Lok Sabha Question No. 230 (STARRED), answered on 2016-12-01
Subject: Exploitation of Ground Water
Ministry: WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT AND GANAGA REJUVENATION
Asked by: RAVNEET SINGH

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *230

ANSWERED ON 01.12.2016

## EXPLOITATION OF GROUND WATER

## *230. SHRI RAVNEET SINGH

Will the Minister of WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT AND GANGA REJUVENATION be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  Central  Ground  Water  Board  has  assessed  ground  water  resources  in  the  country including Punjab during the last three years and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the number of blocks where ground water resources were found to be overexploited/depleted/contaminated and declared as dark zone, State/UT-wise;
- (c)  whether  the  Government  has  any  mechanism  to  determine  the  number  of  tubewells  which  can  be drilled for irrigation purposes without affecting the underground water table in the country particularly in Punjab, and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d)  the  corrective  steps  taken/to  be  taken  by  the  Government  to  chek  the  over  exploitation  of  ground water?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER FOR WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT AND GANGA REJUVENATION

(SUSHRI UMA BHARTI)

(a) to (d) A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

(a)  Central Ground Water Board carries out periodic assessment of replenishable ground water resources jointly  with  the  State  Government  Departments  of  the  Country  including  Punjab.    As  per  the  latest assessment, the total annual replenishable ground water resource of the Country is around 433 Billion Cubic Metres (BCM).  The net annual ground water availability is 398 BCM out of which annual ground water utilization (draft) is estimated as 245 BCM and stage of ground water development/exploitation is 62%.  State-wise details are given at Annexure-I.

(b)  Out of the total 6607 assessment units (Blocks/ Mandals/ Talukas/ Firkas/Districts) assessed in the country, 1071 units are categorised as 'Over-Exploited'. State-wise details are given at Annexure -II. State-wise details of the blocks in the Country including Punjab, where high occurrence of various geogenic contaminants is observed in ground water is given at Annexure-III.

(c) Ground Water Resources Estimation (GEC-1997) methodology outlines a procedure for estimating ground  water  availability  for  future  irrigation  use.    Ground  water  availability  for  future  irrigation  is worked out by deducting the existing draft for irrigation and projected demand for domestic and industrial use upto 2025 from the net annual ground water availability.

As per the ground water resource assessment 2011, ground water availability for future irrigation use for India as a whole is 154.71 BCM and that of Punjab is -14.83 BCM. Negative values indicate that overall ground water demand in the state exceeds annual availability.

(d)    Measures  taken  up  by  the  Central  Government  to  check  over  exploitation  of  ground  water  in  the Country include :

- The National Water Policy (2012) formulated by Ministry of Water Resources, RD & GR, interalia,  advocates  conservation,  promotion  and  protection  of  water  and  highlights  the  need  for augmenting the availability of water through rain water harvesting, direct use of rainfall and other management  measures.    The  National  Water  Policy  (2012)  has  been  forwarded  to  all  State Governments/ UTs and concerned Ministries/ Departments of Central Government for adoption.
- This Ministry has circulated a Model Bill to all the States/UTs to enable them to enact suitable ground  water  legislation  for  its  regulation  and  development  which  includes  provision  of  rain water  harvesting.  So  far,  15  States/UTs  have  adopted  and  implemented  the  ground  water legislation on the lines of Model Bill.  In addition, 30 States/UTs have made rain water harvesting mandatory by enacting laws or by formulating rules & regulations or by including provisions in Building bye-laws or through suitable Government Orders.

- Central  Ground  Water  Authority  (CGWA)  has  been  constituted  under  'The  Environment (Protection)  Act,  1986'  for  the  purpose  of  regulation  and  control  of  ground  water development and management in the Country.  So far, CGWA has notified 162 areas in the Country for the purpose of regulation of ground water.  Under the CGWA guidelines, in notified  areas,  no  permission  is  accorded  to  extract  ground  water  through  any  energized means for any purpose other than drinking water.  However, for non-notified areas, ground water withdrawal by industries is regulated by means of guidelines/criteria as specified as CGWA.
- CGWB  has  also  prepared  a  conceptual  document  entitled  'Master  Plan  for  Artificial Recharge to Ground Water in India' during 2013.  The Master Plan envisages construction of  1.11  Crore rain water harvesting and artificial recharge structures in the Country at an estimated cost of Rs. 79,178 Crores to harness 85 BCM (Billion Cubic Metre) of water.  The augmented  ground  water  resources  will  enhance  the  availability  of  water  for  drinking, domestic, industrial and irrigation purpose.  The Master Plan has been circulated to all State Governments for implementation.
- The Department of Rural Development has prioritized work related with Natural Resources Management  (including  water  harvesting)  under  MGNREGA  and  has  issued  a  joint framework with this Ministry and Department of  Land Resources.  For FY 2016-17, the States have taken up a target of 8,82,325 farm ponds.
- CGWB has taken up Aquifer Mapping and Management programme during XII Plan, under the scheme of Ground Water Management and Regulation.  The Aquifer Mapping is aimed to  delineate  aquifer  disposition  and  their  characterization  for  preparation  of  aquifer/area specific ground water management plans with community participation.
- Ministry of Urban Development has circulated its Model Building Bye-Laws (2016) to all State Governments which, inter-alia, incorporates provisions for Rain Water Harvesting.
- Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change have merged two separate programmes,  namely,  National  Lake  Conservation  Plan  (NLCP)  and  National  Wetland Conservation  Programme  (NWCP)  into  a  new  Integrated  Scheme  of  National  Plan  for Conservation  of  Aquatic  Eco-Systems  (NPCA)  for  conservation  and  management  of identified lakes and wetlands in the country.
- CGWB has been organizing  mass awareness  programmes  in  the  country  to  promote  rain water harvesting and artificial recharge to ground water.

*****

## Annexure  referred  in  reply  to  Part  (a)  of  the  Lok  Sabha  Starred  Q.No.  230  dated 01.12.2016 regarding 'Exploitation of Ground Water'

State-Wise Ground Water Resources Availability, Utilization and Stage of Development in India (As On 2011)

| Sl. No.   | States / Union      | Annual Replenishable Ground Water   | Natural Discharge during non- monsoon   | Net Annual Ground Water   | Annual Ground Water Draft   | Annual Ground Water Draft    | Annual Ground Water Draft   | Stage of Ground Water Development (%)   |
|-----------|---------------------|-------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------|---------------------------|-----------------------------|------------------------------|-----------------------------|-----------------------------------------|
|           | Territories         | Resource                            | season                                  | Availability              | Irrigation                  | Domestic and industrial uses | Total                       |                                         |
|           | States              |                                     |                                         |                           |                             |                              |                             |                                         |
| 1         | Andhra Pradesh      | 20.7892                             | 1.9064                                  | 18.8828                   | 6.2694                      | 0.7381                       | 7.0075                      | 37                                      |
| 2         | Telangana           | 15.098                              | 1.4138                                  | 13.6844                   | 6.9103                      | 0.5919                       | 7.502                       | 55                                      |
| 3         | Arunachal Pradesh   | 4.5100                              | 0.4500                                  | 4.0600                    | 0.0020                      | 0.0010                       | 0.0030                      | 0.08                                    |
| 4         | Assam               | 28.5200                             | 2.7300                                  | 25.7900                   | 2.8600                      | 0.6400                       | 3.4900                      | 14                                      |
| 5         | Bihar               | 29.3350                             | 2.4705                                  | 26.8645                   | 10.2550                     | 1.6960                       | 11.9509                     | 44                                      |
| 6         | Chhattisgarh        | 12.4200                             | 0.7900                                  | 11.6300                   | 3.4300                      | 0.6200                       | 4.0500                      | 35                                      |
| 7         | Delhi               | 0.3105                              | 0.0234                                  | 0.2871                    | 0.1402                      | 0.2519                       | 0.3922                      | 137                                     |
| 8         | Goa                 | 0.2424                              | 0.0970                                  | 0.1454                    | 0.0101                      | 0.0311                       | 0.0411                      | 28                                      |
| 9         | Gujarat             | 18.5686                             | 0.9832                                  | 17.5854                   | 10.7477                     | 1.1074                       | 11.8551                     | 67                                      |
| 10        | Haryana             | 10.7800                             | 0.9900                                  | 9.7900                    | 12.3500                     | 0.7100                       | 13.0500                     | 133                                     |
| 11        | Himachal Pradesh    | 0.5590                              | 0.0280                                  | 0.5311                    | 0.2506                      | 0.1272                       | 0.3778                      | 71                                      |
| 12        | Jammu &Kashmir      | 4.2512                              | 0.4251                                  | 3.8261                    | 0.1988                      | 0.6077                       | 0.8065                      | 21                                      |
| 13        | Jharkhand           | 6.3100                              | 0.5500                                  | 5.7600                    | 1.3100                      | 0.5500                       | 1.8600                      | 32                                      |
| 14        | Karnataka           | 17.0266                             | 2.2154                                  | 14.8112                   | 8.5916                      | 0.8198                       | 9.4114                      | 64                                      |
| 15        | Kerala              | 6.6864                              | 0.6134                                  | 6.0730                    | 1.3046                      | 1.5310                       | 2.8355                      | 47                                      |
| 16        | Madhya Pradesh      | 35.0406                             | 1.7520                                  | 33.2886                   | 17.4809                     | 1.3527                       | 18.8335                     | 57                                      |
| 17        | Maharashtra         | 33.9474                             | 1.7955                                  | 32.1519                   | 16.1460                     | 1.0293                       | 17.1754                     | 53                                      |
| 18        | Manipur             | 0.4401                              | 0.0440                                  | 0.3961                    | 0.0033                      | 0.0007                       | 0.0040                      | 1.02                                    |
| 19        | Meghalaya           | 1.7805                              | 0.1780                                  | 1.6024                    | 0.0015                      | 0.0002                       | 0.0017                      | 0.08                                    |
| 20        | Mizoram             | 0.0304                              | 0.0030                                  | 0.0273                    | 0.0000                      | 0.0010                       | 0.0010                      | 3.52                                    |
| 21        | Nagaland            | 0.6159                              | 0.0616                                  | 0.5543                    | 0.0000                      | 0.0340                       | 0.0340                      | 6.13                                    |
| 22        | Odisha              | 17.7768                             | 1.0859                                  | 16.6909                   | 3.8126                      | 0.9162                       | 4.7288                      | 28                                      |
| 23        | Punjab              | 22.5300                             | 2.2100                                  | 20.3200                   | 34.1700                     | 0.7100                       | 34.8800                     | 172                                     |
| 24        | Rajasthan           | 11.9414                             | 1.1125                                  | 10.8290                   | 13.1332                     | 1.7098                       | 14.8430                     | 137                                     |
| 25        | Sikkim*             | -                                   | -                                       | 0.0442                    | 0.0027                      | 0.0086                       | 0.0113                      | 26                                      |
| 26        | Tamil Nadu          | 21.5326                             | 2.1533                                  | 19.3793                   | 13.1688                     | 1.7638                       | 14.9326                     | 77                                      |
| 27        | Tripura             | 2.5866                              | 0.2286                                  | 2.3580                    | 0.0932                      | 0.0694                       | 0.1626                      | 7                                       |
| 28        | Uttar Pradesh       | 77.1900                             | 5.5300                                  | 71.6600                   | 48.7400                     | 4.0400                       | 52.7800                     | 74                                      |
| 29        | Uttarakhand         | 2.0403                              | 0.0449                                  | 1.9954                    | 1.1033                      | 0.0298                       | 1.1331                      | 57                                      |
| 30        | West Bengal         | 29.2511                             | 2.6688                                  | 26.5823                   | 9.7195                      | 0.9731                       | 10.6926                     | 40                                      |
|           | Total (States)      | 432.11                              | 34.55                                   | 397.60                    | 222.21                      | 22.66                        | 244.85                      | 62                                      |
|           | Union Territories   |                                     |                                         |                           |                             |                              |                             |                                         |
| 1         | Andaman &Nicobar    | 0.3080                              | 0.0216                                  | 0.2865                    | 0.0006                      | 0.0121                       | 0.0127                      | 4.44                                    |
| 2         | Chandigarh          | 0.0216                              | 0.0022                                  | 0.0194                    | 0.0000                      | 0.0000                       | 0.0000                      | 0                                       |
| 3         | Dadra& Nagar Haveli | 0.0622                              | 0.0031                                  | 0.0591                    | 0.0072                      | 0.0056                       | 0.0129                      | 22                                      |
| 4         | Daman &Diu          | 0.0181                              | 0.0012                                  | 0.0169                    | 0.0145                      | 0.0019                       | 0.0164                      | 97                                      |
| 5         | Lakshadweep         | 0.0105                              | 0.0070                                  | 0.0035                    | 0.0000                      | 0.0023                       | 0.0023                      | 67                                      |
| 6         | Puducherry          | 0.1893                              | 0.0190                                  | 0.1703                    | 0.1237                      | 0.0293                       | 0.1530                      | 90                                      |
|           | Total (UTs)         | 0.6100                              | 0.0500                                  | 0.5600                    | 0.1500                      | 0.0500                       | 0.2000                      | 36                                      |
|           | Grand Total         | 432.7200                            | 34.6000                                 | 398.1600                  | 222.3600                    | 22.7100                      | 245.0500                    | 62                                      |

## Annexure  referred  in  reply  to  Part  (b)  of  the  Lok  Sabha  Starred  Q.No.  230  dated 01.12.2016 regarding 'Exploitation of Ground Water'

## Categorization Of Blocks/ Mandals/ Talukas /Firkas In India As Per Dynamic Ground Water Resources Assessment

(2011)

| Sl.No.      | States / Union Territories   | Total No. of Assessed Units   | Safe   | Safe   | Semi- critical   | Semi- critical   | Critical   | Critical   | Over- exploited   | Over- exploited   | Saline   | Saline   |
|-------------|------------------------------|-------------------------------|--------|--------|------------------|------------------|------------|------------|-------------------|-------------------|----------|----------|
| Sl.No.      | States / Union Territories   | Total No. of Assessed Units   | Nos.   | %      | Nos.             | %                | Nos.       | %          | Nos.              | %                 | Nos.     | %        |
|             | States                       |                               |        |        |                  |                  |            |            |                   |                   |          |          |
| 1           | Andhra Pradesh               | 662                           | 534    | 81     | 42               | 6                | 7          | 1          | 41                | 6                 | 38       | 6        |
| 2           | Telangana                    | 448                           | 343    | 77     | 55               | 12               | 8          | 2          | 42                | 9                 | 0        | 0        |
| 3           | Arunachal Pradesh            | 11                            | 11     | 100    | 0                | 0                | 0          | 0          | 0                 | 0                 | 0        | 0        |
| 4           | Assam                        | 27                            | 27     | 100    | 0                | 0                | 0          | 0          | 0                 | 0                 | 0        | 0        |
| 5           | Bihar                        | 533                           | 522    | 98     | 11               | 2                | 0          | 0          | 0                 | 0                 | 0        | 0        |
| 6           | Chhattisgarh                 | 146                           | 125    | 86     | 18               | 12               | 2          | 1          | 1                 | 1                 | 0        | 0        |
| 7           | Delhi                        | 27                            | 2      | 7      | 5                | 19               | 2          | 7          | 18                | 67                | 0        | 0        |
| 8           | Goa                          | 20                            | 20     | 100    | 0                | 0                | 0          | 0          | 0                 | 0                 | 0        | 0        |
| 9           | Gujarat                      | 223                           | 171    | 77     | 13               | 6                | 5          | 2          | 24                | 11                | 10       | 4        |
| 10          | Haryana                      | 116                           | 23     | 20     | 7                | 6                | 15         | 13         | 71                | 61                | 0        | 0        |
| 11          | Himachal Pradesh             | 8                             | 5      | 63     | 0                | 0                | 2          | 25         | 1                 | 13                | 0        | 0        |
| 12          | Jammu &Kashmir               | 14                            | 14     | 100    | 0                | 0                | 0          | 0          | 0                 | 0                 | 0        | 0        |
| 13          | Jharkhand                    | 210                           | 199    | 95     | 5                | 2                | 0          | 0          | 6                 | 3                 | 0        | 0        |
| 14          | Karnataka                    | 270                           | 152    | 56     | 34               | 13               | 21         | 8          | 63                | 23                | 0        | 0        |
| 15          | Kerala                       | 152                           | 126    | 83     | 23               | 15               | 2          | 1          | 1                 | 1                 | 0        | 0        |
| 16          | Madhya Pradesh               | 313                           | 218    | 70     | 67               | 21               | 4          | 1          | 24                | 8                 | 0        | 0        |
| 17          | Maharashtra                  | 353                           | 325    | 92     | 16               | 5                | 2          | 1          | 10                | 3                 | 0        | 0        |
| 18          | Manipur                      | 8                             | 8      | 100    | 0                | 0                | 0          | 0          | 0                 | 0                 | 0        | 0        |
| 19          | Meghalaya                    | 7                             | 7      | 100    | 0                | 0                | 0          | 0          | 0                 | 0                 | 0        | 0        |
| 20          | Mizoram                      | 22                            | 22     | 100    | 0                | 0                | 0          | 0          | 0                 | 0                 | 0        | 0        |
| 21          | Nagaland                     | 8                             | 8      | 100    | 0                | 0                | 0          | 0          | 0                 | 0                 | 0        | 0        |
| 22          | Odisha                       | 314                           | 308    | 98     | 0                | 0                | 0          | 0          | 0                 | 0                 | 6        | 2        |
| 23          | Punjab                       | 138                           | 22     | 16     | 2                | 1                | 4          | 3          | 110               | 80                | 0        | 0        |
| 24          | Rajasthan                    | 243                           | 25     | 10     | 20               | 8                | 24         | 10         | 172               | 71                | 2        | 1        |
| 25          | Sikkim                       | 4                             | 4      | 100    | 0                | 0                | 0          | 0          | 0                 | 0                 | 0        | 0        |
| 26          | Tamil Nadu                   | 1129                          | 437    | 39     | 235              | 21               | 48         | 4          | 374               | 33                | 35       | 3        |
| 27          | Tripura                      | 39                            | 39     | 100    | 0                | 0                | 0          | 0          | 0                 | 0                 | 0        | 0        |
| 28          | Uttar Pradesh                | 820                           | 559    | 68     | 82               | 10               | 68         | 8          | 111               | 14                | 0        | 0        |
| 29          | Uttarakhand                  | 18                            | 11     | 61     | 5                | 28               | 2          | 11         | 0                 | 0                 | 0        | 0        |
| 30          | West Bengal                  | 271                           | 217    | 80     | 53               | 20               | 1          | 0.37       | 0                 | 0                 | 0        | 0        |
|             | Total States                 | 6554                          | 4484   | 68     | 693              | 11               | 217        | 3          | 1069              | 16                | 91       | 1        |
|             | Union Territories            |                               |        |        |                  |                  |            |            |                   |                   |          |          |
| 1           | Andaman &Nicobar             | 36                            | 36     | 100    | 0                | 0                | 0          | 0          | 0                 | 0                 | 0        | 0        |
| 2           | Chandigarh                   | 1                             | 1      | 100    | 0                | 0                | 0          | 0          | 0                 | 0                 | 0        | 0        |
| 3           | Dadra &Nagar Haveli          | 1                             | 1      | 100    | 0                | 0                | 0          | 0          | 0                 | 0                 | 0        | 0        |
| 4           | Daman &Diu                   | 2                             | 0      | 0      | 1                | 50               | 0          | 0          | 1                 | 50                | 0        | 0        |
| 5           | Lakshadweep                  | 9                             | 6      | 67     | 3                | 33               | 0          | 0          | 0                 | 0                 | 0        | 0        |
| 6           | Puducherry                   | 4                             | 2      | 50     | 0                | 0                | 0          | 0          | 1                 | 25                | 1        | 25       |
|             | Total (UTs)                  | 53                            | 46     | 87     | 4                | 8                | 0          | 0          | 2                 | 4                 | 1        | 2        |
| Grand Total | Grand Total                  | 6607                          | 4530   | 69     | 697              | 11               | 217        | 3          | 1071              | 16                | 92       | 1        |

## Annexure  referred  in  reply  to  Part  (b)  of  the  Lok  Sabha  Starred  Q.No.  230  dated 01.12.2016 regarding 'Exploitation of Ground Water'

State-Wise Details Of Blocks With Geogenic Contaminants In Ground Water

| Sl. No   | No. of States       | No. of Blocks affected                  | No. of Blocks affected    | No. of Blocks affected   | No. of Blocks affected    | No. of Blocks affected   |
|----------|---------------------|-----------------------------------------|---------------------------|--------------------------|---------------------------|--------------------------|
| Sl. No   | No. of States       | Salinity (EC above 3000 micro mhos/ cm) | Fluoride (above 1.5 mg/l) | Nitrate (above 45 mg/l)  | Arsenic (above 0.01 mg/l) | Iron (above 1 mg/l )     |
| 1        | Andhra Pradesh      | 65                                      | 117                       | 162                      | 4                         | 34                       |
| 2        | Telangana           | 17                                      | 215                       | 115                      | 2                         | 38                       |
| 3        | Assam*              | 0                                       | 9                         | 0                        | 19                        | 18                       |
| 4        | Arunachal Pradesh*  | 0                                       | 0                         | 0                        | 0                         | 4                        |
| 5        | Bihar               | 3                                       | 141                       | 26                       | 78                        | 32                       |
| 6        | Chhattisgarh        | 0                                       | 29                        | 33                       | 1                         | 9                        |
| 7        | Delhi               | 11                                      | 10                        | 14                       | 2                         | 0                        |
| 8        | Goa                 | 0                                       | 0                         | 0                        | 0                         | 2                        |
| 9        | Gujarat             | 104                                     | 69                        | 143                      | 22                        | 46                       |
| 10       | Haryana             | 34                                      | 91                        | 45                       | 26                        | 45                       |
| 11       | Himachal Pradesh    | 0                                       | 0                         | 8                        | 1                         | 0                        |
| 12       | Jammu &Kashmir      | 0                                       | 2                         | 11                       | 7                         | 22                       |
| 13       | Jharkhand           | 0                                       | 38                        | 16                       | 3                         | 7                        |
| 14       | Karnataka           | 114                                     | 118                       | 160                      | 7                         | 116                      |
| 15       | Kerala              | 15                                      | 10                        | 35                       | 0                         | 74                       |
| 16       | Madhya Pradesh      | 22                                      | 79                        | 260                      | 25                        | 127                      |
| 17       | Maharashtra         | 25                                      | 32                        | 158                      | 0                         | 28                       |
| 18       | Manipur*            | 0                                       | 0                         | 0                        | 2                         | 0                        |
| 19       | Meghalaya*          | 0                                       | 0                         | 0                        | 0                         | 0                        |
| 20       | Nagaland*           | 0                                       | 0                         | 0                        | 0                         | 0                        |
| 21       | Odisha              | 42                                      | 68                        | 38                       | 1                         | 91                       |
| 22       | Punjab              | 14                                      | 43                        | 50                       | 24                        | 43                       |
| 23       | Rajasthan           | 87                                      | 203                       | 123                      | 1                         | 58                       |
| 24       | Tamil Nadu          | 70                                      | 51                        | 154                      | 14                        | 10                       |
| 25       | Tripura*            | 0                                       | 0                         | 0                        | 0                         | 4                        |
| 26       | Uttar Pradesh       | 35                                      | 74                        | 180                      | 121                       | 26                       |
| 27       | Uttarakhand         | 0                                       | 0                         | 9                        | 0                         | 0                        |
| 28       | West Bengal         | 59                                      | 43                        | 7                        | 90                        | 331                      |
| 29       | Andaman &Nicobar    | 1                                       | 0                         | 0                        | 0                         | 6                        |
| 30       | Dadra &Nagar Haveli | 0                                       | 0                         | 1                        | 0                         | 0                        |
| 31       | Chandigarh          | 0                                       | 0                         | 0                        | 0                         | 0                        |
| 32       | Daman &Diu          | 2                                       | 0                         | 1                        | 1                         | 1                        |
| 33       | Puducherry#         | 0                                       | 0                         | 2                        | 0                         | 0                        |
| 34       | Lakshadweep^        | 0                                       | 3                         | 0                        | 0                         | 0                        |
|          | Total               | 720                                     | 1445                      | 1751                     | 451                       | 1172                     |

Note: Data Source is CGWB survey upto May2015 and reports