Lok Sabha Question No. 3009 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-11
Subject: Ground Water Management
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Sukanta Majumdar, Raja Amareshwara Naik, Vinod Kumar Sonkar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI, DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3009 ANSWERED ON 11 .0 7.2019

## GROUND WATER MANAGEM ENT

## 3009. DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR SHRI RAJA AMARESHWARA NAIK SHRI VINOD KUMAR SONKAR

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a) whether the invisible and capricious nature of ground water has resulted in so much ex overuse that it has led to visib le and consistent water crisis and if so, the reaction of the Go thereto;

(b) whether the surveys by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) and Indian and US space ag ISRO and NASA, paint a frightening picture and if so, the reaction of the G overnment thereto;

(c)  the  salient  features  of  Atal  Bhujal  Yojana  for  sustainable  management  of  ground community participation;

(d) whether geographical priority areas have been identified under the yojana and if so, the details of th identified overexploited and water stressed areas for the implementation of the yojana; and

(e)  the  details  of  water  budgeting,  preparation  and  implementation  of  water  security  pl activities related to sustainable ground water management in West Bengal?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI & SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT

## (SHRI RATTAN LAL KATARIA )

(a)  &  (b) Ground  water  levels  in  various  parts  of  the  Country  are  declining  because  of  c withdrawal due to reasons such as increased demand of fresh water for various uses, vagaries increased population, industrialization & urbanization etc.

The Annual Replenishable Ground Water Resource of the country is being estimated jointl Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) and State Governments at periodical intervals. As per t 7 assessment, out of the total 6 881 assessment units (Block/ Taluks/ Mandals/ watersheds/ Fir kas) in the Country, 1 186 units  in  17  States/UTs  have  been  categorized  as  'Over -exploited'  where current annual ground water extraction is more than annu l extractable ground water resources.

In order to assess the declining/rising trend in water level on a long - term basis, pre - monsoon water level data 201 9 has been compared with the decadal average (200 9- 2018) water level. Analysis of data  indicates  decline  in  ground  water  level  in  about 61%  of  the  wells  and  rise  in 38%  wells  being monitored.

Hon'ble  Prime  Minist er  has  written  a  letter  to  all  S arpanchs  on  08.06.2019  regarding  the importance of water conservation and harvesting and exhorted them to adopt all appropriate make water conservation a mass movement.

Government of India has launched the Jal Shakti Abhiyan which is a time bound campai a mission mode approach intended to improve water availability including ground water condit water stressed blocks.

(c)  to  (e) The  World  Bank  has  approv ed  Atal  Bhujal  Yojana  (ABHY),  a  Rs.6000  Crore  scheme,  fo sustainable management of ground water resources with community participation. The funding 50:50  between  Government  of  India  and  World  Bank.  The  identified  over -exploited  (OE)  and  water stressed areas for the implementation of the scheme fall in the States of Gujarat, Haryan Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

ABHY envisages active participation of the communities in various activities such a of  'Water  User  Associations',  monitoring  and  disseminating  ground  water  data,  water  budgeting, preparation & implementation of Gram - Panchayat - wise water security plans and IEC activities relat sustainable ground water management. State - wise details aregiven in Annexure.

Water  being  a  State  subject,  initiatives  on  water  management  including  conserva artificial  recharge  to  ground  water  in  the  Country  is  primarily  States'  responsibility.    The  important measures taken by the Central Government f or conservation, management of ground water and effecti implementation of rain water harvesting in the country are at the following URL:

http://mowr.gov.in/sites/default/files/Steps\_to\_control\_water\_depletion\_Jun2019.pdf

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Annexure referred to in reply to part s (c ) to (e) of Unstarred Q.No. 3009 to be answered in Lok Sabha on 11.0 7.2019 regarding ' Ground Water Management '

## State - wise details of Atal Bhujal Yojana

| S.No.   | State          |   Districts |   Blocks | GPs   | Area (in Sq. kms)   |
|---------|----------------|-------------|----------|-------|---------------------|
| 1       | Haryana        |          13 |       36 | 1,895 | 12,650              |
| 2       | Gujarat        |           6 |       24 | 1,816 | 18,122              |
| 3       | Karnataka      |          14 |       41 | 1,199 | 39,703              |
| 4       | Maharashtra    |          13 |       35 | 1,339 | 13,209              |
| 5       | Rajasthan      |          17 |       22 | 876   | 53,386              |
| 6       | Uttar Pradesh  |          10 |       26 | 550   | 13,134              |
| 7       | Madhya Pradesh |           5 |        9 | 678   | 8,319               |
|         | TOTAL          |          78 |      193 | 8,353 | 158,523             |

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