Lok Sabha Question No. 3876 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-23
Subject: Ground Water Level
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Raksha Nikhil Khadse

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3876

ANSWERED ON 23.03.2023

## GROUND WATER LEVEL

## 3876. SHRIMATI RAKSHA NIKHIL KHADSE

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government has surveyed the ground water level/ground water table in the country and if so, the details thereof;

(b) the measures taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to increase the existing ground water level;

(c) whether the Government has formed a committee to monitor the ground water level; and

(d)  if  so,  the  details  of  the  ground  water  level  and  the  status  during  the  last  five  years  especially mentioning the critical areas across the country, State/UT-wise including Maharashtra?

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

(a) Yes sir. Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) monitors groundwater levels throughout the country on a regional scale, four times every year during the months of March to May, August, November and January.

During the November 2022, about 67.2% of the wells monitored in the country have registered the water  level  upto  5  mbgl.  State-wise  Depth  to  water  level  and  distribution  of  percentage  of  wells  for November 2022 is given at Annexure I . Further, in order to assess the long term fluctuation in ground water level, the water level data collected by CGWB during November 2022 has been compared with the decadal mean of November (2012-2021). Analysis of water level data indicates that about 61.1% of the wells monitored have registered rise in ground water level .

(b) Water being a State subject effective rainwater harvesting/recharge of groundwater for increasing its levels  in the country falls under States 'mandate however, a number of steps have been taken by Central government which can be accessed through web-link http://jalshaktidowr.gov.in/sites/default/files/Steps%20taken%20by%20the%20Central%20Govt%20for%20water\_dep letion\_july2022.pdf  .Some of them are listed as under .

- i. Government of India is implementing Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) in the country . First JSA was launched in 2019 in water stressed blocks of 256 districts which continued during the years 2021 and 2022  ,(across  entire  country  both  rural  and  urban  areas)  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. JSA for the year 2023 have been launched by Hon'ble President of India on 04 March 2023 with the theme 'Source Sustainability for Drinking Water'.
- ii. Hon'ble Prime Minister has launched Amrit Sarovar Mission on 24 th 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.
- iii. The  Central  Government  is  implementing  Atal  Bhujal  Yojana  with  an  outlay  of  Rs.  6,000 crore,  in  collaboration  with  States,  in  certain  water  stressed  areas  of  Gujarat,  Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. The primary aim of the  scheme  is  demand  side  management  through  scientific  means  involving  the  local communities at village levels leading to sustainable groundwater management in the targeted areas.
- iv. 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  by  industries,  mining  projects,  infrastructure  projects  etc  in  the  country.  The  latest guideline  in  this  regard  with  pan-India  applicability  was  notified  by  the  Ministry  on  24 September 2020. CGWA and States issue No Objection Certificate (NOC) for extraction of groundwater to various industries/project proponents as per their jurisdiction and as per the extant guidelines.
- v. CGWB is implementing National Aquifer Mapping Program (NAQUIM) in the country and an  area  of  25.15  lakh  sq  km  (the  available  mappable  area)  has  been  covered  under  the NAQUIM studies.  The NAQUIM study report along-with management plans are shared with States/UTs for suitable interventions.
- vi. Master Plan for Artificial Recharge to Groundwater- 2020 has been prepared by the CGWB with  States/UTs  providing  a  broad  outline  of  the  project  and  expected  investments.  The Master Plan envisages construction of about 1.42 crore Rain water harvesting and artificial recharge structures in the Country to harness 185 Billion Cubic Metre (BCM) of water. The Master plan has been shared with States/UTs for suitable interventions.
- vii. Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has formulated Model Building Bye Laws (MBBL), 2016 for the States/UTs, wherein adequate focus has been given on requirement of

rainwater harvesting and water conservation measures. As per MBBL, all buildings having a plot size of 100 Sq.m. or, more shall mandatorily include the complete proposal of rainwater harvesting. 35 States/ UTs, including Karnataka, have adopted the features of the Bye Laws.

(c) Ministry  has  constituted  Central  Level  Expert  Group  with  Members  from  various  stake-holder Ministries/Organisations to supervise the assessment of groundwater resources in the country periodically which includes monitoring of GW level as well.

(d) Groundwater  (GW)  level  data  collected  by  the  CGWB  for  the  entire  country  as  on  Nov  2018 indicates that around 81.10 % of monitored wells have depth to water level upto 10 m whereas, the GW level  data  of  Nov  2022  shows  around  88.7  %  of  monitored  wells  have  water  level  upto  10m.  With respect to Maharashtra, the GW level data for the years 2018 and 2022 indicate that 80.59 % and 95.7% of monitored wells respectively have depth to water level upto 10m.

Further, groundwater level data of Nov 2022 indicate that certain monitoring wells of Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand have depth to water level beyond 40m.

As per 2017 assessment, 1186 (17%) assessment units out of 6881 assessment units falling in 17 States/UTs were over-exploited. As per 2022 assessment, 1006 (14%) assessment units (Mandals/Blocks/  Firkas/  Taluks  etc)  out  of  7089  assessment  units  falling  in  16  States/Uts  are  overexploited where groundwater extraction is more than groundwater recharge. Further, some of the major states like Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu have more than 25 % of assessment units as over-exploited. Maharashtra has 3% over-exploited units.

***

## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY  TO  PART  (A)  OF  UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.  3876  TO  BE  ANSWERED  IN  LOK SABHA ON 23.03.2023 REGARDING 'GROUND WATER LEVEL'.

## State-wise Depth to water Level and Distribution of Percentage of Wells for the Period of November, 2022

| S. No.            | Name of State       | No. of wells   | Number &Percentage of Wells Showing Depth to Water Level (mbgl) in the Range of   | Number &Percentage of Wells Showing Depth to Water Level (mbgl) in the Range of   | Number &Percentage of Wells Showing Depth to Water Level (mbgl) in the Range of   | Number &Percentage of Wells Showing Depth to Water Level (mbgl) in the Range of   | Number &Percentage of Wells Showing Depth to Water Level (mbgl) in the Range of   | Number &Percentage of Wells Showing Depth to Water Level (mbgl) in the Range of   | Number &Percentage of Wells Showing Depth to Water Level (mbgl) in the Range of   | Number &Percentage of Wells Showing Depth to Water Level (mbgl) in the Range of   | Number &Percentage of Wells Showing Depth to Water Level (mbgl) in the Range of   | Number &Percentage of Wells Showing Depth to Water Level (mbgl) in the Range of   | Number &Percentage of Wells Showing Depth to Water Level (mbgl) in the Range of   | Number &Percentage of Wells Showing Depth to Water Level (mbgl) in the Range of   | Number &Percentage of Wells Showing Depth to Water Level (mbgl) in the Range of   | Number &Percentage of Wells Showing Depth to Water Level (mbgl) in the Range of   |
|-------------------|---------------------|----------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| S. No.            | Name of State       | Analysed       | Min                                                                               | Max                                                                               | 0-2                                                                               | 0-2                                                                               | 2-5                                                                               | 2-5                                                                               | 5-10                                                                              | 5-10                                                                              | 10-20                                                                             | 10-20                                                                             | 20-40                                                                             | 20-40                                                                             | > 40                                                                              | > 40                                                                              |
| S. No.            | Name of State       | Analysed       | Min                                                                               | Max                                                                               | No                                                                                | %                                                                                 | No                                                                                | %                                                                                 | No                                                                                | %                                                                                 | No                                                                                | %                                                                                 | No                                                                                | %                                                                                 | No                                                                                | %                                                                                 |
| 1                 | Andaman and Nicobar | 99             | 0.05                                                                              | 4.45                                                                              | 87                                                                                | 87.9                                                                              | 12                                                                                | 12.1                                                                              | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               |
| 2                 | Andhra Pradesh      | 730            | GL                                                                                | 37.62                                                                             | 370                                                                               | 50.7                                                                              | 226                                                                               | 31.0                                                                              | 97                                                                                | 13.3                                                                              | 29                                                                                | 4.0                                                                               | 7                                                                                 | 1.0                                                                               | 1                                                                                 | 0.1                                                                               |
| 3                 | Arunachal Pradesh   | 9              | 2.67                                                                              | 7.30                                                                              | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               | 4                                                                                 | 44.4                                                                              | 5                                                                                 | 55.6                                                                              | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               |
| 4                 | Assam               | 173            | 0.10                                                                              | 18.32                                                                             | 74                                                                                | 42.8                                                                              | 82                                                                                | 47.4                                                                              | 13                                                                                | 7.5                                                                               | 4                                                                                 | 2.3                                                                               | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               |
| 5                 | Bihar               | 638            | 0.33                                                                              | 11.30                                                                             | 105                                                                               | 16.5                                                                              | 434                                                                               | 68.0                                                                              | 96                                                                                | 15.0                                                                              | 3                                                                                 | 0.5                                                                               | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               |
| 6                 | Chandigarh          | 14             | 2.51                                                                              | 53.80                                                                             | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               | 4                                                                                 | 28.6                                                                              | 2                                                                                 | 14.3                                                                              | 3                                                                                 | 21.4                                                                              | 3                                                                                 | 21.4                                                                              | 2                                                                                 | 14.3                                                                              |
| 7                 | Chhattisgarh        | 774            | 0.65                                                                              | 22.95                                                                             | 157                                                                               | 20.3                                                                              | 437                                                                               | 56.5                                                                              | 142                                                                               | 18.3                                                                              | 36                                                                                | 4.7                                                                               | 2                                                                                 | 0.3                                                                               | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               |
| 8                 | Dadra &Nagar Haveli | 15             | 1.98                                                                              | 7.80                                                                              | 1                                                                                 | 6.7                                                                               | 12                                                                                | 80.0                                                                              | 2                                                                                 | 13.3                                                                              | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               |
| 9                 | Daman &Diu          | 7              | 1.45                                                                              | 6.37                                                                              | 1                                                                                 | 14.3                                                                              | 4                                                                                 | 57.1                                                                              | 2                                                                                 | 28.6                                                                              | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               |
| 10                | Delhi               | 84             | 0.62                                                                              | 66.75                                                                             | 8                                                                                 | 9.5                                                                               | 16                                                                                | 19.0                                                                              | 26                                                                                | 31.0                                                                              | 19                                                                                | 22.6                                                                              | 10                                                                                | 11.9                                                                              | 5                                                                                 | 6.0                                                                               |
| 11                | Goa                 | 63             | 1.22                                                                              | 12.93                                                                             | 5                                                                                 | 7.9                                                                               | 28                                                                                | 44.4                                                                              | 26                                                                                | 41.3                                                                              | 4                                                                                 | 6.3                                                                               | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               |
| 12                | Gujarat             | 709            | 0.12                                                                              | 61.42                                                                             | 125                                                                               | 17.6                                                                              | 271                                                                               | 38.2                                                                              | 198                                                                               | 27.9                                                                              | 82                                                                                | 11.6                                                                              | 29                                                                                | 4.1                                                                               | 4                                                                                 | 0.6                                                                               |
| 13                | Haryana             | 268            | 0.11                                                                              | 77.95                                                                             | 36                                                                                | 13.4                                                                              | 68                                                                                | 25.4                                                                              | 37                                                                                | 13.8                                                                              | 59                                                                                | 22.0                                                                              | 56                                                                                | 20.9                                                                              | 12                                                                                | 4.5                                                                               |
| 14                | Himachal Pradesh    | 84             | 0.54                                                                              | 36.25                                                                             | 16                                                                                | 19.0                                                                              | 29                                                                                | 34.5                                                                              | 15                                                                                | 17.9                                                                              | 19                                                                                | 22.6                                                                              | 5                                                                                 | 6.0                                                                               | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               |
| 15                | Jammu and Kashmir   | 273            | 0.30                                                                              | 32.86                                                                             | 75                                                                                | 27.5                                                                              | 138                                                                               | 50.5                                                                              | 39                                                                                | 14.3                                                                              | 14                                                                                | 5.1                                                                               | 7                                                                                 | 2.6                                                                               | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               |
| 16                | Jharkhand           | 178            | 0.26                                                                              | 12.80                                                                             | 19                                                                                | 10.7                                                                              | 109                                                                               | 61.2                                                                              | 48                                                                                | 27.0                                                                              | 2                                                                                 | 1.1                                                                               | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               |
| 17                | Karnataka           | 1327           | GL                                                                                | 27.30                                                                             | 467                                                                               | 35.2                                                                              | 495                                                                               | 37.3                                                                              | 320                                                                               | 24.1                                                                              | 43                                                                                | 3.2                                                                               | 2                                                                                 | 0.2                                                                               | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               |
| 18                | Kerala              | 1412           | 0.05                                                                              | 52.82                                                                             | 281                                                                               | 19.9                                                                              | 454                                                                               | 32.2                                                                              | 539                                                                               | 38.2                                                                              | 125                                                                               | 8.9                                                                               | 12                                                                                | 0.8                                                                               | 1                                                                                 | 0.1                                                                               |
| 19                | Madhya Pradesh      | 1259           | GL                                                                                | 37.67                                                                             | 239                                                                               | 19.0                                                                              | 608                                                                               | 48.3                                                                              | 326                                                                               | 25.9                                                                              | 76                                                                                | 6.0                                                                               | 10                                                                                | 0.8                                                                               | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               |
| 20                | Maharashtra         | 1472           | 0.10                                                                              | 40.00                                                                             | 358                                                                               | 24.3                                                                              | 732                                                                               | 49.7                                                                              | 320                                                                               | 21.7                                                                              | 52                                                                                | 3.5                                                                               | 10                                                                                | 0.7                                                                               | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               |
| 21                | Meghalaya           | 24             | 0.15                                                                              | 4.93                                                                              | 13                                                                                | 54.2                                                                              | 11                                                                                | 45.8                                                                              | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               |
| 22                | Nagaland            | 4              | 0.63                                                                              | 6.73                                                                              | 1                                                                                 | 25.0                                                                              | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               | 3                                                                                 | 75.0                                                                              | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               |
| 23                | Orissa              | 1212           | 0.03                                                                              | 11.16                                                                             | 491                                                                               | 40.5                                                                              | 601                                                                               | 49.6                                                                              | 116                                                                               | 9.6                                                                               | 4                                                                                 | 0.3                                                                               | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               |
| 24                | Pondicherry         | 4              | 1.06                                                                              | 3.45                                                                              | 2                                                                                 | 50.0                                                                              | 2                                                                                 | 50.0                                                                              | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               |
| 25                | Punjab              | 232            | 0.79                                                                              | 49.14                                                                             | 18                                                                                | 7.8                                                                               | 40                                                                                | 17.2                                                                              | 34                                                                                | 14.7                                                                              | 60                                                                                | 25.9                                                                              | 63                                                                                | 27.2                                                                              | 17                                                                                | 7.3                                                                               |
| 26                | Rajasthan           | 890            | 0.06                                                                              | 121.55                                                                            | 71                                                                                | 8.0                                                                               | 226                                                                               | 25.4                                                                              | 150                                                                               | 16.9                                                                              | 158                                                                               | 17.8                                                                              | 134                                                                               | 15.1                                                                              | 151                                                                               | 17.0                                                                              |
| 27                | Tamil Nadu          | 621            | 0.03                                                                              | 52.83                                                                             | 216                                                                               | 34.8                                                                              | 252                                                                               | 40.6                                                                              | 110                                                                               | 17.7                                                                              | 33                                                                                | 5.3                                                                               | 5                                                                                 | 0.8                                                                               | 5                                                                                 | 0.8                                                                               |
| 28                | Telangana           | 529            | GL                                                                                | 49.55                                                                             | 187                                                                               | 35.3                                                                              | 218                                                                               | 41.2                                                                              | 94                                                                                | 17.8                                                                              | 27                                                                                | 5.1                                                                               | 1                                                                                 | 0.2                                                                               | 2                                                                                 | 0.4                                                                               |
| 29                | Tripura             | 20             | 0.98                                                                              | 6.81                                                                              | 5                                                                                 | 25.0                                                                              | 12                                                                                | 60.0                                                                              | 3                                                                                 | 15.0                                                                              | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               |
| 30                | Uttar Pradesh       | 634            | 0.15 0.20                                                                         | 44.14 55.20                                                                       | 158 9                                                                             | 24.9 20.0                                                                         | 250 11                                                                            | 39.4 24.4                                                                         | 132 16                                                                            | 20.8 35.6                                                                         | 72 6                                                                              | 11.4 13.3                                                                         | 18 2                                                                              | 2.8 4.4                                                                           | 4 1                                                                               | 0.6 2.2                                                                           |
| 31 32             | Uttaranchal         | 45 774         | 0.40                                                                              | 30.49                                                                             | 102                                                                               | 13.2                                                                              | 309                                                                               | 39.9                                                                              | 216                                                                               | 27.9                                                                              | 109                                                                               | 14.1                                                                              | 38                                                                                | 4.9                                                                               | 0                                                                                 | 0.0                                                                               |
| West Bengal Total | West Bengal Total   | 14577          | GL*                                                                               | 121.55                                                                            | 3697                                                                              | 25.4                                                                              | 6095                                                                              | 41.8                                                                              | 3127                                                                              | 21.5                                                                              | 1039                                                                              | 7.1                                                                               | 414                                                                               | 2.8                                                                               | 205                                                                               | 1.4                                                                               |

*GL = Ground level

*****