Lok Sabha Question No. 413 (STARRED), answered on 2022-03-31
Subject: Ground Water Management Scheme
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: D.K. Suresh

## *413.  SHRI D.K.SURESH

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has introduced the Ground Water Management and Regulation scheme in the country;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the details of the progress made under the said scheme till date; and
- (d) the total funds allocated and utilised for the scheme during the last three years and the current year?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) to (d) A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI, DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *413

ANSWERED ON 31.03.2022

## GROUND WATER MANAGEMENT SCHEME

## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (d) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *413 TO BE ANSWERED ON 31.03.2022 ON 'GROUND WATER MANAGEMENT SCHEME'.

(a)  &  (b) Yes,  Sir.  Ground  Water  Management  and  Regulation  (GWM&R)  scheme  is  a  continuing  central  sector scheme being implemented in the country by Central Ground Water Board (CGWB).

Major activities being taken up under the scheme include aquifer mapping for the entire country and other activities of CGWB such as ground water  level  and  quality  monitoring  on  regular  basis,  assessment  of  dynamic  ground  water resources in collaboration with States/UTs, regulation and control of ground water withdrawal in certain States/UTs, taking up few demonstrative recharge projects in selected water stressed areas, strengthening of scientific infrastructure for technological upgradation etc.

(c) A major activity under the scheme is National Aquifer Mapping and Management Programme (NAQUIM) which is being implemented with the objectives to delineate and characterize the aquifers and develop plans for ground water management.

Out of the total geographical area of around 33 lakh sq km of the entire country, an area of around 25 lakh sq km of mappable area has been identified to be covered under NAQUIM programme in phases. So far, an area of around 20.24 lakh sq km has been covered under the programme. The remaining areas are targeted to be covered by March 2023. State-wise area covered under NAQUIM is given at Annexure I .  Further,  aquifer  maps  and  management plans are being shared with the State agencies for suitable demand side and supply side interventions.

In addition, CGWB has taken up heli-borne survey work for faster generation of aquifer related information and its management in around 1.04 lakh sq km of arid/semi-arid areas of Rajasthan (69,875 sq km), Gujarat (31,436 sq km) and Haryana (2,644 sq km). The work is targeted to be completed by April 2022.

In addition to this, other activities under the scheme are being implemented by the CGWB as per their given mandate and as per targets/timelines. The details in this regard are given at Annexure II.

(d) The total funds allocated and utilized under the GWM&R scheme during the last three years and the current year are as under:

| F.Y.    |   Allocation (Rs in crore) | Expenditure (Rs in crore)   |
|---------|----------------------------|-----------------------------|
| 2018-19 |                     277.47 | 270.70                      |
| 2019-20 |                     257.41 | 251.33                      |
| 2020-21 |                     140.81 | 138.06                      |
| 2021-22 |                     185    | 158.69 (as on 24.03.2022    |

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## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (c) OF STARRED QUESTION NO. *413 TO  BE  ANSWERED  IN  LOK  SABHA  ON  31.03.2022  REGARDING  'GROUND  WATER MANAGEMENT SCHEME'.

## State-wise area covered under the NAQUIM as on 20.03.2022

|   Sl. No. | Name of the State/ UT   | Total Area (in sq. km.)   | Area identified for mapping (in sq. km.)   | Area covered under Aquifer Mapping (as on 20/3/2022 (in sq. km.)   |
|-----------|-------------------------|---------------------------|--------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
|         1 | Andaman &Nicobar UT     | 8,249                     | 1,774                                      | 800                                                                |
|         2 | Andhra Pradesh          | 1,63,900                  | 1,41,784                                   | 97,285                                                             |
|         3 | Arunachal Pradesh       | 83,743                    | 4,703                                      | 4,048                                                              |
|         4 | Assam                   | 78,438                    | 61,826                                     | 41,437                                                             |
|         5 | Bihar                   | 94,163                    | 90,567                                     | 63,196                                                             |
|         6 | Chandigarh UT           | 115                       | 115                                        | 115                                                                |
|         7 | Chhattisgarh            | 1,36,034                  | 96,000                                     | 87,028                                                             |
|         8 | Dadra &Nagar Haveli     | 491                       | 490                                        | 490                                                                |
|         9 | Daman &Diu UT           | 112                       | 112                                        | 0                                                                  |
|        10 | Delhi                   | 1,483                     | 1,483                                      | 1,483                                                              |
|        11 | Goa                     | 3,702                     | 3,702                                      | 3,702                                                              |
|        12 | Gujarat                 | 1,96,024                  | 1,60,978                                   | 1,38,012                                                           |
|        13 | Haryana                 | 44,212                    | 44,179                                     | 44,179                                                             |
|        14 | Himachal Pradesh        | 55,673                    | 8,020                                      | 8,020                                                              |
|        15 | Jammu &Kashmir UT       | 1,67,396                  | 9,506                                      | 9,506                                                              |
|        16 | Jharkhand               | 79,714                    | 65,797                                     | 60,311                                                             |
|        17 | Karnataka               | 1,91,808                  | 1,91,808                                   | 1,53,200                                                           |
|        18 | Kerala                  | 38,863                    | 28,088                                     | 27,938                                                             |
|        19 | Lakshadweep UT          | 32                        | 32                                         | 32                                                                 |
|        20 | Ladakh UT               | 54,840                    | 963                                        | 963                                                                |
|        21 | Madhya Pradesh          | 3,08,000                  | 2,65,234                                   | 1,67,035                                                           |
|        22 | Maharashtra             | 3,07,713                  | 2,56,529                                   | 2,10,116                                                           |
|        23 | Manipur                 | 22,327                    | 2,559                                      | 2,559                                                              |
|        24 | Meghalaya               | 22,429                    | 10,645                                     | 9,542                                                              |
|        25 | Mizoram                 | 21,081                    | 700                                        | 700                                                                |
|        26 | Nagaland                | 16,579                    | 910                                        | 910                                                                |
|        27 | Odisha                  | 1,55,707                  | 1,19,636                                   | 94,918                                                             |
|        28 | Puducherry UT           | 479                       | 454                                        | 454                                                                |
|        29 | Punjab                  | 50,368                    | 50,368                                     | 50,368                                                             |
|        30 | Rajasthan               | 3,42,239                  | 3,34,152                                   | 2,89,910                                                           |
|        31 | Sikkim                  | 7,096                     | 1,496                                      | 280                                                                |
|        32 | Tamil Nadu              | 1,30,058                  | 1,05,829                                   | 1,05,829                                                           |
|        33 | Telangana               | 1,11,940                  | 1,04,824                                   | 97,521                                                             |
|        34 | Tripura                 | 10,492                    | 6,757                                      | 6,757                                                              |
|        35 | Uttar Pradesh           | 2,41,345                  | 2,41,345                                   | 1,98,624                                                           |
|        36 | Uttarakhand             | 53,484                    | 11,430                                     | 10,916                                                             |
|        37 | West Bengal             | 88,752                    | 71,947                                     | 36,465                                                             |

## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (c) OF STARRED QUESTION NO. 413 TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 31.03.2022 REGARDING 'GROUND WATER MANAGEMENT SCHEME'.

## Other activities under the GWM&R scheme

CGWB carries  out  ground  water  level  monitoring  in  the  country,  four  times  a  year,  on  regional  scale through a network of observation wells every year. Further , as a part of the groundwater quality monitoring, groundwater  samples  are  collected  and  analysed  by  CGWB  for  assessment  of  groundwater  quality  from various locations in the country once every year.

The dynamic groundwater resources of the country are assessed periodically by the CGWB in collaboration with States/UTs. CGWB has developed software for faster computations of the assessment of ground water resources through a web-based application. The latest assessment for the year 2020 was done with the same software system.

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 20 States/UTs where regulation is not being done by the respective States/UTs. The latest guidelines for control and regulation of groundwater extraction with pan-India applicability were notified on 24 September 2020.

Demonstrative Artificial Recharge works in selected 03 aspirational districts viz. Osmanabad  in Maharashtra,  YSR  Kadapa  district  in  Andhra  Pradesh  and  Jangaon  district  in  Telangana  have  been completed by the CGWB. A number of check dams, percolation tanks, subsurface barrier, recharge wells and recharge shafts etc were constructed to harvest rainfall.

Further, CGWB completed a pilot project for demonstrative artificial recharge work at five locations in the eastern region of Maharashtra covering districts of Wardha and Amravati for construction of Bridge cum Bandhara (BCB) for ground water recharge and storage of water on upstream side for drinking purpose. Further, during 2021-22, CGWB has taken up the groundwater recharge projects in certain water stressed areas of Rajasthan and Haryana which are under implementation.

In addition, CGWB procured a number of scientific equipments including laboratory equipments, scientific software, vehicles, air compressors, generators, ancillary equipments, rigs etc for their effective working to fulfill their given mandate.

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