Creation of over 1.5 crore artificial groundwater recharge and storage works have been reported across the country under the Centre’s Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari (JSJB) initiative, with the majority of them created through community’s contribution, Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Patil said on Tuesday.Patil said the initiative, launched after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to involve community efforts in water conservation during a video conference on September 6, 2024, has seen widespread public support. The initiative aims to enhance water recharge through rainwater harvesting/aquifer recharge/borewell recharge/ recharge shafts etc. with resource support from government and non-government resources like corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds, industrial houses, civic bodies, he said.In a post on X, Patil said, “I am delighted that the entire nation of India is actively contributing to realising the vision of a ‘Water-Secure India’— a resolve championed by our Honorable Prime Minister, Shri @narendramodi.”Read | Delhi government launches ambitious rainwater harvesting campaignAccording to the data available with the Ministry of Jal Shakti, a maximum 31.45 lakh artificial groundwater recharge and storage works have been reported from Andhra Pradesh, followed by 27.13 lakh works in Chhattisgarh and 24.69 lakh in Madhya Pradesh. Over 21 lakh artificial groundwater recharge and storage works were reported in Telangana, 9.47 lakh in Rajasthan, and 6.78 lakh in Bihar, as per the data available on the ministry’s dashboard.Sources in the ministry said that each district was tasked with ensuring that all villages have at least five recharge structures to capture and store rainwater in a mission mode under the JSJB initiative. Beside, every Municipal Corporation has been requested to aim at establishing a minimum of 10,000 recharge structures within its jurisdiction.