India Honors Water Champions: 5th National Water Awards

Overview of the 5th National Water Awards 2023

• Organized by the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation under the Ministry of Jal Shakti
• 38 winners across 9 categories, selected from 686 entries

Rigorous evaluation process:

• • Jury committee assessment
  • Ground verification by Central Water Commission (CWC) and Central Ground Water Board (CGWB)
• Award ceremony scheduled for October 22 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi
• President Droupadi Murmu to attend as Chief Guest

State-Level Achievements

Odisha: Best State Winner

• Constructed 53,000 water conservation and rainwater harvesting structures
• Built 10,800 reuse and recharge structures
• Renovated 11,000 traditional water bodies
• Developed 68,700 watersheds
• Established 21,000 wastewater treatment plants
• Converted 90,900 hectares to micro-irrigation, benefiting 87,000 farmers
• Planted 9 crore saplings

Uttar Pradesh: Second Place

• Connected 17,900+ villages under Jal Jeevan Mission, benefiting 1.91 crore households
• Built 133 sewage treatment plants (4,100 MLD capacity) for Ganga River
• Constructed/rejuvenated 14,679 'Amrit Sarovars'
• Extensive rainwater harvesting initiatives

Gujarat and Puducherry: Joint Third Place

Gujarat:

• • Achieved 100% tap water connections (25 lakh households)
  • Expanded micro-irrigation to benefit 14 lakh farmers
  • Implemented intra-basin water transfer projects
  • Active village 'Pani Samitis' participation

Puducherry:

• • Renovated 84 tanks
  • Desilted 190 village ponds
  • Provided 1,14,900 households with tap connections
  • Built 850 rooftop rainwater harvesting structures

Other Category Winners

Best District (Zone-wise)

• South: Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh)
• North East: Dhalai (Tripura)
• North: Banda (Uttar Pradesh) and Ganderbal (Jammu & Kashmir) - Joint winners
• West: Indore (Madhya Pradesh)
• East: Balangir (Odisha)

Best Village Panchayat

1.  Pullampara (Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala)

2.  Masulpani (Kanker, Chhattisgarh)

3. Hampapuram (Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh) and Khliehrangnah (West Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya) - Joint winners

Best Urban Local Body

1.  Surat (Gujarat)

2.  Puri (Odisha)

3.  Pune (Maharashtra)

Best School/College

1.  Government Upper Primary School, Jethwan ka Bas (Sikar, Rajasthan)

2.  Government Sarvodya Kanya Vidyalaya, B-3 Paschim Vihar (New Delhi)

3.  Khairbani Ashram School, Baisinga (Mayurbhanj, Odisha)

Best Industry

1.  Aravali Power Company Private Limited (Jhajjar, Haryana)

2.  Apollo Tyres Limited (Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu)

3.  Raymond Uco Denim Pvt Ltd (Yavatmal, Maharashtra)

Best Institution (Other than School/College)

1.  Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (Coimbatore)

2.  Koner Laksmaiah Education Foundation (Guntur, Andhra Pradesh)

3.  Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (Chennai)

Best Civil Society

1.  BAIF Development Research Foundation (Pune)

2.  Yuva Mitra, Mitrangan Campus (Nashik, Maharashtra)

3.  Gramin Vikas Trust (Dahod, Gujarat) and Art of Living - Joint winners

Significance of the Awards

• Recognizes outstanding contributions to water conservation and management across India
• Encourages innovative approaches to water-related challenges
• Highlights the importance of community involvement in water conservation efforts
• Promotes sustainable water management practices at various levels: state, district, urban, rural, and institutional