New Delhi,30th November: The National Water Mission, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti is organizing ‘Jal Itihas Utsav’ at Shamsi Talab, Jahaz Mahal situated in Mehrauli, Delhi on 1st December, 2023 to raise public consciousness about safeguarding water heritage sites, creating a sense of ownership among the masses as well as promote tourism and restoration of such heritage structures. Lt. Governor of Delhi, Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena will grace the occasion along with the Union Minister for Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and senior officials of various Departments of Central and State Government.
The grand event marks the culmination of “Water Heritage Fortnight” being celebrated in various districts across the nation from 15th November, 2023 to 30th November, 2023 at 75 ‘Natural Water Heritage Structures’ and also marks the successful completion of the ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain’ 2023 nationwide campaign. The purpose of this event is to highlight the centrality of water bodies as cherished spaces for community connect.
The restoration work of the Shamsi Talab, Jahaz Mahal in Mehrauli adequately reflects convergence of various Departments of Central and State Government. Cleaning up of the Talab and leveling/cleaning of the park etc. has been undertaken with the help of Archeological Survey of India and MCD. The same has been documented in the form of an e-book which will be launched during the event. Further, a short video on the “Jal Itihas Journey”, which showcases the 75 identified Water Heritage sites, will be shown during the event. Also, a musical event “Flowing Strings” will be presented by world renowned violinist Ms. Sunita Bhuyan at the event.
To conserve the nation’s heritage water structures, Ministry of Jal Shakti had constituted a Committee under Chairmanship of Shri R. R. Mishra, Ex-DG, NMCG to identify 75 ‘Natural Water Heritage Structures’ all over the country as a part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. The Committee selected 75 Water Heritage Structures which are showcased on the Jal Itihaas Sub-Portal on India-WRIS Portal (https://indiawris.gov.in/wris/#/jalitihaas).
The Ministry of Jal Shakti has successfully implemented the ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain’ 2023 (JSA: CTR-2023) throughout the country with the theme “Source Sustainability for Drinking Water”. JSA: CTR is the 4th in the series of such campaigns with the vision to involve everybody in preparing for the rains, so that we can store and use as much of the rain water as possible and replenish our ground water reserves. JSA: CTR this year was implemented from 04.03.2023 to 30.11.2023 with focus on strengthening the drinking water sources in 150 Water Stressed Districts identified by Jal Jeevan Mission.
India has a rich tradition of reverence towards its water resources including rivers. India’s water resources are, however, under immense and increasing pressure. Under these circumstances, all citizens need to be water- wise and sensitive to issues related to water. In this context, our rich traditional water systems hold many lessons for the present times and this event aims to highlight these lessons and promote the community connect with water bodies.
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