Lok Sabha Question No. 3101 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-08-04
Subject: Conservation of Water Bodies
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Su Thirunavukkarasar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI,

## DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3101

ANSWERED ON 04.08.2022

## CONSERVATION OF WATER BODIES

## 3101 SHRI THIRUNAVUKKARASAR SU

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a)  whether  the  Government  is  aware  that  a  large  number  of  water  bodies  in  the  country  have  been encroached upon, drained up, beyond revival, not traceable and diverted for various other purposes; (b) if so, the details thereof, State-wise;

(c) whether any steps are being taken by the Government or directions issued to the States to identify and conserve such water bodies in a stipulated time frame;

(d) if so, the details thereof; and

(e) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI ( SHRI BISHWESWAR TUDU )

(a) to (e) Ministry of Jal Shakti has launched the first Census of Water Bodies in convergence with the Sixth  Minor  Irrigation  Census  (reference  year  2017-18)  with  the  objective  of  developing  a  national database of all water bodies in the country.  As per currently available data, the provisional figures of State-wise number of water bodies and number of cases of encroachment of water bodies is given in Annexure  A . However,  works  related to enumeration  of water bodies, their protection  from encroachment,  or  diversion  for  use  for  other  purposes,  comes  under  the  purview  of  the  State Government concerned.

Though water is a State subject, Government of India has taken a number of important measures to identify and conserve such water bodies in a stipulated time frame. Key measures taken recently in this regard are listed below:

1.  Government  of  India  is  providing  financial  assistance  to  the  States  under  Repair,  Renovation  and Restoration of Water Bodies component of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) - Har Khet Ko Pani (HKKP).

2.  Rejuvenation  of  water  bodies  is  also  a  component  under  water  supply  sector  of  Atal  Mission  for Rejuvenation  and  Urban  Transformation  (AMRUT)  scheme  under  Ministry  of  Housing  &  Urban Affairs. AMRUT 2.0, launched in October, 2021.

3.  In  2019, Jal Shakti Abhiyan was launched by the Government. This was followed in 2021 by 'Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch The Rain' (JSA:CTR) campaign. The JSA:CTR campaign for the year 2022 has been launched in March 2022, in all districts (rural as well as urban) of the country. The main theme of the campaign is 'Catch the Rain, where it falls, when it falls'. Focused interventions under these annual campaigns  taken  up  by  the  Government  of  India  and  the  State  Governments,  inter  alia,  include renovation of traditional and other water bodies/ tanks, enumeration, geo-tagging and making inventory of all water bodies, and removal of encroachments of tanks/ lakes, and de-silting of tanks, and protection of water catchment area.

4. Mission on Amrit Sarovar, aimed at developing and rejuvenating 75 water bodies in each district of the country as a part of celebration of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, has been launched in April, 2022. The Mission works through the States and districts, through refocusing of various ongoing schemes of the Government,  as  well  as  inclusion  of  citizen  and  non  Government  resources.  The  Mission  is  to  be completed by 15th August 2023.

5.  Mahatma  Gandhi  National  Rural  Employment  Guarantee  Scheme  (MNREGS)  has  provisions  for public  works  relating  to  natural  resource  management,  water  conservation  and  water  harvesting structures  to  augment  and  improve  ground  water  like  underground  dykes,  earthen  dams,  stop  dams, check dams and roof top rain water harvesting structures in public buildings.

ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) & (e) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3101 TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 04.08.2022 REGARDING 'CONSERVATION OF WATER BODIES'.

STATE-WISE  NUMBER  OF  WATER  BODIES  AND  NUMBER  OF  ENCROACHMENTS REPORTED IN THE FIRST CENSUS OF WATER BODIES (PROVISIONAL)

| S.No.   | States/UTs               | Total number of water bodies reported   | Total number of encroachments reported   |
|---------|--------------------------|-----------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|
| (1)     | (2)                      | (3)                                     | (4)                                      |
| 1       | ANDAMAN &NICOBAR ISLANDS | 3,528                                   | 59                                       |
| 2       | ANDHRA PRADESH           | 1,90,777                                | 3,920                                    |
| 3       | ARUNACHAL PRADESH        | 993                                     | 0                                        |
| 4       | ASSAM                    | 1,72,492                                | 13                                       |
| 5       | BIHAR                    | 45,793                                  | 871                                      |
| 6       | CHANDIGARH               | 188                                     | 0                                        |
| 7       | CHHATISGARH              | 34,000                                  | 111                                      |
| 8       | GOA                      | 1,463                                   | 8                                        |
| 9       | GUJARAT                  | 54,069                                  | 22                                       |
| 10      | HARYANA                  | 14,898                                  | 50                                       |
| 11      | HIMACHAL PRADESH         | 88,017                                  | 42                                       |
| 12      | JAMMU &KASHMIR           | 9,765                                   | 103                                      |
| 13      | JHARKHAND                | 1,07,598                                | 560                                      |
| 14      | KERALA                   | 55,734                                  | 111                                      |
| 15      | MAHARASHTRA              | 97,062                                  | 251                                      |
| 16      | MANIPUR                  | 1,658                                   | 6                                        |
| 17      | MEGHALAYA                | 13,332                                  | 6                                        |
| 18      | MIZORAM                  | 2,185                                   | 7                                        |
| 19      | NAGALAND                 | 1,432                                   | 1                                        |
| 20      | ODISHA                   | 1,81,837                                | 1,048                                    |
| 21      | PUDUCHERRY               | 1,171                                   | 34                                       |
| 22      | PUNJAB                   | 16,012                                  | 1,578                                    |
| 23      | RAJASTHAN                | 16,939                                  | 47                                       |
| 24      | SIKKIM                   | 134                                     | 0                                        |
| 25      | TAMIL NADU               | 1,06,957                                | 8,366                                    |
| 26      | TELENGANA                | 64,056                                  | 3,032                                    |
| 27      | TRIPURA                  | 36,239                                  | 1                                        |
| 28      | UTTARAKHAND              | 3,096                                   | 5                                        |
| 29      | UTTAR PRADESH            | 2,45,088                                | 15,301                                   |
| 30      | WEST BENGAL              | 7,47,480                                | 0                                        |
| 31      | KARNATAKA*               | 26,994                                  | 948                                      |
| 32      | MADHYA PRADESH*          | 97,285                                  | 423                                      |

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