Lok Sabha Question No. 2474 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-12-13
Subject: Revival of Lakes/Ponds
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Kaushalendra Kumar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2474

TO BE ANSWERED ON 13.12.2021

## Revival of Lakes/Ponds

## 2474.  SHRI KAUSHALENDRA KUMAR:

Will  the  Minister  of  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND  CLIMATE  CHANGE  be  pleased  to state:

- (a) whether the Government is formulating any action plan to revive dying, lakes, ponds, puddles, wells and step wells in the country;
- (b) whether any survey has been conducted to find out the reasons for the dying condition of the said water resources which were alive earlier; and
- (c) the efforts made by the Government for rejuvenation and recharge of groundwater along with the State-wise details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

(a) The  Ministry  of  Environment,  Forest  &  Climate  Change  (MoEF&CC)  is  currently implementing a centrally sponsored scheme namely, National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Eco-systems (NPCA) for conservation and management of wetlands (includes lakes, ponds etc.) in  the  country  on  cost  sharing  basis  between  Central  Government  and  respective  State Governments. The scheme covers various activities such as interception, diversion and treatment of  wastewater,  shoreline  protection,  lake  front  development,  in-situ  cleaning  i.e.  desilting  & deweeding, storm water management, bioremediation, catchment area treatment, lake beautification, survey &  demarcation, bio-fencing, fisheries development, weed control, biodiversity conservation, education and awareness creation, community participation, etc.

In  addition  to  NPCA,  MoEF&CC  is  implementing  the  Wetlands  (Conservation  and Management)  Rules,  2017,  Ramsar  Convention  on  Wetlands,  Capacity  Building  &  Outreach programmes and also a focused four pronged strategyforWetlands Rejuvenation Programme.

Further, as informed by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, water resources projects are planned, funded, executed and maintained by the State Governments themselves as per their own resources and priorities. Role of Central Government is limited to being catalytic, providing technical support and  in  some  cases,  partial  financial  assistance  in  terms  with  the  existing  schemes  being implemented by them such as Repair, Renovation & Restoration (RRR) of water bodies scheme under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY)- Har Khet Ko Pani (HKKP).The RRR of water bodies scheme aims at revival of irrigation potential by improvement and restoration of water bodies by enhancing the tank storage capacity along with other multiple objectives such as ground water recharge, increased availability of  drinking water, improvement of catchment of tank commands etc.

- (b) While  the  Central  and  State  Governments  take  all  possible  steps  for  the  preservation, conservation  and  restoration  of  water  bodies,  developmental activities  and  anthropogenic pressures do affect water bodies.
- (c) As  informed  by  the  Central  Ground  Water  Board  (CGWB),  Ministry  of  Jal  Shakti, Master  Plan  for  Artificial  Recharge  to  Groundwater-2020  has  been  prepared  by  them  in consultation with States/Union Territories (UTs) which is a macro level plan indicating various structures for the different terrain conditions of the country including estimated cost. 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 monsoon rainfall. The 'Master Plan for Artificial Recharge to Ground  Water  in India -2020' is available athttp://cgwb.gov.in/Master%20Plan%20to%20GW%20Recharge%202020.pdf.

CGWB has taken up Aquifer Mapping and Management Programme, under the scheme of  Ground  Water  Management  and  Regulation.  The  Aquifer  Mapping  is  aimed  to  delineate aquifer  disposition  and  their  characterization  for  preparation  of  aquifer/area  specific  ground water management plans with community participation. The management plans are shared with the respective State Governments for taking appropriate measures/implementation. TheState and UT-wise details are given in Annexure-I .

The Ministry of Jal Shaktihas circulated a Model Bill to all the States/UTs to enable them to enact suitable ground water legislation for regulation of its development, which also includes provision  of  rain  water  harvesting.  So  far,  19  States/UTs  have  adopted  and  implemented  the ground water legislation.

Model Building Bye Laws (MBBL) 2016 circulated by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs  include  provisions  for  Rainwater  Harvesting  and  it  has  been  shared  with  all  the States/UTs. So far, 32 States/UTs have adopted the provisions of rainwater harvesting of MBBL2016.

The other important measures taken by the Central Government for sustainable ground water management are available at the following URL: http://jalshaktidowr.gov.in/sites/default/files/Steps\_to\_control\_water\_depletion\_Feb2021.pdf.

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## Annexure-I

State and UT-wise areas (in km 2 ) for which aquifer maps have been prepared and management plans have been developed since the inception of the programme (as on October, 2021)

| Sl. No.   | Name of the State/ UT             |   Area for which aquifer maps and management plans have been prepared (km 2 ) |
|-----------|-----------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1         | Andaman &Nicobar (UT)             |                                                                           800 |
| 2         | Andhra Pradesh                    |                                                                         79285 |
| 3         | Arunachal Pradesh                 |                                                                          3399 |
| 4         | Assam                             |                                                                         29623 |
| 5         | Bihar                             |                                                                         47358 |
| 6         | Chandigarh (UT)                   |                                                                           115 |
| 7         | Chhattisgarh                      |                                                                         67514 |
| 8         | Dadra &Nagar Haveli and Daman Diu |                                                                           490 |
| 9         | Delhi ( UT)                       |                                                                          1483 |
| 10        | Goa                               |                                                                          3702 |
| 11        | Gujarat                           |                                                                        120804 |
| 12        | Haryana                           |                                                                         44179 |
| 13        | Himachal Pradesh                  |                                                                          7890 |
| 14        | Jammu &Kashmir (UT)               |                                                                          9506 |
| 15        | Jharkhand                         |                                                                         41771 |
| 16        | Karnataka                         |                                                                        130087 |
| 17        | Kerala                            |                                                                         26226 |
| 18        | Lakshadweep (UT)                  |                                                                            32 |
| 19        | Ladakh (UT)                       |                                                                           963 |
| 20        | Madhya Pradesh                    |                                                                        159642 |
| 21        | Maharashtra                       |                                                                        190791 |
| 22        | Manipur                           |                                                                          1655 |
| 23        | Meghalaya                         |                                                                          8678 |
| 24        | Mizoram                           |                                                                           700 |
| 25        | Nagaland                          |                                                                           910 |
| 26        | Odisha                            |                                                                         78001 |
| 27        | Puducherry (UT)                   |                                                                           454 |
| 28        | Punjab                            |                                                                         50368 |
| 29        | Rajasthan                         |                                                                        270171 |
| 30        | Sikkim                            |                                                                           280 |
| 31        | Tamil Nadu                        |                                                                        105829 |
| 32        | Telangana                         |                                                                         89121 |
| 33        | Tripura                           |                                                                          6757 |
| 34        | Uttar Pradesh                     |                                                                        181027 |
| 35        | Uttarakhand                       |                                                                         10142 |
| 36        | West Bengal                       |                                                                         36465 |
| Total     | Total                             |                                                                       1806218 |