Lok Sabha Question No. 67 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-02-02
Subject: Artificial Recharge of Ground Water
Ministry: WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT AND GANAGA REJUVENATION
Asked by: SHIVKUMAR CHANABASAPPA UDASI

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 67

ANSWERED ON 02.02.2017

## ARTIFICIAL RECHARGE OF GROUND WATER

## 67. SHRI SHIVKUMAR UDASI

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

- (a) whether the Government is aware that ground water levels in many parts of the country are fast depleting, if so, the details thereof and the steps taken to arrest this trend;
- (b) whether majority of the States have so far not implemented the master plan for artificial recharge of ground water and if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;
- (c) the allocation and utilization of funds for research pertaining to ground water during the last three years and the current year; and

(d) the steps taken by the Government to speed up the process of artificial recharge of ground water?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT AND GANGA REJUVENATION

(DR. SANJEEV KUMAR BALYAN)

(a) Growing  urbanization,  industrialization  and  population,  amongst  others,  have    resulted  into declining ground water levels in various parts of the Country.  Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) carries  out  ground  water  monitoring,  four  times  a  year,  on  regional  scale  through  a  network  of observation  wells  in  the  Country.    Water  level  data  for  pre-monsoon  2016  compared  with  decadal mean  of  pre-monsoon  (2006-2015)  indicates  decline  in  ground  water  level  in  66%  of  the  wells monitored.  Details are given at Annexure -I.

The steps taken to control depletion of ground water level are given below :

- 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.
- CGWB has also prepared a conceptual document entitled 'Master Plan for Artificial Recharge to Ground Water in India' during 2013, involving ground water scientists/experts. 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 adoption.

- 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.
- CGWA has issued  advisories  to  States  and  UTs  to  take  measures  to  promote/adopt  artificial recharge to ground water / rain water harvesting.  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.
- 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.

(b)  The Master plan for Artificial Recharge is a conceptual document circulated to the States for guidance  and  adoption.  Water  conservation  and  artificial  recharge  to  ground  water  are  being undertaken  by  the  States/  Union  Territories  under  various  schemes  including  Mahatma  Gandhi National  Rural  Employment  Guarantee  Act  (MGNREGA),  Watershed  Development  Component (WDC) of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) etc.

(c) Ministry  of  Water  Resources,  RD  &  GR  sponsors  research  projects  pertaining  to  surface water,  ground  water  and  climate  change  under  'Research  &  Development (R&D) Programme in Water Sector".   The budgetary allocation for R&D programme in water sector and utilization for research pertaining to ground water during last three years and current year is given at AnnexureII.

- (d) Measures taken by the Government for artificial recharge of water are as follows:
- Special focus is given through Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act  (MGNREGA) for water  conservation  and  water  harvesting  structures  to  augment ground water.  In addition, priority has been given for construction of farm ponds in the year 2016-17 to harvest rain water.
- The Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation has suggested all States to adopt water conservation measures like roof top rainwater harvesting, erecting sustainability structures for water conservation etc. For creating such sustainability structures, 10 % of National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) funds are provided to the States.
- Department of Land Resources is currently implementing 8214 watershed development projects in 28 States covering an area of about 39.07 million ha. under the Watershed Development  Component  (WDC)  of  the  Pradhan  Mantri  Krishi  Sinchayee  Yojana (PMKSY) principally  for  development  of  rainfed  portions  of  net  cultivated  area  and culturable wastelands.  The major activities taken up under the WDC-PMKSY, interalia, include  ridge  area treatment, drainage  line afforestation,  soil  and  moisture conservation, rain water harvesting,  horticulture, and pasture development etc.
- 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.
- MoWR, RD & GR has also launched 'Jal Kranti  Abhiyan'  (2015-16  to  2017-18)  in order  to  consolidate  water  conservation  and  management  in  the  Country  through  a holistic and integrated approach involving all stakeholders, making it a mass movement.
- CGWB has been organizing mass awareness programmes in the Country  to promote rain water harvesting and artificial recharge to ground water; more than 17 lakh children participated in a nation-wide painting competition in the last year to  promote conservation of water.

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## ANNEXURE - I

Annexure  referred  in  reply  to Lok  Sabha  Unstarred  Question  No.  67 dated 02.02.2017 regarding 'Artificial Recharge of Ground Water'

## State-wise Decadal Water Level Fluctuation with Decadal Mean Pre-monsoon (2006 to 2015) and Pre-monsoon 2016

| S.No.   | Name of State       | No. of wells Analysed   | Rise   | Rise   | Fall   | Fall   |
|---------|---------------------|-------------------------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
|         |                     |                         | No.    | %      | No.    | %      |
| 1       | Andhra Pradesh      | 547                     | 236    | 43     | 308    | 56     |
| 2       | Arunachal Pradesh   | 14                      | 10     | 71     | 4      | 29     |
| 3       | Assam               | 182                     | 84     | 46     | 98     | 54     |
| 4       | Bihar               | 551                     | 180    | 33     | 369    | 67     |
| 5       | Chandigarh          | 11                      | 4      | 36     | 7      | 64     |
| 6       | Chhattisgarh        | 616                     | 165    | 27     | 451    | 73     |
| 7       | Dadra &Nagar Haveli | 12                      | 6      | 50     | 6      | 50     |
| 8       | Daman &Diu          | 10                      | 2      | 20     | 8      | 80     |
| 9       | Delhi               | 115                     | 26     | 23     | 89     | 77     |
| 10      | Goa                 | 70                      | 41     | 59     | 29     | 41     |
| 11      | Gujarat             | 738                     | 254    | 34     | 475    | 64     |
| 12      | Haryana             | 643                     | 184    | 29     | 454    | 71     |
| 13      | Himachal Pradesh    | 95                      | 36     | 38     | 59     | 62     |
| 14      | Jammu &Kashmir      | 225                     | 83     | 37     | 142    | 63     |
| 15      | Jharkhand           | 212                     | 86     | 41     | 126    | 59     |
| 16      | Karnataka           | 1380                    | 415    | 30     | 949    | 69     |
| 17      | Kerala              | 1240                    | 454    | 37     | 779    | 63     |
| 18      | Madhya Pradesh      | 1343                    | 502    | 37     | 838    | 62     |
| 19      | Maharashtra         | 1487                    | 437    | 29     | 1041   | 70     |
| 20      | Meghalaya           | 17                      | 6      | 35     | 11     | 65     |
| 21      | Odisha              | 1103                    | 395    | 36     | 705    | 64     |
| 22      | Puducherry          | 6                       | 5      | 83     | 1      | 17     |
| 23      | Punjab              | 613                     | 129    | 21     | 482    | 79     |
| 24      | Rajasthan           | 829                     | 346    | 42     | 481    | 58     |
| 25      | Tamil Nadu          | 587                     | 345    | 59     | 242    | 41     |
| 26      | Telangana           | 377                     | 66     | 18     | 308    | 82     |
| 27      | Tripura             | 28                      | 21     | 75     | 7      | 25     |
| 28      | Uttar Pradesh       | 629                     | 95     | 15     | 534    | 85     |
| 29      | Uttarakhand         | 44                      | 21     | 48     | 23     | 52     |
| 30      | West Bengal         | 899                     | 310    | 34     | 589    | 66     |
| Total   | Total               | 14623                   | 4944   | 34     | 9615   | 66     |

Note: 64 wells show no change in water level

Annexure  referred  in  reply  to Lok  Sabha  Unstarred  Question  No.  67 dated 02.02.2017 regarding 'Artificial Recharge of Ground Water'

## Budgetary Allocation for R&D Programme in Water Sector of MoWR, RD & GR and Utilization for research pertaining to Ground Water

(During last three years and current year)

| Year                    |   Allocation for R&DProgramme in Water Sector (Rs. in Lakhs) |   Utilization for research pertaining to ground water (Rs. in Lakhs) |
|-------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2013-14                 |                                                         1430 |                                                                13.43 |
| 2014-15                 |                                                         1030 |                                                                 8.06 |
| 2015-16                 |                                                          355 |                                                                 6.27 |
| 2016-17 (Current Year ) |                                                          225 |                                                                 8.93 |
| Total                   |                                                         3040 |                                                                36.69 |

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