Bihar’s environmental efforts are taking a significant leap with the Jal Jeevan Hariyali campaign. The state’s Department of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is spearheading a discussion on August 5th to bolster nursery creation and extensive tree planting. The campaign, initiated in 2019, serves multiple objectives: combating climate change, expanding green cover, preserving water resources, and encouraging energy efficiency.
A key aspect of the campaign is the designation of the first Tuesday of each month as Jal Jeevan Hariyali Day, mandating participation from all implementing departments. This year’s observance will occur on August 5th.
The Department of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change leads the initiative, in conjunction with 15 other departments. Coordination across these departments is managed by the Rural Development Department, which serves as the nodal agency. The campaign is comprised of 11 key elements.
The Environment Department is responsible for two critical components: constructing water harvesting infrastructure like check dams in smaller waterways and hilly regions, and implementing nursery creation alongside large-scale afforestation.
Between fiscal years 2019-20 and 2024-25, the department completed 26,482 check dams and water structures. Component 8 alone saw the planting of 20.20 crore trees. This fiscal year, the target is to plant 5 crore trees, with 1 crore already planted. In the previous fiscal year (2024-25), 4.14 crore trees were planted against a target of 4.67 crore, representing a 90% achievement rate.