Lucknow: Expressing concern over the growing water crisis, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday directed officials to turn the construction and restoration of check dams, ponds, and blast coupes into a mass movement on the lines of the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign.
Chairing a review meeting of the Namami Gange and Rural Water Supply (Minor Irrigation) department, he said such structures are a national necessity, offering cost-effective water conservation and groundwater recharge compared to large dams.
The CM informed that 6,448 check dams have been built across seasonal rivers and streams, creating irrigation potential for 1.28 lakh hectares and recharging over 10,000 hectare-meters of groundwater annually. Since 2022–23, 1,002 check dams have been de-silted, while 1,343 ponds out of 16,610 have been redeveloped. Between 2017 and 2025, 6,192 blast coupes were constructed, providing irrigation for 18,576 hectares.