Lok Sabha Question No. 3765 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-01-03
Subject: Regulation of Ground Water Usage
Ministry: DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION
Asked by: DUSHYANT CHAUTALA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF DRINKING WATER & SANITATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3765 TO BE ANSWERED ON 03.01.2019

## Regulation of Ground Water Usage

## 3765. SHRI DUSHYANT CHAUTALA:

Will the Minister of DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION be pleased to state:

- (a)   whether the Government has any plan to bring in guidelines for regulating usage of ground water and to increase rain water harvesting system;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and whether the Government has also invited suggestions of the State Governments in this regard; and
- (c)   if so, the details thereof and the actions taken by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION (SHRI RAMESH CHANDAPPA JIGAJINAGI)

(a)  to  (c)The  issue  of  regulating  usage  of  ground  water  and  to  increase  rain  water harvesting  system  is  related  to  Ministry  of  Water  Resources,  River  Development  and Ganga Rejuvenation (MoWR, RD & GR). As per the information furnished by them in this  respect,  water  being  a  State  subject,  initiatives  on  water  management  including regulating ground water usage and rain water harvesting for artificial recharge to ground water in the country is primarily responsibility of the States.However, steps taken by the Central  Government  including  regulation of ground  water  usage and rain water harvestingare as under:

- 1)  The  National  Water  Policy  (2012)  formulated  by  MoWR,  RD  &  GR,  inter-alia, 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.
- 2)  MoWR, RD & GRhas 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.
- 3)  Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) has been constituted under Section 3 (3) of the 'Environment (Protection) Act, 1986' for the purpose of regulation and control of ground  water  development  and  management  in  the  Country.  CGWA  grants  No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for ground water abstraction to various users through guidelines which are modified from time to time.
- 4)  Central  Ground  Water  Board  (CGWB)  has  prepared  a  conceptual  document  titled 'Master  Plan  for  Artificial  Recharge  to  Ground  Water  -  2013'  which  provides information  about  area-specific  artificial  recharge  techniques  to  augment  ground water resources based on the availability of source water and capability of subsurface formations to accommodate it. The Master Plan envisages construction of about 1.11 crore artificial recharge/Rainwater harvesting structures in urban and rural areas. The Master Plan is available in public domain and has also been circulated to the State Governments for implementation.
- 5)  CGWB has taken up Aquifer Mapping and Management (NAQUIM) programmefrom the  XII  Plan,  under  the  scheme  of  Ground  Water  Management  and  Regulation. Aquifer Mapping is aimed at delineating aquifer disposition and their characterization for preparation of aquifer/area specific ground water management plans.
- 6)  DepartmentofLandResourcesiscurrently implementing 8214watershed developmentprojectsin28Statescoveringanareaofabout39.07millionhectare under the Watershed DevelopmentComponent(WDC) of the PradhanMantriKrishiSinchayeeYojana (PMKSY),primarily for development of rainfed portionsofnetcultivatedareaandcultivablewastelands.Majoractivities takenup under theWDC-PMKSY inter-aliainclude ridge area treatment, drainagelineafforestation, soiland moistureconservation, rain waterharvesting, horticulture, pasturedevelopment etc.
- 7) The Ministry of Rural Development, in consultation and agreement with the Ministry of Water Resources, RD& GR and the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare has developed an actionable framework titled 'Mission Water Conservation' for Natural Resources Management  (NRM)  to  ensure gainful utilization of funds. The Framework strives to ensure synergies in Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), PMKSY,Integrated Watershed Management  Programme  (IWMP)  and  Command  Area  Development  &  Water Management  (CAD&WM)  Programme,  given  their  common  objectives.    Common works undertaken under these programmes / schemes include water conservation and management, water harvesting, soil and moisture conservation, ground water recharge, flood protection, land development, Command area development and water shed management.