New Delhi, Sep 17 (IANS): President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday laid emphasis on water conservation and its judicious use as she compared the vital natural resource to money.

Inaugurating the 8th India Water Week here, she said: "Only after depositing money in the bank, it can be withdrawn, similarly, we can use water only after storing it."

"People who misuse money go from prosperity to poverty. Similarly, water scarcity is seen even in rain-rich areas. People who use limited income wisely remain safe from financial crises in their lives. Similarly, villages that store water in low rainfall areas remain safe from water crises," the President said, as per a Rashtrapati Bhavan statement.

Lauding efforts of the Jal Shakti Ministry to ensure water for all, she called on all citizens to play the role of water warriors to deal with scarcity of the precious resource.

Asserting that only 2.5 per cent of the total water available on earth is freshwater and even out of that one per cent is available for human use, she advised its judicious use.

She pointed out that in many areas of Rajasthan and Gujarat, villagers have got rid of water scarcity through their efforts and by adopting effective methods of water storage. Hailing the ancient water management systems based on "harmony with nature", she said they should be researched and used practically in the modern context.

To reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity, there is an emphasis on supporting and strengthening the participation of local communities to improve water and sanitation management.

She appreciated the Ministry of Jal Shakti for choosing the right medium to achieve the goal of water development and management through partnership and cooperation.

In 2021, the government launched a campaign ‘Catch the Rain – Where it Falls When it Falls’, aimed to achieve water conservation, rainwater harvesting and other important goals of water management, she said.