Water-Related Missions and Projects Current Affairs 2024
Water is a precious resource, and ensuring everyone has enough clean water is very important. In 2024, many exciting water-related missions and projects are making headlines. These projects are crucial for competitive exams like SSC, UPSC, RRB NTPC, RAILWAY, BANK, CDS, and State Level Exams.
In this blog, we’ll highlight India’s top water-related missions and projects with simple one-liners. We will cover topics like water conservation, sustainable solutions, and government schemes like Jal Jeevan Mission, River Development, and Ganga Rejuvenation. Stay updated with the latest current affairs to ace your exams and understand how India is working towards providing every house with pure drinking water through sustainable schemes and projects.
November 2024
- Government of India and Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $200 million loan to upgrade water supply, sanitation, urban mobility, and urban services in Uttarakhand.
- NITI Aayog launched the 15-day ‘Jal Utsav’ to promote water conservation across 20 Aspirational Districts/Blocks in partnership with the National Jal Jeevan Mission.
- UNEP’s Adaptation Gap Report 2024 revealed international adaptation finance to developing countries increased from $22 billion (2021) to $28 billion (2022).
- Central Water Commission (CWC) reported a 10.81% increase in areas of glacial lakes and water bodies in the Himalayan region due to climate change.
- Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation launched the nationwide campaign “Hamara Shauchalay: Hamara Samman” on World Toilet Day (19 November 2024).
- Ministry of Jal Shakti launched the “Bhu-Neer” portal for improved groundwater regulation, developed by the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) and NIC.
- IIT Bombay scientists developed a water-pollutant detecting device named ‘AroTrack’.
#IITBombay Develops Affordable, Portable Water-Pollutant Detection Device '#AroTrack'-https://t.co/SX1nmisIgT@iitbombay #research #study #pollutiondetector pic.twitter.com/4jCS3SWOpT
— Timeline. (@timelinelatest) November 19, 2024
October 2024
- The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has introduced the ‘Jal Hi AMRIT Scheme’ within its first 100 days, focusing on promoting efficient water management.
- The Chhattisgarh State Government has inaugurated the Jal-Jagar Mahotsav at Ravishankar Reservoir in Gangrel Dam, Dhamtari, emphasizing its water conservation initiatives.
- The winners of the 5th National Water Awards (2023) were recently announced, with Odisha securing the first prize in the Best State category.
- The Maharashtra Cabinet has approved the Damanganga-Vaitarna-Godavari river-linking project along with the Damanganga-Ekdare-Godavari project, aimed at resolving water scarcity issues in North Maharashtra and Marathwada. The approved financial outlay is Rs. 13,497 crore.
- India has extended its first-ever rupee-denominated Line of Credit worth Rs. 487.60 crore to Mauritius for a water pipeline replacement project.
- Member countries of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and partners of the Global Framework on Water Scarcity in Agriculture (WASAG) have adopted the Rome Declaration, addressing water scarcity, especially in the agriculture sector, amid the climate crisis.
- The Department of Water Resources, River Development, and Ganga Rejuvenation has launched the 6th National Water Awards (NWA) 2024 on the Rashtriya Puraskar portal. Under the ‘Best School or College’ category, a cash prize of Rs. 2 lakhs will be awarded to the 1st ranker.
September 2024
- India has formally served Pakistan a notice seeking a review and modification of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), brokered by the World Bank.
- India and the European Union (EU) have agreed to enhance cooperation in sustainable water management at the 6th EU-India Water Forum held in New Delhi.
- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has funded Rs 530 crores for the modern management of the drinking water supply in 12 cities of Tripura.
- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a USD 50 million loan for the ‘Climate Adaptative Community-Based Water-Harvesting Project’ to enhance water resource management and strengthen climate resilience in Meghalaya, India.
- President Droupadi Murmu inaugurated the 8th India Water Week (IWW) at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, with the Ministry of Panchayati Raj serving as the Partner Ministry.
- The 8th India Water Week and Exhibition will be organized by the Ministry of Jal Shakti in association with various ministries, state departments, expert organizations, and key international bodies.
- The International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID), World Bank, India Water Foundation (IWF), Council on Energy, Environment, and Water (CEEW), and Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) will act as Knowledge Partners for the 8th India Water Week-2024.
- The Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation (DDWS) and the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) have launched the Swachhata Hi Seva (SHS) 2024 campaign with a curtain raiser event in New Delhi.
- The SHS 2024 campaign focuses on three key pillars:
- ◾ Swachhata Ki Bhaagidari – Public participation, awareness, and advocacy for wachh Bharat.
◾ Sampoorna Swachhata – Mega cleanliness drives and timely transformation of Cleanliness Target Units (CTUs), targeting difficult and dirty spots.
◾ Safai Mitra Suraksha Shivir – Providing single-window services, security, and honor camps for health checkups and welfare of sanitation workers.
- The 5th anniversary of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) – Har Ghar Jal was celebrated on August 15, 2024.
- As of August 14, 2024, 15.07 crore (77.98%) of rural households in India have been provided with tap water connections.
- A total of 188 districts, 1,838 blocks, 1,09,996 Gram Panchayats, and 2,33,209 villages have achieved ‘Har Ghar Jal’ status.
- The Government of India prioritizes potable tap water supply in households in Japanese Encephalitis (JE)-Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) affected districts, with over 2.35 crore households (79.21%) in these regions receiving clean tap water.
- 11 States/UTs, including Goa, A&N Islands, Dadra Nagar Haveli & Daman Diu, Haryana, Telangana, Puducherry, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh, have provided 100% tap water connections to all rural households as of August 14, 2024.
- As of August 14, 2024, 9,27,421 schools and 9,63,955 Anganwadi centres have been supplied with tap water.
August 2024
🔘 The Central Water Commission (CWC) has been honored with the GEEF Global WaterTech Award in the category ‘Water Department of the Year’ at the Global Water Tech Summit – 2024.
🔘 Union Minister for Jal Shakti, C.R. Paatil has launched Version 2.0 of the ‘FloodWatch India’ mobile application, which was developed by the Central Water Commission (CWC).
🔘 India and Israel have launched a joint project to set up a ‘Centre of Water Technology’ at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras.
🔘 A terracotta pipeline has been found at Keeladi, Tamil Nadu, indicating the presence of an ancient water management practice followed by people at least 2,600 years ago.
🔘 Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has inaugurated an advanced Water Level Monitoring System on the Brahmaputra Mail Express at Kamakhya Railway Station in Assam.
July 2024
🔘 The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS) has launched a two-month awareness campaign called ‘Swachh Gaon, Shudh Jal – Behtar Kal’ focused on ‘Safe Water and Sanitation’ in rural areas to protect the health of children and communities.
🔘 The Jal Jeevan Mission has achieved a significant milestone by providing tap water connections to 15 crore rural households across India. However, the Union Territory of Ladakh has not yet achieved 100% coverage.
🔘 Zimbabwe has recently become the 54th Party to the UN Water Convention.
January to June 2024
🔘 National Conference on Jal Jeevan Mission and Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) will be held in Lucknow.
🔘 Arunachal Pradesh has become the first state in North-East India to achieve 100 percent saturation of Har Ghar Jal under the Jal Jeevan Mission.
🔘 Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has launched the nationwide ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain-2024’ campaign with the theme ‘Nari Shakti se Jal Shakti’.
🔘 Rajasthan government has decided to ramp up water conservation work through the Mukhyamantri Jal Swavlamban Abhiyan 2.0.
🔘 Union Jal Shakti Ministry has launched an Environmental flows (E-flows) Monitoring System developed by the National Mission for Clean Ganga.
🔘 All India Secretaries’ Conference on Water Vision@2047 – Way Ahead was held in Mahabalipuram, Chennai.
🔘 Indore Smart City Development Limited received the “Best Water Management Award” at the Smart Cities India Awards 2024 in New Delhi.
🔘 Odisha has announced the establishment of a State Water Informatics Centre (SWIC).
🔘 World Water Day is celebrated on 22 March with the theme ‘Water for Peace’.
🔘 The ‘UN World Water Development Report 2024’ states that 2.2 billion people worldwide have no access to clean drinking water, published by UNESCO.
🔘 Researchers from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois have discovered a vast reservoir of water beneath the earth’s surface.
🔘 Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru have designed a sustainable hydrogel to remove microplastics from water.
🔘 Researchers from the Netherlands and South Korea have developed artificial neurological junctions (synapses) using a mixture of water and salt.
🔘 National Informatics Centre (NIC), Jaipur evolved the first-of-its-kind digital water distribution system for agricultural fields in Rajasthan.
🔘 The keel laying ceremony of the 8th Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft was held at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE), Kolkata.
More than 82% (4.9 lakhs) villages have declared themselves ‘ODF Plus’ under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen Phase II.#PromisesDelivered pic.twitter.com/hrrbD39moj
— Ministry of Finance (@FinMinIndia) January 27, 2024
🔘 The share of coal in India’s overall installed electricity capacity has dropped below 50% for the first time, as per the Council on Energy, Environment and Water and Centre for Energy Finance (CEEW-CEF) market handbook.
🔘 Indian Institute of Petroleum & Energy (IIPE), Visakhapatnam has developed an environmentally friendly way for the treatment of muddy river water.
🔘 CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) scientists found that the armoured sailfin catfish, commonly referred to as Rakashi, has spread to 60% of the water bodies of Eastern Ghats.
🔘 Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) received the King Hassan II of Morocco Great World Water Prize at the 10th World Water Forum in Bali, Indonesia.
🔘 2.2 billion people lacked access to safe drinking water services in 2022, as per the report titled “Water for Shared Prosperity”.
🔘 Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog has launched the ‘AIM – ICDK Water Challenge 4.0’ in partnership with Denmark.
🔘 The Malabar River Festival 2024 featuring the International White Water Kayaking Championship will be organised in Kozhikode.
🔘 Scientists from India, China, and the United Kingdom have developed a water-repellent catalyst called “spherical superhydrophobic activated carbon catalyst” to reduce the cost of producing biodiesel.
🔘 KisanKraft Limited has joined the World Bank’s Water Resource Group (WRG)’s Low Methane Rice Project (LMRP) under UP-PRAGATI Accelerator programs (UPPAP) to promote Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) in Uttar Pradesh.
🔘 Uttarakhand has initiated the Water Conservation and Enhancement Scheme at the head of Jaoli Canal on the left bank of Song River under the Water Conservation Campaign.
🔘 A five-member Pakistani delegation inspected power projects set up on the rivers under the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) of 1960, brokered by the World Bank.
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