Lok Sabha Question No. 1767 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-05
Subject: Groundwater Level in Rajasthan
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Shri Rahul Kaswan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1767

ANSWERED ON 05.12.2024

## GROUNDWATER LEVEL IN RAJASTHAN

## 1767.    SHRI RAHUL KASWAN

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a) whether the groundwater level is continuously falling in the entire country including Rajasthan and if so, the details thereof;

(b) the details of groundwater level in the context of Rajasthan for the last five years, districtwise;

(c) whether the Government is considering any plan to recharge the falling groundwater level and if so, the details thereof; and

(d)  whether the Government published any report on the study of groundwater level so that action can be taken to recharge the water sources in future and if so, the details thereof, districtwise ?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI

## ( SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY )

(a) Central  Ground  Water  Board  (CGWB)  monitors  groundwater  levels  throughout  the  country  on  a regional scale including Rajasthan, four times in every year. In order to assess the long term fluctuation in ground water level, the water level data collected by CGWB during November 2023 has been compared with the decadal mean of November water levels of ten years (2013-2022) . Analysis of water level data indicates that about 51.7% of the wells monitored in the country have registered rise in ground water levels. State-wise Decadal Water Level Fluctuation is presented in Annexure . Further, the perusal of long term fluctuation data in  respect  of  Rajasthan  indicates  that  33.60%  of  wells  have  registered  rise  in  ground  water  levels  in Rajasthan.

(b) The data of district wise ground water levels measured for the period of last five years (2019-2023) in respect of Rajasthan can be seen at the following link :- https://jalshakti-dowr.gov.in/document/the-district-wise-groundwater-level-data-for-rajasthan-recorded-overthe-past-five-years-2019-2023/

(c) 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 improving the ground water levels and sustainable development of ground water resources in the country 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 Rajasthan. 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.
- ii. Master Plan for Artificial Recharge to Groundwater- 2020 has been prepared by the CGWB for the entire country, including Rajasthan 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).  In Rajasthan, the Masterplan recommends construction of 7.7 lakh structures.
- iii. 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  3.34  lakh  sq  km  of  Rajasthan,  has  been  mapped under the scheme and management plans, including recommendations for artificial recharge have been shared with the respective State governments for implementation.
- 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, Rajasthan being one among them.
- v. Department  of  Agriculture  &  Farmers'  Welfare  (DA  &  FW),  GoI,  is  implementing  Per  Drop More  Crop  Scheme  in  the  country,  including  Rajasthan,  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 Rajasthan. As an outcome nearly 69,000 Amrit Sarovars have been constructed/rejuvenated in the country.
- vii. 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.

- viii. 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 on September 6, 2024, in Surat, Gujarat 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  cost-effective,  local  solutions  tailored  to  specific  water  challenges across different regions
- ix. 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 belowhttps://jalshakti-dowr.gov.in/document/steps-taken-by-the-central-government-to-control-waterdepletion-and-promote-rain-water-harvesting-conservation/

(d) As mentioned earlier, Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) monitors groundwater levels throughout the country on a regional scale, four times in every year. Based on these periodic measurements of ground water levels,  CGWB prepares ground water  year books for the states as well  as for the country  as whole. Such yearbooks for individual years are in public domain and have been made available on the web site of CGWB. They can be accessed with the following web link:https://cgwb.gov.in/en/ground-water-level-monitoring

***

## ANNEXURE

## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1767 TO BE  ANSWERED  IN  LOK  SABHA  ON  05.12.2024  REGARDING  'GROUNDWATER  LEVEL  IN RAJASTHAN'.

## State-wise Decadal Water Level Fluctuation; comparison between Mean of (Post-Monsoon 2013 to 2022) and Post-Monsoon 2023

| Sr. No.   | State Name            | No of wells anal-   | No. of wells in different Rise   | No. of wells in different Rise   | No. of wells in different Rise   | No. of wells in different Rise   | No. of wells in different Rise   | No. of wells in different Rise   | depth range Fall   | depth range Fall   | depth range Fall   | depth range Fall   | depth range Fall   | depth range Fall   | Total No. of wells Fall   | Total No. of wells Fall   | Total% of wells   |
|-----------|-----------------------|---------------------|----------------------------------|----------------------------------|----------------------------------|----------------------------------|----------------------------------|----------------------------------|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|---------------------------|---------------------------|-------------------|
| Sr. No.   | State Name            | ysed                | 0 to2%                           | 0 to2%                           | 2 to4%                           | 2 to4%                           | >4%                              | 0                                | to 2 %             |                    | 2 to4%             | >                  | 4                  | %                  | Rise                      | Rise                      | Fall              |
| 1         | Andhra Pradesh        | 693                 | 92                               | 13.3                             | 27                               | 3.9                              | 34                               | 4.9                              | 381                | 55.0               | 119                | 17.2               | 40                 | 5.8                | 153 540                   | 22.0877.92                |                   |
| 2         | Arunachal Pradesh     | 21                  | 3                                | 14.3                             | 1                                | 4.8                              | 0                                | 0.0                              | 16                 | 76.2               | 1                  | 4.8                | 0                  | 0.0                | 4 17                      | 19.0580.95                |                   |
| 3         | Assam                 | 209                 | 97                               | 46.4                             | 7                                | 3.3                              | 0                                | 0.0                              | 92                 | 44.0               | 8                  | 3.8                | 5                  | 2.4                | 104                       | 105 49.7650.24            |                   |
| 4         | Bihar                 | 606                 | 226                              | 37.3                             | 27                               | 4.5                              | 0                                | 0.0                              | 327                | 54.0               | 21                 | 3.5                | 4                  | 0.7                | 253                       | 352                       | 41.7558.09        |
| 5         | Chhattisgarh          | 692                 | 340                              | 49.1                             | 42                               | 6.1                              | 4                                | 0.6                              | 260                | 37.6               | 32                 | 4.6                | 13                 | 1.9                | 386                       | 305 55.7844.08            |                   |
| 6         | Goa                   | 80                  | 49                               | 61.3                             | 3                                | 3.8                              | 2                                | 2.5                              | 24                 | 30.0               | 0                  | 0.0                | 2                  | 2.5                | 54                        | 26 67.5032.50             |                   |
| 7         | Gujarat               | 503                 | 193                              | 38.4                             | 67                               | 13.3                             | 47                               | 9.3                              | 148                | 29.4               | 28                 | 5.6                | 19                 | 3.8                | 307                       | 195 61.0338.77            |                   |
| 8         | Haryana               | 577                 | 170                              | 29.5                             | 54                               | 9.4                              | 33                               | 5.7                              | 184                | 31.9               | 67                 | 11.6               | 69                 | 12.0               | 257                       | 320 44.5455.46            |                   |
| 9         | Himachal Pradesh      | 52                  | 28                               | 53.8                             | 0                                | 0.0                              | 3                                | 5.8                              | 20                 | 38.5               | 0                  | 0.0                | 1                  | 1.9                | 31                        | 21 59.6240.38             |                   |
| 10        | Jharkhand             | 230                 | 90                               | 39.1                             | 12                               | 5.2                              | 3                                | 1.3                              | 101                | 43.9               | 14                 | 6.1                | 10                 | 4.3                | 105                       | 125 45.6554.35            |                   |
| 11        | Karnataka             | 1160                | 403                              | 34.7                             | 69                               | 5.9                              | 32                               | 2.8                              | 501                | 43.2               | 116                | 10.0               | 37                 | 3.2                | 504                       | 654 43.4556.38            |                   |
| 12        | Kerala                | 1169                | 809                              | 69.2                             | 51                               | 4.4                              | 6                                | 0.5                              | 284                | 24.3               | 13                 | 1.1                | 5                  | 0.4                | 866                       | 302 74.0825.83            |                   |
| 13        | Madhya Pradesh        | 1060                | 397                              | 37.5                             | 101                              | 9.5                              | 47                               | 4.4                              | 385                | 36.3               | 87                 | 8.2                | 43                 | 4.1                | 545                       | 515                       | 51.4248.58        |
| 14        | Maharashtra           | 1387                | 549                              | 39.6                             | 96                               | 6.9                              | 37                               | 2.7                              | 512                | 36.9               | 119                | 8.6                | 71                 | 5.1                | 682                       | 702 49.1750.61            |                   |
| 15        | Meghalaya             | 29                  | 12                               | 41.4                             | 0                                | 0.0                              | 0                                | 0.0                              | 17                 | 58.6               | 0                  | 0.0                | 0                  | 0.0                | 12                        | 17                        | 41.3858.62        |
| 16        | Nagaland              | 9                   | 3                                | 33.3                             | 1                                | 11.1                             | 0                                | 0.0                              | 4                  | 44.4               | 1                  | 11.1               | 0                  | 0.0                | 4                         | 5 44.4455.56              |                   |
| 17        | Odisha                | 1133                | 576                              | 50.8                             | 35                               | 3.1                              | 8                                | 0.7                              | 442                | 39.0               | 59                 | 5.2                | 13                 | 1.1                | 619                       | 514 54.6345.37            |                   |
| 18        | Punjab                | 176                 | 47                               | 26.7                             | 8                                | 4.5                              | 6                                | 3.4                              | 64                 | 36.4               | 24                 | 13.6               | 27                 | 15.3               | 61                        | 115                       | 34.6665.34        |
| 19        | Rajasthan             | 753                 | 146                              | 19.4                             | 69                               | 9.2                              | 38                               | 5.0                              | 223                | 29.6               | 121                | 16.1               | 156                | 20.7               | 253                       | 500                       | 33.6066.40        |
| 20        | Tamil Nadu            | 771                 | 285                              | 37.0                             | 154                              | 20.0121                          |                                  | 15.7                             | 163                | 21.1               | 34                 | 4.4                |                    | 14                 | 560                       | 211 72.6327.37            |                   |
| 21        | Telangana             | 616                 | 156                              | 25.3                             | 76                               | 12.3                             | 82                               | 13.3                             | 223                | 36.2               | 46                 | 7.5                | 33                 | 1.8 5.4            | 314                       | 302                       | 50.9749.03        |
| 22        | Tripura               | 63                  | 20                               | 31.7                             | 1                                | 1.6                              | 0                                | 0.0                              | 37                 | 58.7               | 4                  | 6.3                | 1                  | 1.6                | 21                        | 42 33.3366.67             |                   |
| 23        | Uttar Pradesh         | 606                 | 275                              | 45.4                             | 31                               | 5.1                              | 9                                | 1.5                              | 229                | 37.8               | 47                 | 7.8                | 15                 | 2.5                | 315                       | 291 51.9848.02            |                   |
| 24        | Uttarakhand           | 147                 | 58                               | 39.5                             | 20                               | 13.6                             | 12                               | 8.2                              | 43                 | 29.3               | 10                 | 6.8                | 4                  | 2.7                | 90                        | 57 61.2238.78             |                   |
| 25        | West Bengal           | 573                 | 325                              | 56.7                             | 11                               | 1.9                              | 1                                | 0.2                              | 213                | 37.2               | 18                 | 3.1                | 5                  | 0.9                | 337                       | 236 58.8141.19            |                   |
| 26        | Andaman and Nicobar   | 108                 | 72                               | 66.7                             | 0                                |                                  |                                  | 0.0                              | 36                 | 33.3               | 0                  | 0.0                | 0                  | 0.0                | 72                        | 66.6733.33                |                   |
| 27        | Chandigarh            | 12                  | 6                                | 50.0                             | 0                                | 0.0 0.0                          | 0 0                              | 0.0                              | 1                  | 8.3                | 1                  | 8.3                | 4                  | 33.3               | 6                         | 36 6 50.0050.00           |                   |
|           | Daman &Diu and Dadra& |                     |                                  |                                  |                                  |                                  |                                  |                                  |                    |                    |                    |                    |                    | 4.3                |                           | 10 56.5243.48             |                   |
| 28        | Nagar Haveli          | 23                  | 13                               | 56.5                             | 0                                | 0.0                              | 0                                | 0.0                              | 8                  | 34.8               | 1                  | 4.3                |                    | 1                  | 13                        |                           |                   |
| 29        | Delhi                 | 58                  | 22                               | 37.9                             | 13                               | 22.4                             | 8                                | 13.8                             | 6                  | 10.3               | 5                  | 8.6                | 4                  | 6.9                | 43                        | 15 74.1425.86             |                   |
| 30        | Jammu& Kashmir        |                     | 121 4                            | 57.3                             | 3                                | 1.4                              | 0                                | 0.0 0.0                          | 79 2               | 37.4               | 7                  | 3.3                | 1                  | 0.5                | 124 87                    | 2                         | 58.7741.23        |
| 31        | Puducherry            | 211 7               |                                  | 57.1                             | 1                                | 14.3                             | 0                                |                                  |                    | 28.6               | 0                  | 0.0                | 0                  | 0.0                | 5                         | 71.4328.57                |                   |

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