Lok Sabha Question No. 616 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-02-06
Subject: Areas with Severe Groundwater Levels Depletion declared as Dark Zones
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Shri Dharambir Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 616

ANSWERED ON 06.02.2025

## AREAS WITH SEVERE GROUNDWATER LEVELS DEPLETION DECLARED AS DARK ZONES

## 616. SHRI DHARAMBIR SINGH

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a)  whether the  Government has any plans to declare the areas with severe groundwater levels depletion as Dark Zones and if so, the details thereof along with the criteria used for such classifications;

(b) the number of blocks in Bhiwani, Mahendragarh and Charkhi Dadri districts of Haryana declared as Dark Zones along with the specific factors contributed for their inclusion;

(c) whether the Government proposes to include the remaining blocks of these districts under the Dark Zone category and if so, the details thereof along with the timeline set in this regard;

(d) the targeted measures undertaken/being undertaken by the Government to restore groundwater levels and promote sustainable water management in the regions that already have been classified as Dark Zones; and (e) whether the Government has any dedicated programmes to involve local farmers and communities in water conservation efforts and if so, the details thereof along with the manner in which these initiatives are likely to be implemented in the affected regions?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI

## ( SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY )

(a) Dynamic Ground Water Resource assessment is being carried out annually of each State/UT jointly by Central  Ground  Water  Board  (CGWB)  and  concerned  State  Nodal/Ground  Water  Department.  Under  the assessment, among other things, the Assessment Units (AUs), which are generally Taluks/ Blocks/ Tehsils etc. are  classified  into  'Safe',  'Semi-Critical',  'Critical'  and  'Over-Exploited'(previously  termed  as  Dark  Zones) categories based on the prevailing 'Stage of Ground Water Extraction (SoE)'. The SoE is defined as the ratio of  total  Annual  Ground  Water  Extraction  for  all  uses  (irrigation,  industrial  and  domestic  uses)  over  total Annual Extractable Ground Water Resources.

As per the latest 2024 Assessment, out of the total 6746 Assessment Units in the country, 751 units in various States/ UTs (11.13%) have been categorized as 'Over-exploited.

(b) According to the National Compilation of Dynamic Ground Water Resources of India, 2024, four out of the  seven  assessed  blocks  in  Bhiwani  district  have  been  categorized  as  over-exploited.  In  Mahendragarh district, six out of eight blocks and in Charkhi Dadri district, two out of four blocks have been classified as over-exploited respectively, as the Stage of Extraction stands above 100% for all these Blocks. The details of assessment units classified under various categories in these districts are provided in Annexure.

(c) The  classification  is  based  on  Annual  Assessment  of  Ground Water resources and Stage of  Extraction (SoE) which is specific to the Assessment Unit/Block involved.

( d) Water being a State subject, addressing water scarcity problem, including taking corrective action restore ground water levels, falls under the mandate of State governments. The Central Government complements the efforts  of  the  States  by  providing  technical  support  and  financial  assistance  through  its  various  projects  and schemes. Some of the important steps taken by the Ministry to  check  ground  water  depletion  and  promote sustainable management of ground water resources in the country, including in Dark Zones,  are given below:-

- i. The Government is implementing Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) in the country since 2019 in which is a mission  mode  and  time  bound  programme  for  harvesting  the  rainfall  and  taking  up  water conservation  activities.  Currently,  JSA  2024  is  being  implemented  in  the  country  with  special focus on 151 water stressed districts of the  country. JSA is an umbrella campaign under which various ground water recharge and conservation related works are being taken up in convergence with various central and state schemes.
- ii. Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABY) is being implemented across 229 water stressed blocks in 80 districts across Seven States, including Haryana for participatory ground water management focusing on demand side management of ground water. One of the major objectives of this Scheme is to arrest the declining ground water levels in the identified water stressed GPs.
- iii. CGWB has taken up National Aquifer Mapping and Management Programme (NAQUIM) with an aim to delineate aquifer disposition and their characterization. Entire mappable area of the country of around 25 lakh sq. km, has been mapped under the scheme and management plans have been shared with the respective State governments.
- iv. Master Plan for Artificial Recharge to Groundwater- 2020 has been prepared by the CGWB and shared with States/UTs providing a broad outline for construction of around 1.42 crore rain water harvesting and artificial  recharge structures in the country to harness around 185 (Billion Cubic Meters) BCM of water, with estimated cost.
- v. Department of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare (DA & FW), GoI, is implementing Per Drop More Crop  (PDMC)  Scheme  in  the  country  since  2015-16, which  focuses  on  enhancing  water  use efficiency at farm level through Micro Irrigation and better on-farm water management practices to optimize the use of available water resources.
- vi. Mission Amrit Sarovar was launched by the Government of India, which aimed at developing and rejuvenating at least 75 water bodies in each district of the country. As an outcome nearly 69,000 Amrit Sarovars have been constructed/rejuvenated in the country.

- vii. The Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) has been constituted under MoJS for the purpose of regulation and control of ground water development and management in the country. Abstraction cum use of Groundwater in the country is regulated by CGWA by way of issuing NOCs as per the provisions of its Guidelines dated 24.09.2020 which have pan India applicability.
- viii. Details  of  several  other  significant  initiatives  of  the  Government  of  India  for  improvement  of groundwater  situation  in  the  country  can  be  seen  through  the  link  below-  https://jalshaktidowr.gov.in/document/steps-taken-by-the-central-government-to-control-water-depletion-andpromote-rain-water-harvesting-conservation/

(e) The central government has taken several important steps to ensure large scale community participation for turning ground water management into a truly peoples' movement. The notable among them are:

- i. The government of India is implementing Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABY) which has community led sustainable  management  of  ground  water  resources  and  demand  management  as  its  core  theme. Under this, Water Budget and Water Security Plan for each Gram Panchayat is prepared by the local community itself consisting of local villagers mainly of farmers.
- ii. Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) is being implemented in the country since 2019 with active community involvement. Jal Shakti Kendras (JSKs) have been set up under Abhiyan in various districts of the country for interacting with local community and dissemination of water related knowledge.
- iii. Under Jal Jeevan Mission, with a view to involve community  at large and to spread awareness regarding  water  quality,  five  persons,  preferably  women,  are  identified  and  trained  from  every village for testing the water samples through Field Test Kits (FTKs). Thus far, more than 24 lakh women have been trained across the country.
- iv. To  further  strengthen  the  momentum  of  Jal  Shakti  Abhiyan,  Jal  Sanchay  Jan  Bhagidari:  A Community-Driven Path to Water Sustainability in India has been launched by the Hon'ble Prime Minister on September 6, 2024, in Surat, Gujarat whose main objective is to ensure that every drop of  water  is  conserved  through  collective  efforts,  following  a  whole-of-society  and  whole-ofgovernment approach.
- v. Central Ground  Water  Board  organizes  various Public Interaction Programs  (PIP),  Mass Awareness  Programs  (MAP),  Tier  II  and  Tier  -III  programmes  on  local  ground  water  issues, including educating the public about the impacts of water  contamination  and  promoting sustainable practices to maintain water quality.

## ANNEXURE

## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (b) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 616 TO BE  ANSWERED  IN  LOK  SABHA  ON  06.02.2025  REGARDING  'AREAS  WITH  SEVERE GROUNDWATER LEVELS DEPLETION DECLARED AS DARK ZONES'.

## The details of assessment units classified under OCS categories in Bhiwani, Charkhi Dadri &Mahendragarh districts of Haryana as per National Compilation of Dynamic Ground Water Resources of India, 2024

| S. No   | Name of District   | Safe Assessment Units   | Semi-Critical Assessment Units   | Critical Assessment Units   | Over-Exploited Assessment Units   |
|---------|--------------------|-------------------------|----------------------------------|-----------------------------|-----------------------------------|
| 1       | Bhiwani            | 1.Bawani Khera          |                                  |                             | 1.Loharu                          |
|         |                    | 2.Bhiwani               |                                  |                             | 2.Kairu                           |
|         |                    | 3.Siwani                |                                  |                             | 3.Tosham                          |
|         |                    |                         |                                  |                             | 4.Behal                           |
| 2       | Charkhi Dadri      | 1.Baund                 |                                  |                             | 1.Jhojhu                          |
|         |                    | 2.Charkhi Dadri         |                                  |                             | 2.Badhra                          |
| 3       | Mahendragarh       |                         | 1.Satnali                        | 1.Nizampur                  | 1.Kanina                          |
|         |                    |                         |                                  |                             | 2.Nangal Chaudhry                 |
|         |                    |                         |                                  |                             | 3.Sihma                           |
|         |                    |                         |                                  |                             | 4.Mahendragarh                    |
|         |                    |                         |                                  |                             | 5.Narnaul                         |
|         |                    |                         |                                  |                             | 6.Ateli Nangal                    |

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