On World Water Day, March 22, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized the importance of collective action for water conservation. The Ministry of Jal Shakti also launched the Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain 2025 initiative, calling for active community participation in conserving water resources, especially in rural areas.

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• Prime Minister Modi stressed the need for collective water conservation efforts on World Water Day.
• The Ministry of Jal Shakti launched the Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain 2025, focusing on community-driven water conservation.
• Policies need to ensure effective participation of local communities, incorporating their ecological practices.
• Current water policies focus on management but exclude communities from decision-making processes.
• Vulnerable groups, such as marginalized and economically disadvantaged communities, must be included in water management policies.
• Fragmented management of water resources across different sectors (forests, land, water) is ineffective and needs integration.
• Rural communities, particularly in western India, use integrated practices like establishing orans (sacred forests) for water conservation.
• Policies should adopt a “more-than-human” perspective, considering the environmental needs of ecosystems alongside human needs.
• Climate change is expected to worsen India’s water gap, and both water and climate policies must create climate-resilient systems.
• Local communities and their traditional practices play a critical role in sustainable water management, and policies must ensure their participation.