New Delhi, May 31 (IANS) The government is set to launch ‘MAHA on Water’ (Mission for Advancement in High-Impact Areas for Water), a joint initiative of the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), to promote cutting-edge research in priority areas such as water resources management, drinking water, climate resilience and water-use efficiency, it was announced on Sunday.

An open call for research proposals under the initiative will also be announced at the ‘National Workshop on R&D in Water’ on Monday here.

The workshop will bring together leaders from government, industry, academia, scientific institutions, startups and technical organisations to strengthen India’s water research ecosystem and accelerate innovation-driven solutions for sustainable water management, according to a ministry statement.

The one-day workshop will be inaugurated by CR Patil, Union Minister of Jal Shakti; Dr. Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology; Raj Bhushan Choudhary, Minister of State for Jal Shakti; and Dr V. Narayanan, Secretary, Department of Space and Chairman, ISRO and Secretary, DST.

The ministry will further launch an open call for startups and MSMEs, under the BHARAT-WIN Portal, to support product and prototype development in the water sector.

The workshop will also witness the launch of Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari: Catch the Rain (JSJB:CTR), a participatory digital platform designed to strengthen community-led water conservation efforts by enabling citizens, institutions and local bodies to document and showcase water conservation, rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharge initiatives.

The Ministry of Jal Shakti and ISRO are expected to sign a MoU to strengthen satellite-based applications and advanced technologies for water resource assessment, monitoring and management, with 24 priority studies and areas of cooperation already identified.

The workshop will feature multiple technical sessions covering key themes such as groundwater management, irrigation practices, river morphology, floodplain inundation mapping, climate resilience, ecological assessments, dam and hydraulic structure safety, among others.

—IANS

na/