Collector Bhavya Mittal Wins National Water Award: How Khargone Became India’s No. 1 Western Region Model in Water Conservation

Khargone (MP): Khargone district has been declared the Best District in the Western Region for outstanding work in water conservation. District Collector IAS Bhavya Mittal has been honoured with the 6th National Water Award 2024 for transforming Khargone into a water-secure and sustainable model district. President Droupadi Murmu presented the award at a ceremony held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

Under her leadership, the district created 4.21 lakh artificial water structures, enhancing the water storage capacity to 2.31 crore cubic metres, effectively doubling Khargone’s water-holding potential. Experts across the country have praised the district’s planning, execution and community engagement.

₹25 Lakh Incentive for Khargone

Khargone also secured 13th position (Category 3 – Western Region) and received an incentive of ₹25 lakh.
District Panchayat CEO Akash Singh was similarly honoured by Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil under ‘Jal Sanchay Janbhagidari 1.0’ for exemplary performance.

A total of 5,606 water conservation works have been completed and verified through geo-tagging and technical inspections.

Reviving Rivers and Restoring 8,000 Hectares

Khargone has performed exceptional work in river rejuvenation. The district restored 8,000 hectares of degraded riverbank land along the Narmada, Nani, Vanshavali and Borad rivers using:

• Stop dams
• Check dams
• Farm ponds
• Loose boulder structures

Earlier, seasonal rivers would dry up by November or December. Due to the new conservation structures, many rivers now flow until April.

Around the Kunda River, 627 illegal encroachments were removed. On the reclaimed 106 acres, the administration developed a new eco-tourism destination named ‘Nidhivan’.

Water Sources Mapped and Restored

All water bodies across the district have been surveyed and officially recorded.
Key achievements:

• 4,21,182 artificial recharge structures established
• 45 historical stepwells (bavdis) restored
• 48,975 hectares under micro-irrigation, with 3,290 hectares added this year
• 37,042 farmers directly benefited

Leadership in Central Schemes

The district has constructed 156 new Amrit Sarovars, increasing capacity by 2.31 crore cubic metres under:

• Watershed Development – PMKSY 2.0
• MGNREGA

These initiatives significantly boosted groundwater and surface water retention across rural areas.

Recycling Wastewater and Expanding Green Cover

Khargone is also focusing on wastewater reuse:

• 15 greywater treatment units
• 4 sewage treatment plants (STPs)
• 94 waste stabilization ponds

Under the plantation drive:

• 30 lakh trees planted across 5,400 hectares
• 95% survival rate
• 3.8 lakh saplings under MGNREGA
• 2.66 lakh guava plants in private orchards

These efforts have further supported groundwater recharge and improved local ecology.

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Mass Awareness Campaign Across the District

To ensure long-term water sustainability, the administration organized:

• 2,277 cleanliness drives
• 605 capacity-building workshops
• 200 Kalash Yatras in gram panchayats
• 147 Jal Chaupal meetings

These campaigns increased public participation and strengthened community ownership of water resources.

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Geo-Tagging for Transparency

Under ‘Jal Sanchay Janbhagidari 1.0’, from 1 April 2024 to 31 May 2025:

• 5,606 completed works were geo-tagged on the portal
• 757 new works are currently in progress

These include stop dams, contour trenches, soak pits, check dams, farm ponds and Kapildhara structures.

Khargone’s model of planning, public participation and scientific management is now being hailed nationwide, making it a benchmark district for water conservation.