Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath stressed on conservation of water, maintenance of its quality and better usage, saying that it was essential for survival as well as progress of the state.
Yogi Adityanath said that preserving water was the most focused area of his government. He said that in its effort to realise this objective, the government not only ensured the completion and operation of several projects pending for decades but also worked towards saving every drop of water through construction of farm ponds, multi-purpose ponds on the banks of rivers, check-dams and more.
The chief minister said that due to the sustained efforts of the government in the span of the last five years, as many as 25 development blocks of the state had been pulled out of the ‘dark zone’ slot signifying depleting groundwater levels they had witnessed and a remarkable improvement in terms of availability of groundwater.
He said to improve the quality and presence of groundwater, the government not only worked to ensure the effective implementation of Atal Bhujal and Catch the Rain schemes but also simultaneously made elaborate arrangements for rain water harvesting at various institutions, including state government buildings.
The chief minister was expressing his views while flagging off the 'Digital Groundwater Rath' developed for publicity of various public awareness programmes under the Atal Bhujal Yojana on the occasion of Groundwater Week at his official residence here on Sunday.
Earlier, the chief minister started the programme by lighting the lamp and flagged off the Digital Groundwater Rath.
The Groundwater Week is being organised from July 16 to 22.
The chief minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had started the 'Catch the Rain' programme two years ago and under this scheme, the Groundwater Week was being organised in the state for creating public awareness regarding groundwater conservation.
“This is a very important week for the country and the state. Under this, digital groundwater raths will go to 10 districts of the state and make their contribution in making every citizen aware about the safety of drinking water and groundwater,” he said.