Lok Sabha Question No. 2916 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-12
Subject: Efficient use of Groundwater Resources in Bihar
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Dr. Sanjay Jaiswal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2916

## ANSWERED ON 12.12.2024

## EFFICIENT USE OF GROUNDWATER RESOURCES IN BIHAR

2916. DR. SANJAY JAISWAL

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government has implemented any schemes for the efficient use of groundwater resources in Bihar, particularly in districts facing declining water tables like West Champaran; and

(b) if so, the details thereof and the current status thereon?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI

## ( SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY )

(a)  &  b) 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 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 which covers  the  whole  country  for  the  purpose  of  ground  water  mapping,  monitoring  and development  activities.  Regular  ground  water  level  monitoring  is  also  one  of  the  activities under the Scheme and comparison of the November 2023 level with the decadal mean level (Mean of November 2013-22 levels) shows that, in Bihar about 41.7% of the wells monitored have registered rise in ground water levels. Whereas, for West Champaran, the analysis reveals that 86.67% of wells have registered rise.
- ii. 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, including 2 such districts in Bihar. 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.
- iii. Further,  CGWB  has  also  completed  the  National  Aquifer  Mapping  (NAQUIM)  Project covering approximately 25 lakh square kms. of mappable area across the country, including

around 90,567 sq. km in the state  of  Bihar.  The  Aquifer  maps  and  management  plans  have been prepared for all Districts, including West Champaran, and shared with the respective State agencies  for  implementation.  Aquifer  management  plans  prepared  under  NAQUIM,  propose both supply side and demand side interventions.

- 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 with estimated cost to harness about  185  Billion  Cubic  Meters  (BCM)  of  water.  Master  plan  for  the  state  of  Bihar recommends construction of about 91 thousand structures in the state.
- v. Department of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare (DA & FW), GoI, is implementing Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) Scheme in the country, including Bihar, 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 Bihar. As an outcome nearly 69,000 Amrit Sarovars have been constructed/rejuvenated in the country with 2,717 in Bihar.
- vii. Government of India supports construction of water conservation and rain water harvesting in states, including in Bihar, through its schemes like MGNREGS and PMKSY-WDC.
- 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 by way of issuing NOCs as per the provisions of its Guidelines dated 24.09.2020 which have pan India applicability.
- ix. This Ministry has circulated a Model Bill to all the States/UTs to enable them to enact suitable ground water legislation for regulation of its development, which also includes provision of rain water harvesting. So far, 21 States/UTs have adopted and implemented the ground water legislation, including Bihar.

In addition to the above, as per the information received from State Govt., Govt. of Bihar has implemented Jal Jeevan-Hariyali Mission for efficient use of ground water resources in Bihar, particularly in districts like West Champaran. These include:

-  Rejuvenation of Ponds/Aahar/Pynes
-  Rejuvenation of Wells
-  Construction of Soak Pits/Recharge structures near Wells & Hand pumps.

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