Lok Sabha Question No. 4778 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-21
Subject: Ground Water Reserves
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Shri Vishnu Dayal Ram, Shri Karan Bhushan Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4778

ANSWERED ON 21.08.2025

## GROUND WATER RESERVES

## 4778. SHRI VISHNU DAYAL RAM:

## SHRI KARAN BHUSHAN SINGH:

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a) the current status of groundwater reserves across the country, State and district-wise;

(b)  the  steps  taken/being  taken  by  the  Government  to  mitigate  depletion  of  groundwater  reserves  in vulnerable regions;

(c) the extent and nature of groundwater contamination across various States and districts including the major pollutants identified; and

(d)  the  specific  programmes  or  initiatives  undertaken  to  enhance  groundwater  levels,  particularly  in over-exploited and critically-affected blocks?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI

## ( SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY )

(a) Assessment  of  Dynamic  groundwater resources of each State/UT is being carried out on annual basis  jointly  by  the  Central  Ground  Water  Board  and  the  concerned  State  Nodal/Ground  Water Departments. As per the report of 'National Compilation of Dynamic Ground Water Resources of India, 2024', the total annual groundwater recharge in the country has been assessed as 446.9 billion cubic metres (bcm). Total annual extractable groundwater resource has been assessed as 406.19 bcm and the total annual groundwater extraction for all purposes (like domestic, industrial, agricultural uses etc) is estimated as 245.64 bcm. The Stage of groundwater Extraction (SoE), which is defined as a ratio of Annual  Ground  Water  Extraction  over  Annual  Extractable  Ground  Water  Resource  for  the  whole country is arrived at 60.47 %.

The details of state-wise Ground Water Resource assessment for the country as per the 2024 report is given in Annexure I. District-wise details may be accessed from the following link:

https://cgwb.gov.in/cgwbpnm/public/uploads/documents/17357182991031590738file.pdf#page=167

(b)  to  (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, the important steps taken by the Ministry of Jal Shakti

and other central ministries for conservation and sustainable development of ground water resources in the country, with a focus on vulnerable areas like over-exploited and critical Blocks, 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 2025 is being implemented in the country with special focus on over-exploited and critical areas. 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 JSA dashboard, in the past 4 years,  completion  of  more  than  1.14  Cr  water  harvesting  and  recharge  works  have  been coordinated in the country.
- ii. Further,  CGWB  has  also  completed  the  National  Aquifer  Mapping  (NAQUIM)  Project covering approximately 25 lakh square kms. of mappable area across the country. Further, District-wise Aquifer maps and management plans have been prepared and shared with the respective State agencies for taking up further suitable interventions.
- 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 to harness about 185 Billion Cubic Meters (BCM) of water.
- iv. 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.
- 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. From 2015-16 till December 2024, an area of 94.36 lakh ha has been covered under micro irrigation in the country through PDMC scheme.
- 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. M/o Jal Shakti is promoting conjunctive use of surface water and groundwater and to reduce dependence  on  groundwater,  surface  water  based  Major  and  Medium  irrigation  projects have  been  taken  up  in  the  country  under  PMKSY-AIBP  scheme  in  collaboration  with States/UTs.
- viii. The Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) has been constituted under the Ministry of Jal  Shakti  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 as per the provisions of its Guidelines dated 24.09.2020 which have pan India applicability.

- ix. To complement the above efforts, a number of States have done notable work in the field of water  conservation/harvesting.  Some  of  them  can  be  mentioned  as  'Mukhyamantri  Jal Swavlamban  Abhiyan'  in  Rajasthan,  'JalyuktShibar'  in  Maharashtra,  'SujalamSufalam Abhiyan' in Gujarat, 'Mission Kakatiya' in Telangana, Neeru Chettu' in Andhra Pradesh, Jal Jeevan Hariyali in Bihar, 'Jal Hi Jeevan' in Haryana, Kudimaramath scheme in Tamil Nadu etc.

Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) generates ground water quality data of the entire country on a regional scale as part of its ground water quality monitoring program and various scientific studies. Overall, the data on ground water quality indicates that the ground water in the country remains largely potable. However, localized occurrence of certain contaminants, like Fluoride, Heavy metals, Nitrates etc, beyond the prescribed limits for drinking water use has been reported in certain isolated pockets of some States/UTs. Details of major contaminants as per the Annual Groundwater Quality Report 2024 of CGWB, based on the ground water sampling and analysis data from 15,259 monitoring locations spread across the country, is provided in Annexure -II .

For further details on district-wise distribution and trends, the Annual Groundwater Quality Report 2024 may be referred, which is available on CGWB web site and can be accessed through the following link:

https://cgwb.gov.in/cgwbpnm/public/uploads/documents/17363272771910393216file.pdf

***

ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4778 TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 21.08.2025 REGARDING 'GROUND WATER RESERVES'.

STATE-WISE GROUND WATER RESOURCES OF INDIA, 2024

| S. No .   | States /Union Territories                |   Total Annual Ground Water Recharge (in BCM*) |   Annual Ground Resource BCM) |   Extractable Water (in Current Ground Extraction BCM) |   Annual Water (in Stage of Ground Water Extraction (%) |
|-----------|------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------|
| 1         | Andhra Pradesh                           |                                         27.8   |                        26.41  |                                                  7.88  |                                                  29.83  |
| 2         | Arunachal Pradesh                        |                                          3.88  |                         3.46  |                                                  0.01  |                                                   0.39  |
| 3         | Assam                                    |                                         27.21  |                        20.89  |                                                  2.64  |                                                  12.61  |
| 4         | Bihar                                    |                                         34.15  |                        30.95  |                                                 14.1   |                                                  45.54  |
| 5         | Chhattisgarh                             |                                         14.18  |                        12.93  |                                                  6.12  |                                                  47.32  |
| 6         | Goa                                      |                                          0.38  |                         0.31  |                                                  0.07  |                                                  22.91  |
| 7         | Gujarat                                  |                                         27.58  |                        25.58  |                                                 13.86  |                                                  54.21  |
| 8         | Haryana                                  |                                         10.32  |                         9.36  |                                                 12.72  |                                                 135.96  |
| 9         | Himachal Pradesh                         |                                          1.11  |                         1.01  |                                                  0.36  |                                                  35.48  |
| 10        | Jharkhand                                |                                          6.28  |                         5.76  |                                                  1.81  |                                                  31.43  |
| 11        | Karnataka                                |                                         18.74  |                        16.88  |                                                 11.55  |                                                  68.44  |
| 12        | Kerala                                   |                                          5.67  |                         5.13  |                                                  2.76  |                                                  53.78  |
| 13        | Madhya Pradesh                           |                                         35.9   |                        33.99  |                                                 19.85  |                                                  58.4   |
| 14        | Maharashtra                              |                                         33.03  |                        31.15  |                                                 16.5   |                                                  52.99  |
| 15        | Manipur                                  |                                          0.52  |                         0.47  |                                                  0.04  |                                                   8     |
| 16        | Meghalaya                                |                                          1.86  |                         1.53  |                                                  0.07  |                                                   4.6   |
| 17        | Mizoram                                  |                                          0.21  |                         0.19  |                                                  0.01  |                                                   3.95  |
| 18        | Nagaland                                 |                                          0.62  |                         0.56  |                                                  0.03  |                                                   4.72  |
| 19        | Odisha                                   |                                         17.46  |                        16.04  |                                                  7.74  |                                                  48.23  |
| 20        | Punjab                                   |                                         19.19  |                        17.63  |                                                 27.66  |                                                 156.87  |
| 21        | Rajasthan                                |                                         12.58  |                        11.37  |                                                 17.05  |                                                 149.86  |
| 22        | Sikkim                                   |                                          0.24  |                         0.22  |                                                  0.01  |                                                   5.85  |
| 23        | Tamil Nadu                               |                                         21.51  |                        19.46  |                                                 14.45  |                                                  74.26  |
| 24        | Telangana                                |                                         20.4   |                        18.44  |                                                  8.47  |                                                  45.91  |
| 25        | Tripura                                  |                                          1.45  |                         1.18  |                                                  0.11  |                                                   9.48  |
| 26        | Uttar Pradesh                            |                                         72.84  |                        66.38  |                                                 46.76  |                                                  70.45  |
| 27        | Uttarakhand                              |                                          2.14  |                         1.96  |                                                  1.05  |                                                  53.54  |
| 28        | West Bengal                              |                                         25.89  |                        23.56  |                                                 10.75  |                                                  45.63  |
| 29        | Andaman And Nicobar                      |                                          0.38  |                         0.34  |                                                  0.01  |                                                   2.08  |
| 30        | Chandigarh                               |                                          0.06  |                         0.05  |                                                  0.03  |                                                  66.13  |
| 31        | Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu |                                          0.12  |                         0.12  |                                                  0.16  |                                                 142.17  |
| 32        | Delhi                                    |                                          0.38  |                         0.34  |                                                  0.34  |                                                 100.77  |
| 33        | Jammu And Kashmir                        |                                          2.55  |                         2.3   |                                                  0.51  |                                                  22.28  |
| 34        | Ladakh                                   |                                          0.07  |                         0.06  |                                                  0.02  |                                                  30.93  |
| 35        | Lakshadweep                              |                                          0.01  |                         0.01  |                                                  0     |                                                  61.32  |
| 36        | Puducherry                               |                                          0.19  |                         0.17  |                                                  0.13  |                                                  75.91  |
|           | Grand Total                              |                                        446.908 |                       406.194 |                                                245.646 |                                                  60.475 |

## ANNEXURE-II

## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (b) to (d) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4778 TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 21.08.2025 REGARDING 'GROUND WATER RESERVES'.

State-wise details of major contaminants in Ground Water as per Annual Ground water Quality Report 2024

|       |                                        | Electrical Conductivity   | Electrical Conductivity    | Electrical Conductivity                                               | Nitrate                 | Nitrate                                               | Fluoride                         | Fluoride                | Fluoride                                                    |
|-------|----------------------------------------|---------------------------|----------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------|
| S.No. | State                                  | No. of Samples Analysed   | % samples with >3000 µS/cm | (EC) of EC No. of Districts having EC > 3000 µS/cmin isolated pockets | No. of Samples Analysed | % of samples with NO 3 >45 mg/L No. having 45 pockets | isolated No. of Samples Analysed | %of samples with F mg/L | >1.5 No of districts having F >1.5 mg/L in isolated pockets |
| 1     | Andaman & Nicobar Islands              | 113                       | 0                          | 0                                                                     | 113                     | 0 0                                                   | 113                              | 0                       | 0                                                           |
| 2     | Andhra Pradesh                         | 1149                      | 9.7                        | 23                                                                    | 1149                    | 23.5 26                                               | 1149                             | 11.31                   | 17                                                          |
| 3     | Arunachal Pradesh                      | 12                        | 0                          | 0                                                                     | 12                      | 0 0                                                   | 12                               | 0                       | 0                                                           |
| 4     | Assam                                  | 155                       | 0.6                        | 1                                                                     | 155                     | 0 0                                                   | 155                              | 0                       | 0                                                           |
| 5     | Bihar                                  | 808                       | 0.9                        | 5                                                                     | 808                     | 2.35 15                                               | 808                              | 4.58                    | 6                                                           |
| 6     | Chandigarh UT                          | 8                         | 0                          | 0                                                                     | 8                       | 0 0                                                   | 8                                | 0                       | 0                                                           |
| 7     | Chhattisgarh                           | 783                       | 0.3                        | 2                                                                     | 783                     | 11.49 20                                              | 783                              | 1.79                    | 8                                                           |
| 8     | Dadra And Nagar Haveli & Daman and Diu | 17                        | 5.9                        | 1                                                                     | 17                      | 0 0                                                   | 17                               | 0                       | 0                                                           |
| 9     | Delhi                                  | 103                       | 23.3                       | 5                                                                     | 103                     | 20.39 7                                               | 103                              | 16.5                    | 6                                                           |
| 10    | Goa                                    | 10                        | 0                          | 0                                                                     | 10                      | 0 0                                                   | 10                               | 0                       | 0                                                           |
| 11    | Gujarat                                | 632                       | 19.6                       | 24                                                                    | 632                     | 18.04 23                                              | 632                              | 13.92                   | 25                                                          |
| 12    | Haryana                                | 879                       | 21                         | 19                                                                    | 879                     | 14.56 21                                              | 879                              | 23.66                   | 17                                                          |
| 13    | Himachal Pradesh                       | 171                       | 0                          | 0                                                                     | 171                     | 9.36 6                                                | 171                              | 1.17                    | 2                                                           |
| 14    | Jammu &Kashmir                         | 250                       | 0                          | 0                                                                     | 250                     | 9.2 6                                                 | 250                              | 0                       | 0                                                           |
| 15    | Jharkhand                              | 397                       | 0                          | 0                                                                     | 397                     | 5.79 9                                                | 397                              | 2.77                    | 8                                                           |

| 16          | Karnataka      | 345                                     | 14.5                                    | 15                                      | 345                                     | 48.99                                   | 27                                      | 345                                     | 17.68                                   | 19                                      |
|-------------|----------------|-----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------|
| 17          | Kerala         | 342                                     | 0                                       | 0                                       | 342                                     | 6.73                                    | 10                                      | 342                                     | 0.29                                    | 1                                       |
| 18          | Madhya Pradesh | 589                                     | 1.2                                     | 5                                       | 589                                     | 22.58                                   | 39                                      | 589                                     | 1.02                                    | 6                                       |
| 19          | Maharashtra    | 1567                                    | 3.6                                     | 21                                      | 1567                                    | 35.74                                   | 32                                      | 1567                                    | 1.91                                    | 10                                      |
| 20          | Meghalaya      | 39                                      | 0                                       | 0                                       | 39                                      | 0                                       | 0                                       | 39                                      | 0                                       | 0                                       |
| 21          | Mizoram        | 3                                       | 0                                       | 0                                       | 3                                       | 0                                       | 0                                       | 3                                       | 0                                       | 0                                       |
| 22          | Nagaland       | 6                                       | 0                                       | 0                                       | 6                                       | 0                                       | 0                                       | 6                                       | 0                                       | 0                                       |
| 23          | Odisha         | 625                                     | 1.1                                     | 4                                       | 625                                     | 14.4                                    | 15                                      | 625                                     | 4.48                                    | 10                                      |
| 24          | Pondicherry    | 4                                       | 0                                       | 0                                       | 4                                       | 25                                      | 1                                       | 4                                       | 0                                       | 0                                       |
| 25          | Punjab         | 922                                     | 6.7                                     | 9                                       | 922                                     | 12.58                                   | 20                                      | 922                                     | 13.77                                   | 17                                      |
| 26          | Rajasthan      | 630                                     | 48.6                                    | 26                                      | 630                                     | 49.52                                   | 30                                      | 630                                     | 43.17                                   | 31                                      |
| 27          | Tamil Nadu     | 916                                     | 9.2                                     | 24                                      | 916                                     | 37.77                                   | 31                                      | 916                                     | 9.72                                    | 21                                      |
| 28          | Telangana      | 1150                                    | 3                                       | 16                                      | 1150                                    | 27.48                                   | 32                                      | 1150                                    | 14.87                                   | 28                                      |
| 29          | Tripura        | 81                                      | 0                                       | 0                                       | 81                                      | 2.47                                    | 2                                       | 81                                      | 0                                       | 0                                       |
| 30          | Uttar Pradesh  | 1387                                    | 2.7                                     | 13                                      | 1387                                    | 9.37                                    | 48                                      | 1387                                    | 5.7                                     | 27                                      |
| 31          | Uttarakhand    | 207                                     | 0                                       | 0                                       | 207                                     | 17.39                                   | 5                                       | 207                                     | 0.48                                    | 1                                       |
| 32          | West Bengal    | 959                                     | 0.8                                     | 5                                       | 959                                     | 8.65                                    | 18                                      | 959                                     | 0.73                                    | 3                                       |
| Grand Total | Grand Total    | 15259                                   | 7.3                                     | 218                                     | 15259                                   | 19.8                                    | 443                                     | 15259                                   | 9.04                                    | 263                                     |
|             |                | Parts of 218 districts in 18 States/UTs | Parts of 218 districts in 18 States/UTs | Parts of 218 districts in 18 States/UTs | Parts of 443 districts in 23 States/UTs | Parts of 443 districts in 23 States/UTs | Parts of 443 districts in 23 States/UTs | Parts of 263 districts in 20 States/UTs | Parts of 263 districts in 20 States/UTs | Parts of 263 districts in 20 States/UTs |

*Note: Out of 36 States/UTs,  Ladakh, Lakshadweep, Sikkim and Manipur are not having Ground Water Quality Monitoring Stations of CGWB

*****