Jal Shakti minister calls for strict implementation of Dam Safety Act
Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil on Monday called for effective implementation of the Dam Safety Act, 2021, timely completion of dam safety evaluations, and measures to tackle reservoir sedimentation.
He also called for simplifying project appraisal processes to facilitate faster implementation of irrigation and flood management projects.
The minister was speaking at the All-India Conference of Senior Most Secretaries of Water Resources Departments of states and Union Territories.
"I am confident that the deliberations in this conference and the related suggestions will give a new momentum to reforms in the country's water sector and play an important role in the direction of more effective and scientific management of water resources," he said at the event.
Patil also stressed the need to accelerate the implementation of the M-CAD Scheme, strengthen water user associations, and improve irrigation efficiency.
The M-CADWM (Modernisation of Command Area Development and Water Management) scheme is aimed at modernizing irrigation by implementing underground pressurized piped networks, and encouraging cluster-based management by local Water User Societies.
With a Rs 1,600 crore outlay, it primarily targets the transition from traditional, inefficient open canal flood irrigation to modern water-saving micro-irrigation at the farm gate.
The Union Minister also urged urged all states and union territories to intensify the Catch the Rain 2026 campaign through rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge, rejuvenation of traditional water bodies, afforestation and public participation.
In line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Catch the Rain" initiative, an innovative effort is underway in Navsari under the Water Storage Public Participation Campaign to conserve rainwater and channel it to groundwater through recharge borewells, he said.
"These structures, built by the district administration and public collaboration, are preventing rainwater from going to waste and continuously enriching the groundwater level," he added.
The conference was part of the Ministry of Jal Shakti's continued efforts to enhance sustainable water resources management through improved policy coordination, institutional strengthening, efficient project implementation, enhanced dam safety and greater community participation in water conservation, the ministry said in a statement.
The participants also deliberated on the formulation and implementation of rule curves for dam reservoirs to improve reservoir operations and enhance dam safety.
