Lok Sabha Question No. 316 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-07-19
Subject: Water Crisis
Ministry: WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT AND GANAGA REJUVENATION
Asked by: GAURAV GOGOI, HARISH CHANDRA MEENA, JYOTIRADITYA MADHAVRAO SCINDIA

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

## LOK SABHA UN STARRED QUESTION NO. 316

## ANSWERED ON 19.0 7.201 8

## WATER CRISIS

## 316. SHRI GAURAV GOGOI SHRI HARISH MEENA SHRI JYOTIRADITYA M. SCINDIA

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

(a) whether the Union Government is aware that 'water crisis' has hit more than 26 cities across the country and if so, the details thereof;

(b) whether the States and Urban Local bodies are not taking any effective steps to tackle crisis in the cities and if so, the reasons therefor;

(c) whether the efforts of Union Government for water conservation in cities have als ineffective and/or are being neglected to deal with the water crisis and if so, the detai regard;

(d) the steps the Union Government proposes to take in consultation with State Governme urban local bodies to face the challenges of the water crisis in cities; and

(e) the action taken/to be taken by the Union Government to handle the water crisis situation and make strict regulation for water conservation in the country?

## ANSWER

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

## ( SHRI ARJUN RAM MEGHW AL )

(a) No specific information regarding water crisis hitting more than 26 cities across t is available. However, the Government is aware of the growing water related problems in cit across the country .

As  per  National  Commission  for  Integrated  Water  Resources  Development  (NCIWRD) report, the total water availability of India received through precipitation has been a 4000 Billion Cubic Meter (BCM) per annum. After evaporation, 1869 BCM water is available as natural runoff. Due to geological and other factors, the utilizable water availability 1137  BCM  per  annum  comprising  690  BCM  of  surface  water  and  447  BCM  of  replenishable ground water.

Total requirement of the country for different uses for high demand scenario for 2010 and 2025 has been assessed as 710 Billion Cubic Meter (BCM) and 843 BCM respective Further, it is projected that in the year 2050, the country's total water demand is estimated at 1180 BCM , outstripping the total availability of 1137 BCM.

(b) to (e) Water is a State subject. Steps for augmentation, conservation and efficient of  water  resources  to  ensure  sustainability  and  availability  are  primarily undertaken  by  the respective State Governments. The Central Government supplements the efforts of the Stat by providing technical and financial assistance through various schemes and programmes.

The Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs formulates the policies and strategies pertai to various aspects of urban development including Water Supply and Sanitation and also p technical  and  financial  assistance  to  the  States.  The  Central  Public  Health  and  Envi Engineering  Organisation  (CPHEEO),  a  technical  Wing  of  the  Ministry  of  Housing  &  Ur Affairs, deals with the matters related to urban water supply and sanitation in the Count an Advisory body at Central level to advise the concerned State ag encies and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in implementation, operation & maintenance of urban water supply, sanitation and Waste Management projects and helps to adopt latest technologies in these sub sectors.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs h as launched Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) in five hundred cities across the country with major foc water supply. The States/UTs have been empowered to select, appraise and implement the pr

Central  Ground  Water Board  (CGWB)  under  this  ministry  has  prepared  a  conceptual document titled 'Master Plan for Artificial Recharge to  Ground Water in  India'  which provides information  about  area  specific  artificial  recharge  techniques  to  augment  the  grou resources  b ased  on  the  availability  of  source  water  and  capability  of  subsurface  forma accommodate  it.  The  Master  Plan  envisages  construction  of  about  1.11  crore  artificial structures in urban and rural areas at an estimated cost of Rs. 79178 crore.

Under National Water Mission, 11 State Governments namely, Andhra Pradesh, Arunach Pradesh,  Gujarat,  Karnataka,  Madhya  Pradesh,  Maharashtra,  Odisha,  Tamil  Nadu,  Telang Uttarakhand and West Bengal are being supported to formulate State Water Budgeti ng for water security, safety and sustainability as an innovative strategic intervention to check over -exploitation, water  deficiency  and  contamination  by  building  a  convergence  and  synergy  model  aime performance based water governance. The initiative is being expanded across all the States and UTs.

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