Lok Sabha Question No. 1549 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-15
Subject: Depleting Ground Water Level
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Lallu Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI,

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1549

## ANSWERED ON 15.12.2022

## DEPLETING GROUND WATER LEVEL

## 1549 SHRI LALLU SINGH

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:-

(a) whether the ground water level is continuously depleting as per Government's report;

(b) if so, whether the ground water level is depleting by one meter every year in some States;

(c) if so, the details thereof, State-wise;

(d)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  formulate  new  policies  regarding  water  management  to prevent unnecessary water tapping; and

(e) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI

## ( SHRI BISHWESWAR TUDU )

(a) Central  Ground  Water  Board  (CGWB)  is  periodically  monitoring  the  ground  water  levels throughout the Country on a regional scale, through a network of monitoring wells. In order to assess the  long  term  fluctuation  in  ground  water  level,  the  water  level  data  collected  by  CGWB  during November 2021 has been compared with the decadal mean of November (2011-2020). Analysis of water level data indicates that about 70 % wells have registered rise in water level whereas, about 30% of the wells monitored have registered decline.

Further,  as  per  Groundwater  resource  assessment  report  2022  prepared  jointly  by  CGWB  and States,  the  total  annual ground water recharge in the country is 437.60 billion cubic meters (BCM), which is 5.74 BCM more as compared to 2017 assessment (431.86 BCM).

(b) & (c) CGWB has compared the groundwater level of November 2021 (average groundwater level of all monitoring wells falling in a district) with decadal average of groundwater level for the period November  2011  to  November  2020  (in  the  same  district)  for  the  entire  country.  The  comparison indicates  that  in  41  districts  falling  in  15  States,  the  average  decline  in  groundwater  is  around  one metre PER year. The details in this regard are given at Annexure.

(d) & (e) 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  Industries,  Infrastructure  units  and  Mining  projects  in  feasible  areas  in certain States/UTs where regulation is not being done by the respective State/UTs. The latest guideline for control and regulation of groundwater extraction with pan-India applicability was notified by the Ministry on 24 September 2020.

The  guidelines  prescribe  Water  Abstraction/  Restoration  charges  whose  rates  are  telescopic  in nature, increasing with daily volume of extraction and deteriorating category of the area, as well as type of industry to discourage groundwater extraction and prevent unnecessary tapping.

Further,  the  Ministry  is  time  to  time  issuing  guidelines  to  States/UTs  to  promote  improved irrigation practices like use of micro-irrigation systems like drip/sprinkler systems, crop diversification/crop  rotation  and  also  engage  communities  to  promote  participatory  groundwater management.

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ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (b) & (c) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1549 TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 15.12.2022 REGARDING 'DEPLETION GROUND WATER LEVEL'

Districts where ground water level decline is on an average 1.0 m per year in the country when comparing decadal average of November (2011 to 2020) data and November 2021 data

|   Sl No. | Name of State    | Districts where ground water level has fallen more than 10m                                                                                                                                                                    |
|----------|------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|        1 | Andhra Pradesh   | Krishna (15.0m ), Kurnool (31.74m)                                                                                                                                                                                             |
|        2 | Chhatisgarh      | Bilaspur (13.75m), Koriya (12.45m)                                                                                                                                                                                             |
|        3 | Gujarat          | Kachchh (12.43m), Panchmahals (13.16m), Sabarkantha (13.36m)                                                                                                                                                                   |
|        4 | Haryana          | Fatehabad (11.49m),                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
|        5 | Himachal Pradesh | Sirmaur (29.77m)                                                                                                                                                                                                               |
|        6 | Karnataka        | Bangalore Urban (11.72m)                                                                                                                                                                                                       |
|        7 | Kerala           | Kasaragod (10.01m), Palakkad (12.21m)                                                                                                                                                                                          |
|        8 | Madhya Pradesh   | Tikamgarh (11.43m)                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
|        9 | Maharashtra      | Jalgaon (14.78m), Yavatmal (15.69m)                                                                                                                                                                                            |
|       10 | Rajasthan        | Alwar (24.46m), Bharatpur (12.81m), Bikaner (27.48m), Churu (11.97m), Dausa (25.21m), Jaipur (16.97m), Jalor (16.85m), Jhunjhunu (12.21m), Jodhpur (19.7m), Karauli (41.01m), Pali (12.36m), Sirohi (10.38m) and Tonk (11.09m) |
|       11 | Tamil Nadu       | Coimbatore (10.24m), Cuddalore (16.65m),                                                                                                                                                                                       |
|       12 | Telangana        | Karimnagar (15.43m), Mehbubmagar (10.22m), Medak (17.07m) and Ranga Reddy (17.54m)                                                                                                                                             |
|       13 | Uttar Pradesh    | Budaun (11.29m), Gautam Budhha Nagar (11.87m), Jaunpur (10.91m)                                                                                                                                                                |
|       14 | Uttaranchal      | Udham Singh Nagar (10.59m)                                                                                                                                                                                                     |
|       15 | West Bengal      | Birbhum (21.03m), Maldah (17.49m), Murshidabad (11.62m)                                                                                                                                                                        |

Note  :  For  estimation  average  groundwater  level  has  been  calculated  based  on  readings  from each wells falling in that particular district.

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