From 9 Critical Blocks to ZERO: Chhattisgarh Bends Groundwater Curve for First Time — Rajesh Toppo at India Water Week 2026 “Resilience Is Not Built In Conference Halls, It’s Built In Villages” — Rajesh Toppo’s 3-Question Test for Best Practices Chhattisgarh’s 5% Model Miracle: 2000+ Recharge Pits, 440 Ponds Revived, Water Level Up By 4 Metres Chhattisgarh’s Water Revolution: Zero Critical Blocks, 81% Drop in Summer Paddy Chhattisgarh Water Resources Secretary Mr. Rajesh Toppo chaired the Practitioner’s Forum-5 on Best Practices at the 9th India International Water Week 2026, organized by the Ministry of Jal Shakti on the theme “Climate Resilient Water Management.” The session was co-chaired by Mr. Atul Jain, Former Chairman, Central Water Commission. In his opening address, Rajesh Toppo set the context of India’s water stress. “Nationally we extract more than 60% of what is recharged every year. One in every four assessment units is under stress and 87% of water goes to agriculture. And the climate is changing — the same rain in fewer days. We are seeing it this year,” Shri Rajesh Toppo said. Emphasizing that field action matters more than conference discussions, Rajesh Toppo said, “Resilience is not built in conference halls like these. It is built in a village, in a municipal ward, in a hill slope. That is why this session is where the theme touches the ground.” Rajesh Toppo’s 3-Question Test for Best Practice: Citing NITI Aayog’s four tests — innovative, impactful, sustainable and replicable — and adding two more for water — partnership beyond government and resilience to climate change — Rajesh Toppo compressed them into three plain questions: Does it show in the change in water level, not in number of structures? Can an ordinary district do it with ordinary money? Will it survive the transfer of officers? “If the answer to all three is yes, then it is a best practice. Anything less is only a very good photograph for the newspapers,” he remarked. Chhattisgarh’s Historic Achievement: Putting Chhattisgarh in perspective, Rajesh Toppo said, “In 2020, we had 9 critical blocks. In 2025, we had 5 critical blocks and in the 2026 assessment carried out by the Central Ground Water Board, the number of critical blocks is ZERO.” WRD Secretary Rajesh Toppo said “Annual recharge is at an all-time high — 14.65 BCM. And the figure that I cherish most — the extraction of groundwater fell from 6.30 BCM to 6.21 BCM. I agree the fall is small but it is on record, for the first time the curve has begun to bend. We have 19 semi-critical blocks remaining and the goal is to have none by 2030.” The 5% Model of Korea (Chhattisgarh): Explaining how it happened, Shri Rajesh Toppo detailed the 5% Model of Korea district, Chhattisgarh: Farmers set aside 5% of their field for recharge pits and small ponds Gram Sabha approves the site from micro-watershed maps Work is done under MGNREGA and upkeep is led by women and youth volunteers Result: More than 2000 recharge pits, over 440 traditional ponds revived, water levels up by 3-4 metres in many villages, CGWB’s own post-monsoon reading improved from 6.6 meters to 3.9 meters below ground in a single year, and springs revived in 17 tribal hamlets. “It needs no land acquisition and very little capital. That is why it can travel,” he said. Demand-Side Management — The Harder Half: “Recharge is the easy half. The harder half is asking the farmer to pump less,” Toppo said. In Bemetara, Balod and Rajnandgaon, farmers moved out of the thirstiest crop in the driest months. Bemetara went from 26,000 hectares to 5,000 hectares of summer paddy — a fall of 81%. “It took persuasion village by village. Behind (Bemetara) has come out of the critical category and Rajnandgaon is now safe. Supply side and demand side together — one without the other is a leaking bucket.” Learning from Best Practices: Rajesh Toppo said Chhattisgarh did not invent this. The same six principles keep repeating in practices that scaled in India and abroad: Hiware Bazar’s village water budget, Andhra Pradesh’s farmer-managed groundwater, Banas Dairy’s soak wells in Gujarat, Punjab’s subsoil water law, Israel’s reuse, Singapore’s Four National Taps and the Netherlands — this year’s partner country — which gave its rivers room instead of building higher dykes. Science before structures, people as co-owners with women and youth in the lead, blended finance, demand before supply, measure outcomes and institutions that outlast campaigns. “The Dutch water boards are nearly 800 years old. They have survived a great many transfer of officers,” Shri Toppo said. Rajesh Toppo then posed pointed questions to each speaker — to the Collector of Tripura on how Wabung reached every household, to the Municipal Commissioner of Surat on governance and pricing for urban reuse, and to other panelists on spring-shed management and watershed planning for every drought-prone block before 2047. Post navigation From Ground to National Stage: Ashish Agarwal Entrusted with Key Role in BJP Media Wing
