain. This not only affects the availability of water during drought, but also creates flood-like situations during excessive rainfall. The President said that the National Water Awards is a commendable step towards promoting relevant attitudes and actions towards water resources. He expressed confidence that through this program the “best practices” of the award winners will reach the general public. He said that the objective of the National Water Awards is to create awareness among the people about the importance of water and motivate them to adopt best water use practices.
