Lok Sabha Question No. 2383 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-13
Subject: Loss of Groundwater
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Shri Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2383

ANSWERED ON 13.03.2025

## LOSS OF GROUNDWATER

## 2383. SHRI VISHWESHWAR HEGDE KAGERI

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

- (a) whether it is true that many States have lost 64.6 bn m3 of groundwater;
- (b) if so, the details thereof; and
- (c)  the  steps  taken/being  taken  by  the  Government  to  raise  the  groundwater  level  in  the  country including Karnataka?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI

( SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY )

(a) & b) Assessment of Dynamic Ground Water Resources of the country is being annually carried out jointly  by  Central  Ground  Water  Board  (CGWB)  and  the  concerned  State  Nodal/Ground  Water Department. On comparison of data from 2017 assessment to that of 2024, it is seen that total annual extractable ground water in the country has increased from 393 Billion Cubic Meters (BCM) to 406 BCM during the period. Further, the Stage of Ground Water Extraction (SoE), which is defined as a ratio of total annual ground water extraction for all purposes to total annual extractable ground water resources, has decreased from 63% to 60.47% during the same period, indicating overall improvement in the ground water situation of the country, albeit with regional variations.

(c) Water being a State subject, the responsibility of addressing the ground water related issues lies primarily  with  the  concerned  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 improvement of ground water resources of the country, including for the state of Karnataka, are given below:-

- i. The Government is implementing Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) in the country since 2019 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, including 10 such districts in

Karnataka. 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 information under JSA, a total of around 15.88 lakh water conservation and rain water harvesting structures have been constructed in Karnataka in last 4 years.

- 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, including 1.91 lakh sq km of Karnataka, has been mapped  under  the  scheme  and  management  plans  have  been  shared  with  the  respective State/District administrations for implementation.
- iii. Master Plan for Artificial Recharge to Groundwater- 2020 has been prepared by the CGWB for  the  entire  country,  including  Karnataka 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) of water. For Karnataka, the Masterplan recommends around 61,225 structures.
- iv. M/o Jal Shakti  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, Karnataka being one among them.
- v. Department of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare (DA & FW), GoI, is implementing Per Drop More Crop Scheme in the country, including Karnataka, 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, including Karnataka for the purpose of increasing water storage and boosting ground water recharge. As an outcome nearly 69,000 Amrit Sarovars have been constructed/rejuvenated in the country, with 4,056 in Karnataka.
- vii. M/o Jal Shakti is promoting conjunctive use of surface water and groundwater and to reduce over-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. A total of 93 Public Interaction Programmes (PIPs) and 50 Tier-II & Tier -III trainings have been organized so far  by  CGWB in various parts of Karnataka to promote awareness on groundwater among public.

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