Lok Sabha Question No. 268 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-08
Subject: Districts Facing Water Crisis
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Sisir Kumar Adhikari

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI DEPARTMENT OF DRINKING WATER & SANITATION

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 268 TO BE ANSWERED ON 08/12/2022

## Districts Facing Water Crisis

## 268. SHRI SISIR KUMAR ADHIKARI:

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

- (a)   whether it is a fact that many districts in the country are facing water crisis;
- (b)  if so, the details thereof;
- (c)   the total number of such districts identified by the Government till date, State-wise;
- (d)  whether the Government has proposed any action plan to remove water shortage in such districts which are facing water crisis; and
- (e)   if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI (SHRI PRAHLAD SINGH PATEL)

(a) to (c) As reported by States/ UTs, as on 05.12.2022, out of 16.97 lakh rural habitations in the country, 13.07 lakh [77%] have provision of potable drinking water with more than 40 litre per capita per day (lpcd) and 3.64 lakh [21.5%] rural habitations with less than 40 lpcd with sources at a reasonable distance. Further, 0.26 lakh [1.5%] rural habitations are reported to have water quality issues in drinking water sources.

Dynamic Ground Water Resources  of  the  country  are  being  periodically  assessed  jointly  by Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) and State Governments. As per 2022 assessment, out of the total  7089  assessment units (Blocks/Taluks/ Mandals/ watersheds/ Firkas) in the country, 1006 units (14%) in 16 States/UTs have been categorized as 'Over-exploited' where the Annual Ground Water Extraction is more than Annual Extractable Ground Water Resource.

The  details  of  number  of  districts  having  assessment  units  falling  under  'Over-  exploited' categories as per the 2022 assessment are given in the annexed .

(d) & (e) Since August 2019, Government of India in partnership with States, is implementing Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) - Har Ghar Jal to make provision of potable tap water to every rural household, by 2024.

At  the  time  of  announcement  of  Jal  Jeevan  Mission,  3.23  Crore  (17%)  households  were reported to have tap water connections. So far, around 7.43 Crore (38%) rural households have been provided with tap water connections in last 3 years. Thus, as on 05.12.2022, out of 19.36 Crore rural households in the country, around 10.66 Crore (55%) households are reported to have tap water supply in their homes.

Under JJM, provisions have been made for drinking water source development/ strengthening/ augmentation; and infrastructure for bulk transfer of water, treatment and distribution systems in water deficit drought-prone and desert areas without dependable ground water sources, apart from creation of in-village water supply infrastructure.

In  addition,  provisions  for  taking  up  augmentation  and  strengthening  of  local  drinking  water sources  in  convergence  with  other  schemes  at  village  level  viz.  MGNREGS,  15 th Finance Commission  tied  grants  to  Rural  Local  Bodies  (RLBs),  Integrated  Watershed  Management Programme  (IWMP),  State  schemes,  District Mineral  Development  Fund, CSR  funds, community contribution, etc. have also been envisaged under the JJM.

Further,  Central  Government  works  in  close  collaboration  with  States/UTs  through  various initiatives/schemes like Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA), Atal Bhujal Yojana, MGNREGA, PMKSYWatershed development etc to supplement the efforts of States/UTs for sustainable management  of  groundwater.  The  JSA  was  launched  in  2019  with  the  primary  aim  to effectively  harvest  the  monsoon  rainfall  through  creation  of  artificial  recharge  structures, watershed  management,  recharge  and  reuse  structures,  intensive  afforestation  and  awareness generation  etc.  The  JSA  has  continued  during  2021  and  2022  which  were  launched  by  the Hon'ble  Prime  Minister  and  Hon'ble  President  of  India  respectively.  Also,  Hon'ble  Prime Minister  launched  Amrit  Sarovar  Mission  on  24th  April  2022.  The  Mission  is  aimed  at developing  and  rejuvenating  75  water  bodies  in  each  district  of  the  country  as  a  part  of celebration of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.

The details of steps taken by Central Government can be accessed at web link:

http://jalshakti-dowr.gov.in/sites/default/files/Steps%20taken%20by%20the%20Central%20 Govt%20for%20water\_depletion\_july2022.pdf.

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## Annex referred in the reply to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 268 due for reply on 08.12.2022

Details of the number of assessment units under 'Over-Exploited' categories in the country

| S.No.   | Name of State/UT    | Total No. of 'Over-Exploited' Assessment Units   |   No. of Districts having 'Over- Exploited' Assessment Units |
|---------|---------------------|--------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1.      | Tamil Nadu          | 360                                              |                                                           31 |
| 2.      | Rajasthan           | 219                                              |                                                           29 |
| 3.      | Uttar Pradesh       | 63                                               |                                                           27 |
| 4.      | Punjab              | 117                                              |                                                           21 |
| 5.      | Haryana             | 88                                               |                                                           19 |
| 6.      | Karnataka           | 49                                               |                                                           14 |
| 7.      | Telangana           | 13                                               |                                                            5 |
| 8.      | Delhi               | 15                                               |                                                            8 |
| 9.      | Madhya Pradesh      | 26                                               |                                                           11 |
| 10.     | Gujarat             | 23                                               |                                                            8 |
| 11.     | Maharashtra         | 11                                               |                                                            6 |
| 12.     | Andhra Pradesh      | 6                                                |                                                            3 |
| 13.     | Bihar               | 8                                                |                                                            6 |
| 14.     | Jharkhand           | 5                                                |                                                            4 |
| 15.     | Daman &Diu          | 2                                                |                                                            2 |
| 16.     | Dadar Nagar &Haveli | 1                                                |                                                            1 |
|         | Grand Total         | 1,006                                            |                                                          195 |