Lok Sabha Question No. 275 (STARRED), answered on 2023-12-21
Subject: Water Conservation Initiatives
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Rajendra Dhedya  Gavit, Sujay Radhakrishna Vikhepatil

| GOVERNMENT OF INDIA                                                                                                     | GOVERNMENT OF INDIA                                                                                                     |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT &GANGAREJUVENATION                                                     | DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT &GANGAREJUVENATION                                                     |
| LOKSABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *275                                                                                      | LOKSABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *275                                                                                      |
| ANSWERED ON 21.12.2023                                                                                                  | ANSWERED ON 21.12.2023                                                                                                  |
| *275                                                                                                                    | SHRI RAJENDRA DHEDYA GAVIT                                                                                              |
| Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:                                                                    | Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:                                                                    |
| (a) the current status and progress of ongoing water conservation initiatives in the country including                  | (a) the current status and progress of ongoing water conservation initiatives in the country including                  |
| (b) the details of upcoming plans or strategies aimed at further enhancing water management and sustainability efforts? | (b) the details of upcoming plans or strategies aimed at further enhancing water management and sustainability efforts? |
| ANSWER THE MINISTER OF JAL SHAKTI (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)                                                       | ANSWER THE MINISTER OF JAL SHAKTI (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)                                                       |

## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) & (b) OF STARRED QUESTION NO. *275 TO BE ANSWERED  ON  21.12.2023 IN LOK SABHA  REGARDING  'WATER CONSERVATION INITIATIVES'

(a) & (b) Water is a State subject and the Central Government supplements the efforts of the States through  technical  and  financial  support.  Water  conservation  is  one  of  the  foremost  priorities  of  the Government.  Major  steps  taken  by  the  Government  and  plethora  of  schemes  implemented  for  water conservation  in  the  entire  country,  including  the  States  of  Madhya  Pradesh  and  West  Bengal,  are  as follows:

- i. Government of India has been implementing a flagship scheme namely Mahatma Gandhi National Rural  Employment  Guarantee  Scheme  (MGNREGS)  which  has  provisions  under  its  Natural Resource  Management (NRM) component that inter-alia  includes  water  conservation  and  water harvesting structures. MGNREGS is one of the largest contributor of funds for water conservation. Besides, financial assistance given to various States under 15th Finance Commission tied grants which  can  be  inter  alia  utilized  for  rainwater  harvesting.  The  Ministry  of  Jal  Shakti  has  been implementing Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) since 2019 on an annual basis.  In the current  year,  Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain (JSA: CTR) 2023, 4 th in the series of JSAs, was implemented in all the districts (rural as well as urban) of the country, including the States of Madhya Pradesh and West  Bengal  from  04.03.2023  to  30.11.2023.   JSA:  CTR  is  a  convergence  of  various  Central Government  schemes  like  MGNREGS,  15 th Finance  Commission  grants  etc,  State  Government schemes, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds etc. The details of works undertaken under JSA: CTR across the country is at Annexure I and the details of works completed in the States of Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal under JSA: CTR is at Annexure II .
- ii. Atal  Mission  for  Rejuvenation  and  Urban  Transformation  (AMRUT),  AMRUT  2.0  has  been launched on 01 st October, 2021 covering all the statutory towns of the country to ensure universal coverage  of  water  supply  and  make  cities  water  secure.  Under  AMURT  2.0,  harvesting  the rainwater through storm water drains into water body (which is not receiving sewage/effluent) is admissible component of the projects. Through preparation of 'Aquifer Management Plan' cities targets to strategize groundwater recharge augmentation by developing a roadmap for improving rain  water  harvesting  within  city  limits.  Through  IEC  campaign,  awareness  is  created  about practices for water conservation like rainwater harvesting.
- iii. Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs has formulated guidelines for the States to adopt measures suitable to local conditions, such as Unified Building Bye Laws (UBBL) of Delhi, 2016, Model Building Bye Laws (MBBL), 2016 and Urban and Regional Development Plan Formulation and Implementation  (URDPFI)  Guidelines,  2014  with  adequate  focus  on  requirement  of  rainwater harvesting and water conservation measures.
- iv. Government of India is implementing Atal Bhujal Yojana (ATAL JAL), a Central Sector Scheme in identified water stressed areas of 8213 Gram Panchayats (GPs) under 229 blocks in 80 districts of  Seven States viz. Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar  Pradesh  with  an  aim  to  arrest  decline  in  ground  water  level  through  community  led sustainable  groundwater management. The scheme is being implemented from 01.04.2020 for a period of 5 years. The scheme is not being implemented in West Bengal.
- v. Government  has  been  implementing  Pradhan  Mantri  Krishi  Sinchayee  Yojana  (PMKSY)  since 2015-16 with an aim to enhance physical access of water on farm and expand cultivable area under assured irrigation, improve on farm water use efficiency, introduce sustainable water conservation practices etc. Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (DA&FW) is implementing Per Drop More Crop scheme which is operational from 2015-16 in the Country. The Per Drop More Crop scheme mainly focuses on water use efficiency at farm level through Micro Irrigation (Drip and Sprinkler Irrigation System).
- vi. The  Ministry  of  Jal  Shakti  has  set  up  the  Bureau  of  Water  Use  Efficiency  (BWUE)  under  the National Water Mission on 20.10.2022, to act as a facilitator for promotion of improving water use efficiency  across  various  sectors  namely  irrigation,  drinking  water  supply,  power  generation, industries, etc. in the country.
- vii. Mission Amrit Sarovar  has been launched on 24th April 2022 with an objective to harvest and conserve  water  for  future  generations.  Under  the  Mission  every  district  of  the  country  have provisions for construction or rejuvenation of at least 75 Amrit Sarovars. So far, out of the total number of 109787 sites identified for Amrit Sarovar, work has been completed at 68664 sites.
- viii. CGWB has prepared a Master Plan for Artificial Recharge to Groundwater- 2020 in consultation with States/UTs which is a macro level plan indicating various structures for the different terrain conditions  of  the  country  including  estimated  cost.  The  Master  Plan  envisages  construction  of about 1.42 crore Rain water harvesting and artificial recharge structures in the country to harness 185  Billion  Cubic  Metre  (BCM)  of  monsoon  rainfall  including  42  thousand  artificial  recharge structures in West Bengal and 7.2 lakh structures in Madhya Pradesh.
- ix. Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has completed the National Aquifer Mapping (NAQUIM) Project in the entire mappable area of about 25 Lakh sq. km including the States of West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh. The Aquifer maps and management plans have been prepared and shared with  the  respective  State  agencies  for  implementation.  The  management  plans  include  various water conservation measures through recharge structures.
- x. CGWB makes an assessment of the Dynamic Ground Water Resources of India every year which serves  as  a  cornerstone  for  categorizing  assessment  units  across  the  country  into  various classifications, including Safe, Semi-Critical, Critical, or Over-Exploited, based on their groundwater extraction levels. These categorization are instrumental in shaping policies aimed at achieving sustainable groundwater management level throughout the country.
- xi. The State Government of West Bengal has reported that they have been implementing Jal DharoJal Bharo (JD-JB) Abhiyan launched by the State Government since 2011-12 for conservation of rain/surface water and have created/renovated/revived about 4 lakh water bodies/tanks/equivalent etc. They have also been promoting micro irrigation for conservation of water resources and have installed 1,155 nos. Drip/Sprinkler schemes having irrigation potential of 5,800 Hectare. Besides, various  other  State  Governments  have  been  implementing  their  own  schemes  broadly  for  water conservation  which  include  Pani  Bachao  Paisa  Kamao  (Punjab),  Mera  Pani,  Meri  Virasat (Haryana),  Mission  Kakatiya  (Telangana),  Jal  Jeevan  Hariyali  Yojana  (Bihar),  Pani  Panchayat (Odisha), Sujalam Suphalam (Gujarat), Jal Yukt Shivar (Maharashtra), West Bengal Accelerated Development  of  Minor  Irrigation  Project  (West  Bengal),  Community  Based  Micro  irrigation (Kerala) etc.

With  the  implementation  of  the  above  initiatives,  the  comparison  between  dynamic  groundwater assessment report of year 2020 and 2023 reveals the following :

|   Sr. No. | Parameter      | Year 2020   | Year 2023   | Increase/Decrease in units   |
|-----------|----------------|-------------|-------------|------------------------------|
|         1 | Over-Exploited | 1114 units  | 736 units   | 378 units decrease           |
|         2 | Critical       | 270 units   | 199 units   | 71 units decrease            |
|         3 | Semi-Critical  | 1057 units  | 698 units   | 359 units decrease           |
|         4 | Safe           | 4427 units  | 4793 units  | 366 units increase           |
|         5 | Saline         | 97 units    | 127 units   | 30 units increase            |

In addition to the above, following achievements have been made with the implementation of Jal Shakti Abhiyan from 2019 to 2023 (so far):

-  More than 1.00 crore water-related works
-  About 130 crore saplings planted (Intensive Afforestation)
-  More than 1.30 lakh Kisan Melas/Training Programmes held.
-  About 25 lakh water bodies enumerated.
-  661 Jal Shakti Kendras established.
-  519 District Water Conservation Plans prepared.

ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (a)  &  (b)  OF  LOK  SABHA  STARRED QUESTION NO. *275 TO BE ANSWERED ON 21.12.2023 REGARDING 'WATER CONSERVATION INITIATIVES'

## Progress under Jal Shakti Abhiyan:Catch The Rain campaign year-wise

|        |                                          | JSA: CTR 2021          | JSA: CTR 2021                        | JSA: CTR 2022          | JSA: CTR 2022                        | JSA: CTR 2023 (from 04.03.2023 to 01.12.2023)   | JSA: CTR 2023 (from 04.03.2023 to 01.12.2023)   |
|--------|------------------------------------------|------------------------|--------------------------------------|------------------------|--------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|
| S. No. | Intervention                             | Total works undertaken | Expenditure incurred* (Rs. in crore) | Total works undertaken | Expenditure incurred* (Rs. in crore) | Total works undertaken                          | Expenditure incurred* (Rs. In crore)            |
| 1      | Water Conservation &Rainwater Harvesting | 16,27,677              | 24,592                               | 12,40,861              | 8,175                                | 10,59,403                                       | 6,187                                           |
| 2      | Renovation of Traditional Water Bodies   | 2,97,666               | 10,017                               | 2,67,583               | 4,327                                | 2,53,855                                        | 3,147                                           |
| 3      | Reuse &Recharge Structures               | 8,32,596               | 1,267                                | 8,74,449               | 345                                  | 5,88,683                                        | 228                                             |
| 4      | Watershed Development                    | 19,18,913              | 20,997                               | 16,27,799              | 8,338                                | 12,41,131                                       | 5,446                                           |
|        | Total Water Related Works                | 46,76,852              | 56,873                               | 40,10,692              | 21,185                               | 31,43,072                                       | 15,008                                          |
| 5      | Intensive Afforestation                  | 36,76,60,580           | 8,793                                | 80,65,52,158           | 2,664                                | 6,61,97,656                                     | 1,554                                           |
| 6      | Training Programmes/ Kisan Melas         | 43,690                 | -                                    | 1,73,864               | -                                    | 54,271                                          | -                                               |
|        | Total Expenditure                        |                        | 65,666                               |                        | 23,849                               |                                                 | 16,562                                          |

ANNEXURE II ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (a)  &  (b)  OF  LOK  SABHA  STARRED QUESTION NO. *275 TO BE ANSWERED ON 21.12.2023 REGARDING 'WATER CONSERVATION INITIATIVES'

## Works completed in the States of Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal under JSA: CTR

| Jal Shakti Abhiyan:Catch the Rain                                                      | Jal Shakti Abhiyan:Catch the Rain                                                      | Jal Shakti Abhiyan:Catch the Rain                                                      | Jal Shakti Abhiyan:Catch the Rain                                                      | Jal Shakti Abhiyan:Catch the Rain                                                      | Jal Shakti Abhiyan:Catch the Rain                                                      | Jal Shakti Abhiyan:Catch the Rain                                                      | Jal Shakti Abhiyan:Catch the Rain                                                      |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Intervention-Wise Status Report, Madhya Pradesh (Status From 22.03.2021 to 15.12.2023) | Intervention-Wise Status Report, Madhya Pradesh (Status From 22.03.2021 to 15.12.2023) | Intervention-Wise Status Report, Madhya Pradesh (Status From 22.03.2021 to 15.12.2023) | Intervention-Wise Status Report, Madhya Pradesh (Status From 22.03.2021 to 15.12.2023) | Intervention-Wise Status Report, Madhya Pradesh (Status From 22.03.2021 to 15.12.2023) | Intervention-Wise Status Report, Madhya Pradesh (Status From 22.03.2021 to 15.12.2023) | Intervention-Wise Status Report, Madhya Pradesh (Status From 22.03.2021 to 15.12.2023) | Intervention-Wise Status Report, Madhya Pradesh (Status From 22.03.2021 to 15.12.2023) |
| S.No.                                                                                  | Years                                                                                  | Water Conservation and Rain Water Harvesting                                           | Renovation of Traditional Water Bodies                                                 | Reuse and Recharge Structures                                                          | Watershed Development                                                                  | Intensive Afforestation                                                                | Training Programmes/ Kisan Melas                                                       |
| 1.                                                                                     | 2023                                                                                   | 36487                                                                                  | 7031                                                                                   | 15751                                                                                  | 39284                                                                                  | 15422                                                                                  | 15                                                                                     |
| 2.                                                                                     | 2022                                                                                   | 229649                                                                                 | 6942                                                                                   | 25909                                                                                  | 65403                                                                                  | 512076                                                                                 | 1297                                                                                   |
| 3.                                                                                     | 2021                                                                                   | 106484                                                                                 | 3812                                                                                   | 19225                                                                                  | 97822                                                                                  | 1513665                                                                                | 2805                                                                                   |
| Total                                                                                  | Total                                                                                  | 372620                                                                                 | 17785                                                                                  | 60885                                                                                  | 202509                                                                                 | 2041163                                                                                | 4117                                                                                   |
| Total Water                                                                            | Total Water                                                                            | 6,53,799                                                                               | 6,53,799                                                                               | 6,53,799                                                                               | 6,53,799                                                                               | 6,53,799                                                                               | 6,53,799                                                                               |

## Jal Shakti Abhiyan:Catch the Rain

Intervention-Wise Status Report, West Benga l

(Status From 22.03.2021 to 15.12.2023)

| S.No.               | Years               | Water Conservation and Rain Water Harvesting   | Renovation of Traditional Water Bodies   | Reuse and Recharge Structures   | Watershed Development   | Intensive Afforestation   | Training Programmes/ Kisan Melas   |
|---------------------|---------------------|------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|---------------------------------|-------------------------|---------------------------|------------------------------------|
| 1.                  | 2023                | 1006                                           | 264                                      | 18                              | 168                     | 867                       | 793                                |
| 2.                  | 2022                | 14247                                          | 5924                                     | 947                             | 6006                    | 38674                     | 511                                |
| 3.                  | 2021                | 81146                                          | 38463                                    | 33948                           | 46351                   | 2271177                   | 151                                |
| Total               | Total               | 96399                                          | 44651                                    | 34913                           | 52525                   | 2310718                   | 1455                               |
| Total Water Related | Total Water Related | 2,28,488                                       | 2,28,488                                 | 2,28,488                        | 2,28,488                | 2,28,488                  | 2,28,488                           |

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