What happened: Mission Jal Raksha in Rajnandgaon under #CatchTheRain
Rajnandgaon district in Chhattisgarh prepared for monsoon water security by implementing Mission Jal Raksha under the nationwide #CatchTheRain campaign. The district’s stated goal is to capture, conserve, and channel rainfall back into the earth instead of letting it flow away as runoff, with the emphasis on groundwater recharge and source sustainability.
Background and earlier position: monsoon preparedness using planning + recharge engineering
Mission Jal Raksha is presented as a planning-first and community-driven framework. Rajnandgaon planned locations for recharge using geospatial tools and landscape planning so that rainwater reaches the subsurface in the most suitable areas. The approach combines scientific mapping with field interventions in hard-rock terrain, where recharge requires deeper pathways for water to enter aquifers.
Rajnandgaon’s earlier baseline, as implied by the programme’s interventions, included a need to reduce runoff loss and improve groundwater recharge pathways through structures such as recharge shafts and injection wells, along with local participation through gram panchayats, farmers, women, and youth.
What changed now: specific interventions, reported scale, and community-led water budgeting
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