Catch the Rain: how India's rainwater harvesting campaign is built

Background

A PIB Backgrounder published on 26 October 2026 sets out how the Catch the Rain campaign works. Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain was launched on 22 March 2021 on World Water Day, with the guiding theme Catch the Rain, Where It Falls, When It Falls. It builds on the success of Jal Shakti Abhiyan 2019, which covered 1,592 water-stressed blocks across 256 districts. Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari 1.0 was implemented from 1 April 2024 to 31 May 2025 and followed the principles of Community, CSR and Cost, the 3Cs; more than 10 lakh groundwater recharge structures were constructed during it. Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari 2.0, launched on 1 June 2025, focused particularly on over-exploited and critical districts. Under the Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari initiative, over 1.55 crore Artificial Recharge and Storage Structures have been constructed. An Impact Evaluation Study of JSJB 1.0 evaluated 23 lakh structures using rainfall data between 1 June 2025 and 31 December 2025, and estimated 2.43 billion cubic metres of groundwater recharge. The 2026 initiative, launched on June 1, 2026, integrated the approach with the Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain campaign.