Lok Sabha Question No. 3533 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-03-23
Subject: Rainwater Storage/Harvesting
Ministry: WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT AND GANAGA REJUVENATION
Asked by: RAKESH SINGH

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. †3533

ANSWERED ON 23.03.2017

## RAINWATER STORAGE/HARVESTING

## †3533. SHRI RAKESH SINGH

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

- (a) whether the Government is aware that ground water level in the country is declining rapidly and if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;
- (b)  whether  around  two-thirds  of  natural  water  gets  wasted  due  to  improper  storage/harvesting  of rainwater and if so, the facts thereof; and

(c)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  formulate  any  scheme  at  Central  level  for  proper storage/harvesting of rainwater and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE  MINISTER  OF  STATE  FOR  WATER  RESOURCES,  RIVER  DEVELOPMENT  AND GANGA REJUVENATION (DR. SANJEEV KUMAR BALYAN)

(a) Ground Water levels are declining in some parts of the Country due to its exploitation for various purposes including irrigation and industrial utilization. As per the ground water level data monitored by Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), Pre-monsoon (April/ May, 2016) water level data when compared  with  the  decadal  average  (2006-2015)  indicate  that  66%  of  the  wells  have  registered decline  in  ground  water  level  in  certain  pockets  in  all  the  States/UTs  of  the  country.    State-wise details is given in Annexure.

- (b) Due to seasonal,  geographical  and  annual  variation  in  availability  of  water  as  well  as  lack  of adequate storage, substantial quantity of water,  especially during monsoon season, remains unused and flows into sea.  As per the assessment done by Central Water Commission in the year 1993, the river basin wise average annual water availability in the Country is 1869 billion cubic meters (BCM). It  is  estimated that owing to topographic, hydrological and other constraints, the utilizable water is 1123 BCM, which comprises 690 BCM of surface water and 433 BCM of replenishable ground water resources.

(c)  Steps taken by the Government for conservation of surface and ground water are available at the http://mowr.gov.in/writereaddata/GW\_Depletion.pdf.

Annexure  referred  in  reply  to  Lok  Sabha  Unstarred  Q.No.  3533  for  reply  on 23.03.2017 regarding 'Rainwater Storage/Harvesting'

## 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               | 14623                   | 4944   | 34     | 9615   | 66     |

Note: 64 wells show no change in water level