Bihar Water Crisis: Rainwater Harvesting Mandated In 1075 Govt Buildings As Groundwater Level Dips

Falling groundwater levels are becoming a major problem in the state, leading to water shortages during the summer months in most districts, including Muzaffarpur. In response, important measures are being taken to raise the groundwater level.

Shams Javed Ansari, Joint Secretary of the Panchayati Raj Department, has informed all District Panchayati Raj Officers that rainwater harvesting systems will be constructed on all buildings under the three-tier Panchayati Raj institution. A statewide target has been set to install these systems on 1,075 buildings. He has instructed that all Panchayat Secretaries and Technical Assistants be directed on this matter within their respective districts.

As part of this initiative, a target of 126 buildings has been set for Muzaffarpur, while Aurangabad has the highest target with 210 construction projects. According to the directive, the work must be completed within the current financial year, and a report with photographs must be uploaded to the Jal-Jeevan-Hariyali Mission portal.

The targets set for major districts of North Bihar are:- 

Muzaffarpur: 126

Sitamarhi: 62

East Champaran: 35

Darbhanga: 33

West Champaran: 18

Madhubani: 9

Samastipur: 3

Sheohar: 3