VP Dhankhar appeals for reinvigorating traditional water harvesting structures

New Delhi, Jun 17 (PTI) Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday appealed for reinvigorating traditional water harvesting structures through the policy of reduce, reuse and recycle.

He also appealed to citizens to make water conservation an integral part of their daily lives.

During his address at the 4th National Water Awards, the vice president called for reinvigorating traditional water harvesting structures such as ponds through renewed commitment to the “3Rs of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle”.

Congratulating the winners for their exemplary work in the field of water resources management, Dhankhar called upon all public representatives at the panchayat, state and national levels to make water conservation a priority and lead by example.

Drawing attention to the constitutional provisions that lay emphasize on the conservation of water and environment, he highlighted the transformational impact that various government initiatives such as the Jal Jeevan Mission are having on the lives of ordinary citizens.

Noting that conservation of water has always been an inalienable facet of India’s civilisational ethos, the vice president said that it is the responsibility of every citizen to ensure the wise use of nature’s gifts.

“Natural resources utilisation has to be as per our optimum necessity,” he stressed.

At the awards ceremony, 41 winners were felicitated across 11 categories.

The first prize for the best state was given to Madhya Pradesh, best district was given to Ganjam district of Odisha and best village panchayat was given to Jagannadhapuram of Telangana’s Bhadradri Kothagudem district.

It seeks to create awareness among people about the importance of water and motivate them to adopt best water use practices.

The best urban local body was conferred on Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, best media on Advance Water Digest Private Limited Gurugram, best school on Jamiyatpura Primary School in Mehsana, best institution for campus usage on Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, and the best industry award was conferred on Barauni Thermal Power Station in Begusarai.

The best NGO was conferred on Arpan Seva Sansthan in Udaipur in Rajasthan, best water user association on the Sanjeevani Piyat Sahkari Mandli Ltd. in Narmada in Gujarat and the best industry for CSR activities was conferred on HCL Technologies Ltd., Noida, Uttar Pradesh.

The vice president also released a short film featuring the animated character “Piku”, the mascot of the National Water Mission, to be telecast on Doordarshan for amplifying the message of water conservation.