CM Yogi urges people to turn water conservation into a mass movement

Lucknow: In a call to turn water conservation into a mass movement, chief minister Yogi Adityanath urged the people of Bundelkhand to proactively adopt water conservation measures. The chief minister appealed to the public to be extra cautious in their use of water.He directed that action plans for the coming years should be linked to water conservation, green energy and modern irrigation technologies. He also said that the meteorological department should provide weekly monsoon reports on a regular basis.“Not a single drop of water should go to waste. The ‘Catch the Rain’ campaign, being conducted on the call of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, should be implemented more effectively, and rainwater harvesting should be linked to broad public participation,” he said.While conducting a high-level review of weather conditions, monsoon progress, drinking water supply and groundwater conservation works on Sunday, the chief minister directed officials to ensure that no region of the state faces a drinking water crisis. He instructed that the water supply system remain uninterrupted and efficient and that citizens should not face any inconvenience.In a positive development for the state, the number of overexploited development blocks has fallen to 44 in 2025 from 113 in 2013.

Officials also informed the meeting that the state reduced its groundwater extraction rate under the Sustainable Development Goals framework.It was further informed that under Sustainable Development Goal 6, Uttar Pradesh achieved the target of bringing the groundwater extraction rate down to 70%. The rate stood at 70.66% in 2022, 70.76% in 2023, 70.45% in 2024 and 70% in 2025. During the past 10 years, improvements in groundwater levels were recorded in 361 development blocks across the state.

Between 2021 and 2025, significant improvement in average groundwater levels was observed in 29 districts. Improvement of more than 10 centimetres per year was recorded in 172 development blocks, while an improvement of more than 20 centimetres over the past 10 years was recorded in 69 development blocks.During the meeting, weather experts informed officials that Uttar Pradesh was likely to receive below-normal rainfall during the southwest monsoon season.

Both eastern and western Uttar Pradesh were projected to receive below-normal rainfall from June to Sept. It was also projected that most parts of the state would receive below-normal rainfall in June, while maximum and minimum temperatures were likely to remain above normal.The chief minister also instructed the panchayati raj department to develop mechanisms in rural areas to ensure that not a single drop of water is wasted. He called for special attention to the conservation, cleanliness and regular maintenance of Amrit Sarovars. During the last 10 years, improvement in groundwater levels was recorded in 361 development blocks across the state. Between 2021 and 2025, significant improvement in the average groundwater level was observed in 29 districts.Emphasising the need to advance rainwater harvesting in mission mode, Yogi said, “Govt buildings should be developed as model examples of water conservation.”