Jammu faces water crisis, plan to bring water from River Chenab

March 21, 2026

Work is progressing rapidly on a plan to bring water from the Chenab River to address the escalating water crisis in Jammu. The state government has been consistently raising this issue with the Central Government, and it is expected that the project will receive approval shortly. Javed Ahmed Rana, the Minister for Water Resources, Forests, and Environment, made these remarks.

The Minister stated that the water crisis in Jammu city and its surrounding areas is becoming increasingly severe due to a continuously growing population and limited water sources.

In this context, bringing water from the Chenab River could be a sustainable solution, providing relief to people in the coming years. Expressing concern about rapidly depleting groundwater levels in the state, he noted that the situation is worsening due to unregulated extraction and inadequate groundwater recharge mechanisms.

He placed special emphasis on reviving and recharging traditional water sources—such as hand pumps, borewells, and other local water systems—and highlighted the need to promote rainwater harvesting. He asserted that water conservation must be transformed into a mass movement. Government efforts alone will not suffice; rather, the media and the general public must also play an active role in this endeavor.

Emphasizing environmental conservation, Rana stated that the water crisis and environmental issues are inextricably linked. He pointed out that glaciers are melting rapidly, lakes are shrinking, and the natural ecological balance is being disrupted. Consequently, protecting the environment has emerged as the most pressing imperative of our time.

Minister Javed Rana lauded the water conservation initiatives implemented in Uttar Pradesh. He recounted attending an event where the Water Resources Minister of Uttar Pradesh was also present. In his address, the UP Minister stated that for every hand pump installed in his state, an equivalent number of hand pumps had been “recharged.” Initially, Rana was taken aback by this statement; while one can “recharge” a mobile phone, he wondered how it could be possible to “recharge” a hand pump.