Lok Sabha Question No. 1774 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-05
Subject: Groundwater Conservation
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Dr. Shrikant Eknath Shinde, Smt. Shambhavi, Shri Rajesh Verma, Shri Naresh Ganpat Mhaske

1774.

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1774

ANSWERED ON 05.12.2024

## GROUNDWATER CONSERVATION

SHRI RAJESH VERMA

SHRI NARESH GANPAT MHASKE

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a) the details of the budget allocated and utilised for implementing the projects concerning the groundwater conservation;

(b) the details of the groundwater that got polluted during the last five years, State/UT-wise;

(c) the list of the States that were the winners of the National Water Awards during the last five years since its inception, category-wise;

(d) the details of the schemes and strategies of the Government for reduction of groundwater depletion in the country along with the percentage in reduction of groundwater depletion during the last five years; and

(e)  the  steps  taken/being  taken  by  the  Government  to  ensure  the  monitoring  and  access  to  quality groundwater across the country?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI

## ( SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY )

(a) The Government is implementing Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) in the country since 2019 in a mission mode and  as  a  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. As per the available information,  since  the  inception  of  JSA,  a  total  of  around  1.57  cr.  water  conservation  and  rain  water harvesting structures have been completed/ongoing in the country and an expenditure of Rs. 1.15 lakh cr has been incurred though convergence with MGNREGS alone.

In  addition  to  JSA,  the  central  government  provides  funds  for  ground  water  conservation  activities under  its  various  flagship  programmes  and  schemes  like  Atal  Bhujal  Yojana,  PMKSY-WDC,  GWM  &R Scheme etc.

(b) Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) generates ground water quality data of the country on a regional scale  as  part  of  its  ground  water  quality  monitoring  program  and  various  scientific  studies.  These  studies indicate  the  occurrence  of  contaminants  such  as  Flouride,  Arsenic,  Nitrate,  Iron  and  heavy  metals  beyond

DR. SHRIKANT EKNATH SHINDE

SMT. SHAMBHAVI

permissible limits (as per BIS) for human consumption in isolated pockets of some of the districts in various States / UTs.

Since ground water quality improvement as well as contamination are continuous processes the latest picture of ground water quality for the entire country, with the state-wise number of the districts affected by major ground water contaminants as in 2022-23 is given in Annexure-I .

(c) The list  of  winners  of  National  Water  Awards  under  'Best  State'  category  since  2018  is  provided  at Annexure-II.

(d) Water  being  a  State  subject,  sustainable  development  and  management  of  groundwater  resources  is primarily the responsibility of the State Government. 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, the important steps taken by the Ministry of Jal Shakti and other central ministries for sustainable development of ground water resources in the country are given below:-

- i. Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti is implementing Ground Water  Management  and  Regulation  (GWMR)  Scheme,  a  Central  Sector  Scheme,  under  which activities  related  to  exploration,  monitoring,  assessment  and  management  of  ground  water resources  including  groundwater  conservation/  artificial  recharge  interventions  are  carried  out across the country.
- ii. 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 for implementation.
- iii. 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 with estimated cost.
- iv. MoJS is implementing Atal Bhujal Yojana, which is a community led scheme for participatory ground  water  management  focusing  on  demand  side  management  of  ground  water  in  80  water stressed districts in 7 States.
- 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.

- vi. 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. Abstraction cum use of Groundwater in the country is  regulated  by  CGWA  in  the  country  by  way  of  issuing  NOCs  as  per  the  provisions  of  its Guidelines dated 24.09.2020.
- vii. 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/

As a result of such consistent and cumulative efforts, total Extractable Ground water in the country has gone up from 392.7 BCM in 2017 to 407.21 BCM in 2023.

(e) CGWB conducts ground water quality monitoring for several contaminants on a regular basis throughout the country and also generates ground water quality data on a regional scale during various scientific studies. Data on ground water quality available with CGWB are made available in public domain through reports as well as through the web site (http://www.cgwb.gov.in) for use by various stakeholders.

Further, to make provision of potable tap water supply in adequate quantity, of prescribed quality and on regular & long-term basis to every rural household by 2024, since August, 2019, Government of India in partnership with States, is implementing Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) - Har Ghar Jal. Under the JJM, Bureau of Indian Standards' BIS:10500 standards have been adopted as prescribed norms for quality of tap water service delivery. Water safety has been one of the key priorities under the JJM since its inception.

Further, under JJM, a vast network of more than 2000 water quality testing laboratories have been set up in the country. Besides this, five persons, preferably women, are identified and trained from every village for testing the water samples through Field Test Kits (FTKs). To enable States/ UTs to test water samples for water quality, and for sample collection, reporting, monitoring and surveillance of drinking water sources, an online JJM - Water Quality Management Information System (WQMIS) portal has been developed.

***

## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (b) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1774 TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 05.12.2024 REGARDING 'GROUNDWATER CONSERVATION'.

## State Wise Number of Partly Affected Districts (cumulative) with different major Contaminants in Ground Water of India in 2022-23

| S. No .   | State/ UT         | Salinity (EC above 3000 micro mhos/ cm) (EC : Electrical Conductivity)   | Fluoride (above 1.5 mg/l)                | Nitrate (above 45 mg/l)                  | Arsenic (above 0.01 mg/l)                | Iron (above 1mg/l )                      |
|-----------|-------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|
| 1         | Andhra Pradesh    | 23                                                                       | 19                                       | 26                                       | 7                                        | 12                                       |
| 2         | Telangana         | 16                                                                       | 29                                       | 32                                       | 1                                        | 9                                        |
| 3         | Assam             | 1                                                                        | 17                                       |                                          | 21                                       | 29                                       |
| 4         | Arunachal Pradesh |                                                                          |                                          |                                          |                                          | 7                                        |
| 5         | Bihar             | 7                                                                        | 19                                       | 32                                       | 27                                       | 35                                       |
| 6         | Chhattisgarh      | 1                                                                        | 23                                       | 24                                       | 4                                        | 23                                       |
| 7         | Delhi             | 8                                                                        | 8                                        | 11                                       | 5                                        | 5                                        |
| 8         | Goa               |                                                                          |                                          |                                          |                                          | 2                                        |
| 9         | Gujarat           | 28                                                                       | 30                                       | 32                                       | 12                                       | 14                                       |
| 10        | Haryana           | 18                                                                       | 21                                       | 21                                       | 18                                       | 20                                       |
| 11        | Himachal Pradesh  |                                                                          | 2                                        | 7                                        | 1                                        | 5                                        |
| 12        | Jammu &Kashmir    |                                                                          | 4                                        | 10                                       | 3                                        | 10                                       |
| 13        | Jharkhand         |                                                                          | 17                                       | 23                                       | 4                                        | 23                                       |
| 14        | Karnataka         | 30                                                                       | 31                                       | 30                                       | 3                                        | 22                                       |
| 15        | Kerala            | 4                                                                        | 6                                        | 14                                       | 1                                        | 14                                       |
| 16        | Madhya Pradesh    | 21                                                                       | 44                                       | 51                                       | 9                                        | 47                                       |
| 17        | Maharashtra       | 29                                                                       | 22                                       | 31                                       |                                          | 24                                       |
| 18        | Manipur           |                                                                          | 1                                        |                                          | 2                                        | 4                                        |
| 19        | Meghalaya         |                                                                          | 5                                        |                                          |                                          | 8                                        |
| 20        | Nagaland          |                                                                          | 3                                        |                                          |                                          | 5                                        |
| 21        | Odisha            | 18                                                                       | 26                                       | 32                                       | 5                                        | 31                                       |
| 22        | Punjab            | 12                                                                       | 19                                       | 23                                       | 17                                       | 19                                       |
| 23        | Rajasthan         | 32                                                                       | 33                                       | 33                                       | 10                                       | 33                                       |
| 24        | Tamil Nadu        | 29                                                                       | 30                                       | 33                                       | 14                                       | 16                                       |
| 25        | Tripura           |                                                                          | 3                                        |                                          | 3                                        | 8                                        |
| 26        | Uttar Pradesh     | 21                                                                       | 43                                       | 67                                       | 45                                       | 75                                       |
| 27        | Uttarakhand       | 1                                                                        | 1                                        | 5                                        | 5                                        | 8                                        |
| 28        | West Bengal       | 9                                                                        | 12                                       | 18                                       | 11                                       | 22                                       |
| 29        | Andaman & Nicobar | 1                                                                        |                                          |                                          |                                          | 3                                        |
| 30        | Daman &Diu        | 1                                                                        | 1                                        | 2                                        | 1                                        |                                          |
| 31        | Puducherry        |                                                                          |                                          | 2                                        | 1                                        |                                          |
|           | Total             | Parts of 310 districts in 21 states &UTs                                 | Parts of 469 districts in 27 states& UTs | Parts of 559 districts in 23 states& UTs | Parts of 230 districts in 25 states& UTs | Parts of 533 districts in 29 states &UTs |

## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (c) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1774 TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 05.12.2024 REGARDING 'GROUNDWATER CONSERVATION'.

The list of the States that were the winners of the National Water Awards during the last five years since its inception, category-wise.

| Sl. No.                         | Name of Awardees                | Name of Category/State          | Rank                            |
|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
| 1 st National Water Awards-2018 | 1 st National Water Awards-2018 | 1 st National Water Awards-2018 | 1 st National Water Awards-2018 |
| 1                               | Maharashtra                     | Best State                      | 1 st Rank                       |
| 2                               | Gujarat                         | Best State                      | 2 nd Rank                       |
| 3                               | Andhra Pradesh                  | Best State                      | 3 rd Rank                       |
| 2 nd National Water Awards-2019 | 2 nd National Water Awards-2019 | 2 nd National Water Awards-2019 | 2 nd National Water Awards-2019 |
| 4                               | Tamil Nadu                      | Best State                      | 1 st Rank                       |
| 5                               | Maharashtra                     | Best State                      | 2 nd Rank                       |
| 6                               | Rajasthan                       | Best State                      | 3 rd Rank                       |
| 3 rd National Water Awards-2020 | 3 rd National Water Awards-2020 | 3 rd National Water Awards-2020 | 3 rd National Water Awards-2020 |
| 7                               | Uttar Pradesh                   | Best State                      | 1 st Rank                       |
| 8                               | Rajasthan                       | Best State                      | 2 nd Rank                       |
| 9                               | Tamil Nadu                      | Best State                      | 3 rd Rank                       |
| 4 th National Water Awards-2022 | 4 th National Water Awards-2022 | 4 th National Water Awards-2022 | 4 th National Water Awards-2022 |
| 10                              | Madhya Pradesh                  | Best State                      | 1 st Rank                       |
| 11                              | Odisha                          | Best State                      | 2 nd Rank                       |
| 12                              | Andhra Pradesh                  | Best State                      | 3 rd Rank (Joint Winner)        |
| 13                              | Bihar                           | Best State                      | 3 rd Rank (Joint Winner)        |
| 5 th National Water Awards-2023 | 5 th National Water Awards-2023 | 5 th National Water Awards-2023 | 5 th National Water Awards-2023 |
| 14                              | Odisha                          |                                 | 1 st Rank                       |
| 15                              | Uttar Pradesh                   |                                 | 2 nd Rank                       |
| 16                              | Puducherry                      |                                 | 3 rd Rank (Joint Winner)        |
| 17                              | Gujarat                         |                                 | 3 rd Rank (Joint Winner)        |

## F.N.- No awards were given in 2021 due to Covid-19 pandemic

*****