Lok Sabha Question No. 1688 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-02-13
Subject: Rising Heat and Depleting Water Sources
Ministry: EARTH SCIENCES
Asked by: SANJAY(KAKA) RAMCHANDRA PATIL

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION No.  1688

## TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2019

## RISING HEAT AND DEPLETING WATER SOURCES

## 1688. SHRI SANJAY KAKA PATIL:

Will the Minister of EARTH SCIENCES be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has conducted or proposes to conduct detailed study of rising heat and depleting source of water due to global warming; and
- (b) if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the  modern  technologies  proposed  to  be used for the said purpose?

ANSWER MINISTER FOR MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES (DR. HARSH VARDHAN)

- (a) Yes Madam. Government has taken note of rise in global temperatures. In  line  with  this,  temperature  over  India  also  showed  noticeable  rise. Details of average annual temperature and anomalies over the country as a whole during the last five years (2014 to 2018) are given in the table below for ready reference;
- (b) The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation  (MoWR,  RD  &  GR)  has  been  implementing  the  following schemes/plans for conservation of water resources:
- (i) Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) with the objective of enhancing physical access to water on farms, improve farm water use efficiency, introduce sustainable water conservation practices, etc.
- (ii) Repair, Renovation and Restoration (RRR) of water bodies, including ponds & tanks, which aims at improving catchment area of  tank  commands,  increasing  storage  capacity,  ground  water recharge and increased availability of drinking water by promotion of conjunctive use of surface and ground water, etc.
- (iii) Implementation  of  National  Water  Mission  with  the  objective  of conservation of  water,  minimizing  wastage  and  ensuring  its  more equitable distribution both across and within States through integrated water resources development and management.
- (iv) Ground Water Management  and Regulation to conserve and replenish ground water in the country. As a part of this programme, Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) has issued advisories to all States  to  take  measures  to  promote/adopt  artificial  recharge  to ground  water/rain  water  harvesting.  Central  Ground  Water  Board (CGWB) has also been organizing mass awareness programmes in the country to promote water conservation & rain water harvesting. Special  focus  is  also  given  through  MGNREGA  (Mahatma  Gandhi National  Rural  Employment  Guarantee  Act)  scheme  for  water conservation  and  water  harvesting  structures  to  augment  ground water.
- (v) The National Water Policy-2012 formulated by MoWR, 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 policy document has been forwarded to  all  States  and  concerned  Ministries/Departments  of  Central Government for adoption of policy.
- (vi) This Ministry has also been supplementing the efforts of the State Governments in abatement of pollution and conservation of rivers, lakes & wetlands under the programmes of National River Conservation  Plan  (NRCP)  and  National  Plan  for  Conservation  of Aquatic Eco-systems (NPCA), on a cost sharing basis between the Central and State Governments.
- (vii) Water being a State subject, the Ministry is facilitating States and UT's  in  formulation  of  State/UT  Specific  Action  Plans  on  Water Sector which include sustainable management of water resources and managing the impact of climate change.

|    Year |   Annual Temperature ( 0 C) |   Annual Temperature anomaly ( 0 C) (Based on climatology 1981-2010) |
|---------|-----------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2014    |                     25.73   |                                                               0.2385 |
|   25.92 |                      0.4244 |                                                            2015      |
|   26.2  |                      0.7066 |                                                            2016      |
| 2017    |                     26.04   |                                                               0.5413 |
| 2018    |                     25.9    |                                                               0.3999 |

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