Written by Naina Mahajan, a grade 7 student.

The 3^rd national water awards were held this year, and no, they are not awards for a swimming competition. The water awards have provided wonderful opportunities for start-ups along with top organizations to engage with senior officials on various methods of adopting the best water resource management procedures in India.

Who won?

There is an exceedingly long list of winners in all the categories, but the biggest prize is for Best State, where Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu have one the first, second and third prizes respectively.

The President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, awarded the winners on the 29^th of March 2022, at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. He also initiated the Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain Campaign 2022, which will continue to be employed until the 30^th of November this year, during the event. The Union Minister for Jal Shakti, the Ministers of State for Jal Shakti, the Secretary of the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, and the Secretary of the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation were also present.

Why this award?

The government felt the need to have a united National Water Awards to encourage people to embrace a holistic approach towards water resource management. The awards also strive to create awareness about the importance of water and to encourage people to adopt the best practices in effective water management.

The very first Water Awards were held in 2018 and were launched by the Jal Shakti Ministry.

There are 57 awards given to states, organisations, individuals, etc. over 11 categories, which are: Best State, Best District, Best Village Panchayat, Best Urban Local Body, Best Media (Print and Electronic), Best School, Best Institution/RWA (resident welfare association)/religious organisation for campus usage, Best Industry, Best NGO, Best Water User Association, and finally, Best Industry for CSR (corporate social responsibility) Activity.

May we continue to come up with many such award categories where emphasis is given to saving our natural resources and giving it the importance, it deserves.

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