Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Paatil on Sunday, 31 May 2026 announced that the Jal Sanchay Abhiyan (water conservation campaign), launched on 6 September 2024, has successfully delivered over 1.5 crore water conservation structures across India. Speaking to reporters in Navsari, Gujarat, the minister called the milestone a testament to the public's response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for a national water conservation movement.

Key Milestones of the Campaign

According to Paatil, the campaign's first phase — running until 31 May 2025 — saw the construction of 27.5 lakh (2.75 million) structures, generating approximately 2.4 BCM (Billion Cubic Metres) of additional water storage capacity. The total count has since crossed the 1.5 crore mark by 31 May 2026, representing a significant scale-up in the campaign's second year.

'Now that this figure has crossed the 15-million mark, the country is poised to achieve even greater success in water conservation during the upcoming monsoon season,' Paatil said.

What the Government Said

The minister attributed the campaign's scale to what he described as an 'overwhelming' public response, positioning the initiative as one of India's largest mass movements around natural resource management. He also appealed to citizens to contribute to water conservation in their Matrubhumi (place of birth) from their Karmabhumi (place of work) — a call directed at the Indian diaspora and migrant workforce.

Paatil, who also serves as the Member of Parliament from Navsari, praised local civic efforts and noted that the widening and deepening of the Navsari Creek is underway on a 'war footing', with completion targeted before the onset of the monsoon season.

Local Infrastructure Push in Navsari

'The ethos of completing tasks ahead of schedule — a hallmark of the Bharatiya Janata Party's workers and the administration — is clearly evident here today,' Paatil remarked. He credited the coordination between elected representatives and administrative officials for enabling faster resolution of public concerns, including chronic waterlogging in the region.

Broader Context and What Comes Next

The Jal Sanchay Abhiyan sits within a wider national water security agenda that includes the Jal Jeevan Mission and the Atal Bhujal Yojana. India faces acute groundwater stress in several states, and large-scale rainwater harvesting structures are seen as a decentralised response to seasonal water scarcity. With the southwest monsoon expected to arrive imminently, the campaign's structures are expected to capture significant runoff over the coming months. Officials have indicated that progress tracking will continue through the monsoon season, with updated figures likely after the rains.