Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday during his Mann Ki Baat broadcast called for a 100-day campaign to clean up water bodies and prepare them for harvesting prior to monsoons.

PM Modi said water has been crucial for the development of humankind for centuries. "We have to understand our collective responsibility towards water conservation," he said.

The message came in ahead of the World Water Day on March 22.

In this regard, the prime minister suggested if there could be a 100-day public campaign to clean up all nearby water bodies and prepare those for rain water conservation.

The Union Jal Shakti Ministry is also launching "Catch the rain" campaign and its main theme is "catch the rain, where it falls, when it falls", he added.