Lok Sabha Question No. 1563 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-07-26
Subject: Ground Water Depletion
Ministry: WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT AND GANAGA REJUVENATION
Asked by: OM PRAKASH YADAV, SANTOSH AHLAWAT

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

## LOK SABHA UN STARRED QUESTION NO. 1563

ANSWERED ON 26.0 7.201 8

## GROUND WATER DEPLETI ON

## 1563. SHRI OM PRAKASH YADAV SHRIMATI SANTOSH AHLAWAT

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

(a) whether recently the Government has announced setting up of a panel of secretaries to tackl ground water depletion in the country and if so, the details thereof;

(b) whether it is a fact that in certain regions of the States of Rajasthan and Bihar e specially in Jhunjhunu and Siwan Districts depletion of ground water rate is too high in comparison to other States and

(c) if so, the details thereof and the preparedness plan of the Government to tackle this ma country e specially in the said States?

## ANSWER

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

## ( SHRI ARJUN RAM MEGHW AL )

(a) In order to ensure sustainable withdrawal and effective utilization of ground water and i an Inter Ministerial Committee has been constituted, the current tenure of which is till Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources, RD & G R is the convener of the Committee which consists Secretaries of Ministries of Rural Development, Drinking Water and Sanitation, Panchayati Raj and Farmers Welfare and Environment & Forests and Climate Change.

Various issues related to gr oundwater depletion, low cost artificial recharge structures, pr groundwater  recharge  zones,  aquifer  management  plans  and  research  and  development  init association  with  pioneer  organizations  /  institutions  in  groundwater  sector  have  be en  discussed  by  the Committee.

(b)As per latest assessment (year 2013), carried out by C ntral Ground Water Board (CGWB) jointly with State Governments ,  out  of  248  assessment  units  in  Rajasthan,  164  units  have  been  categorized  as  'Over -exploited'.   There is no 'Over -exploited' assessment unit in Bihar.  State - wise details of categorization assessment units of the Country are given at Annexure.

All the 8 assessment units of Jhunjhunu district,  Rajasthan  are  'Over -exploited',  whereas,  all  the assessment units of Siwan district, Bihar are 'Safe' implying ample scope of ground water development in the district.

(c)Water  being  a  State  subject,  initiatives  on  water  management  including  c onservation  and  rainwater harvesting / artificial recharge to ground water is primarily States' responsibility. However, s teps taken by the  Central  Government  for  conservation  of  ground  water  are  available  at  the  foll http://mowr.gov.in/sites/default/files/MeasuresForGW - Depletion\_1.pdf .

Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) of Unstarred Question No. 1563 to be answered Lok Sabha on 26.07.2018 regarding ' Ground Water Depletion '

## CATEGORIZATION OF BLOCKS/ MANDALS/ TALUKS IN INDIA (2013)

| S.No.   | States / Union Territories   | Total No. of Assessed Units   | Safe   | Safe   | Semi-critical   | Semi-critical   | Critical   | Critical   | Over - Exploited   | Over - Exploited   | Saline   | Saline   |
|---------|------------------------------|-------------------------------|--------|--------|-----------------|-----------------|------------|------------|--------------------|--------------------|----------|----------|
| S.No.   | States / Union Territories   | Total No. of Assessed Units   | Nos.   | %      | Nos.            | %               | Nos.       | %          | Nos.               | %                  | Nos.     | %        |
|         | States                       |                               |        |        |                 |                 |            |            |                    |                    |          |          |
| 1       | Andhra Pradesh               | 670                           | 497    | 74     | 54              | 8               | 17         | 3          | 61                 | 9                  | 41       | 6        |
| 2       | Arunachal Pradesh            | 11                            | 11     | 100    | 0               | 0               | 0          | 0          | 0                  | 0                  | 0        | 0        |
| 3       | Assam                        | 27                            | 27     | 100    | 0               | 0               | 0          | 0          | 0                  | 0                  | 0        | 0        |
| 4       | Bihar                        | 534                           | 520    | 97     | 14              | 3               | 0          | 0          | 0                  | 0                  | 0        | 0        |
| 5       | Chhattisgarh                 | 146                           | 125    | 86     | 18              | 12              | 2          | 1          | 1                  | 1                  | 0        | 0        |
| 6       | Delhi                        | 27                            | 5      | 19     | 7               | 26              | 0          | 0          | 15                 | 56                 | 0        | 0        |
| 7       | Goa                          | 12                            | 12     | 100    | 0               | 0               | 0          | 0          | 0                  | 0                  | 0        | 0        |
| 8       | Gujarat                      | 223                           | 175    | 78     | 9               | 4               | 6          | 3          | 23                 | 10                 | 10       | 4        |
| 9       | Haryana                      | 119                           | 30     | 25     | 11              | 9               | 14         | 12         | 64                 | 54                 | 0        | 0        |
| 10      | Himachal Pradesh             | 8                             | 6      | 75     | 0               | 0               | 1          | 13         | 1                  | 13                 | 0        | 0        |
| 11      | Jammu & Kashmir              | 22                            | 22     | 100    | 0               | 0               | 0          | 0          | 0                  | 0                  | 0        | 0        |
| 12      | Jharkhand                    | 260                           | 244    | 94     | 10              | 4               | 2          | 1          | 4                  | 2                  | 0        | 0        |
| 13      | Karnataka                    | 176                           | 98     | 56     | 21              | 12              | 14         | 8          | 43                 | 24                 | 0        | 0        |
| 14      | Kerala                       | 152                           | 131    | 86     | 18              | 12              | 2          | 1          | 1                  | 1                  | 0        | 0        |
| 15      | Madhya Pradesh               | 313                           | 228    | 73     | 58              | 19              | 2          | 1          | 25                 | 8                  | 0        | 0        |
| 16      | Maharashtra                  | 353                           | 324    | 92     | 19              | 5               | 1          | 0          | 9                  | 3                  | 0        | 0        |
| 17      | Manipur                      | 9                             | 9      | 100    | 0               | 0               | 0          | 0          | 0                  | 0                  | 0        | 0        |
| 18      | Meghalaya                    | 11                            | 11     | 100    | 0               | 0               | 0          | 0          | 0                  | 0                  | 0        | 0        |
| 19      | Mizoram                      | 22                            | 22     | 100    | 0               | 0               | 0          | 0          | 0                  | 0                  | 0        | 0        |
| 20      | Nagaland                     | 11                            | 11     | 100    | 0               | 0               | 0          | 0          | 0                  | 0                  | 0        | 0        |
| 21      | Odisha                       | 314                           | 308    | 98     | 0               | 0               | 0          | 0          | 0                  | 0                  | 6        | 2        |
| 22      | Punjab                       | 138                           | 26     | 19     | 3               | 2               | 4          | 3          | 105                | 76                 | 0        | 0        |
| 23      | Rajasthan                    | 248                           | 44     | 18     | 28              | 11              | 9          | 4          | 164                | 66                 | 3        | 1        |
| 24      | Sikkim                       | -                             | -      | -      | -               | -               | -          | -          | -                  | -                  | -        | -        |
| 25      | Tamil Nadu                   | 1139                          | 429    | 38     | 212             | 19              | 105        | 9          | 358                | 31                 | 35       | 3        |
| 26      | Telangana                    | 443                           | 311    | 70     | 74              | 17              | 12         | 3          | 46                 | 10                 | 0        | 0        |
| 27      | Tripura                      | 39                            | 39     | 100    | 0               | 0               | 0          | 0          | 0                  | 0                  | 0        | 0        |
| 28      | Uttar Pradesh                | 820                           | 603    | 74     | 45              | 5               | 59         | 7          | 113                | 14                 | 0        | 0        |
| 29      | Uttarakhand                  | 18                            | 16     | 89     | 1               | 6               | 1          | 6          | 0                  | 0                  | 0        | 0        |
| 30      | West Bengal                  | 268                           | 191    | 71     | 76              | 28              | 1          | 0          | 0                  | 0                  | 0        | 0        |
|         | Total (States)               | 6533                          | 4475   | 68     | 678             | 10              | 252        | 4          | 1033               | 16                 | 95       | 1        |
|         | Union Territories            |                               |        |        |                 |                 |            |            |                    |                    |          |          |
| 1       | Andaman & Nicobar            | 34                            | 34     | 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                             | 1      | 50     | 0               | 0               | 1          | 50         | 0                  | 0                  | 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)                  | 51                            | 45     | 88     | 3               | 6               | 1          | 2          | 1                  | 2                  | 1        | 2        |
|         | Grand Total                  | 6584                          | 4520   | 69     | 681             | 10              | 253        | 4          | 1034               | 16                 | 96       | 1        |

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