Lok Sabha Question No. 2069 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-31
Subject: Groundwater Recharging Scheme in Dharashiv District
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Shri Omprakash Bhupalsinh Alias Pavan Rajenimbalkar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2069

## ANSWERED ON 31.07.2025

## GROUNDWATER RECHARGING SCHEME IN DHARASHIV DISTRICT

## †2069. SHRI OMPRAKASH BHUPALSINH ALIAS PAVAN RAJENIMBALKAR:

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a) the details of the work undertaken under the Groundwater Recharging Scheme in Dharashiv district from 2018 to 2024;

(b) the number of proposals submitted in Dry and Yellow Zone;

(c) the number of the villages in the Dry Zone with increased amount of water under the said scheme; and

(d) the details of special plans for water replenishment and increasing the width of the rivers?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI

## ( SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY )

(a) The Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) under the ministry had taken up the construction of area specific Artificial Recharge Structures for Aquifer Rejuvenation in the Aspirational District of Dharashiv (Osmanabad) under Ground Water Management and Regulation (GWMR) Scheme during 2018-19. A total 55 Nos. Check dams, 46 nos. Recharge Wells & 20 nos. Piezometers were constructed and handed over to the State Govt. Further, under the Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA), the mission mode campaign being implemented by this Ministry for taking up various water conservation and artificial recharge works and completion of around 21,200 such works have been coordinated in Dharashiv district of Maharashtra in the past 4 years through convergence.

(b) & (c) Dynamic Ground water resource assessment of the country is being annually conducted by CGWB in co-ordination with state governments. As per the latest assessment of 2024, there are total 08 assessment units (Talukas) in the Dharashiv district, all of which have been categorized as 'Safe', where the stage of Ground water extraction is less than 70 %. Further, upon comparison between the resource assessment data of Dharashiv for the year 2020 and 2024, it is seen that the total annual ground water recharge has got augmented from 0.86 BCM to 0.89 BCM. Moreover, Stage of groundwater Extraction (SoE), which is defined as a ratio of total annual ground water extraction over total annual extractable ground water resource, has also improved from 62.09% to 59.74% during the said period.

(d) Water being a State subject, sustainable development and management of groundwater resources is primarily the responsibility of the State Governments. However, the Central Government facilitates the efforts of the State Governments by way of technical and financial assistance through its various schemes

and projects.  In this direction, several significant steps have already been taken by the Ministry of Jal Shakti  and  other  central  ministries  for  conservation  and  augmenting  of  ground  water  resources  in  the country, including Dharashiv district of Maharashtra. Some of the important ones are given below:-

- i. Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA), the flagship campaign of the M/o Jal Shakti, wherein all the efforts and funds under various schemes and projects are converged and channelized to deliver water conservation  and  ground  water  recharge  works  on  the  ground,  is  being  implemented  in  the country since 2019. Currently, JSA 2025 is underway with special focus on over-exploited and critical  districts.  The  government  of  Maharashtra  is  also  making  significant  efforts  in  this direction through the implementation of its own 'Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyan'.

i .

Master Plan for Artificial Recharge to Groundwater- 2020 has been prepared by the CGWB for the entire country, including Dharashiv, Maharashtra 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  185  BCM  (Billion  cubic  meter).  For  Dharashiv district, the Master plan recommends 585 check dams and 205 percolation tanks in rural areas to potentially harness around 58.35 MCM of water.

- iii. The government of India is implementing Atal Bhujal Yojana in 80 water stressed districts of 7 states which has community led sustainable management of ground water resources and demand management as its core theme. Atal Jal is currently operational in parts of Dharashiv District also, wherein several demand and supply side measures have been/are being implemented for replenishment and conservation of ground water resources.
- iv. Department of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare (DA & FW), GoI, is implementing Per Drop More  Crop  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.
- v. 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, with around 3,055 in Maharashtra.
- vi. 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 with a vision to make rain water harvesting a mass movement in the country. By promoting  community  ownership  and  responsibility,  the  initiative  seeks  to  develop  costeffective, local solutions tailored to specific water challenges across different regions.

Further widening and rejuvenation of rivers is basically the responsibility of the state government and the Central government extends necessary technical help through its organizations like CWC.

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