Lok Sabha Question No. 33 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-07-20
Subject: National Ground Water Management Improvement Scheme
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Sukanta Majumdar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 33

ANSWERED ON 20.07.2023

## NATIONAL GROUND WATER MANAGEMENT IMPROVEMENT SCHEME 33.   DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state: (a)  whether the  Government is implementing the National Ground Water Management Improvement Scheme in the country including West Bengal; (b) if so, the details thereof; (c) whether the Government is taking various measures for States/UTs to enable them to enact suitable ground water legislation which includes provision of rain water harvesting; (d) if so, the details thereof along with the progress made thereunder, including in West Bengal; and (e) the other important initiatives being taken by the Government for ground water improvement and management in the country?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI ( SHRI BISHWESWAR TUDU )

(a)  &  (b) Central  Ground  Water  Board  (CGWB),  an  organisation  under  this  Department  is implementing the Central Sector Scheme 'Ground Water Management & Regulation' in the  country including West Bengal for delineation of aquifer disposition & their characterization for preparation of aquifer/ area specific ground water management plans, Ground Water (GW) Monitoring, GW Resource Assessment,  GW  Regulation,  etc.  The  information  generated  are  shared  with  States/UTs  for  their suitable interventions.

(c)  & (d) Ministry has circulated a Model Bill to all the States/UTs to enable them to enact suitable ground water legislation which includes provision of rain water harvesting. So far, 21 States/UTs have adopted  and  implemented  the  ground  water  legislation  on  the  lines  of  Model  Bill  including  West Bengal. The status of enactment of Model bill by States are given in Annexure .

Further,  Ministry  of  Housing  &  Urban  Affairs  (MoHUA)  has  formulated  Model  Building  Bye Laws (MBBL), 2016 for the States/UTs. As per MBBL, all buildings having a plot size of 100 Sq.m. or, more  shall  mandatorily  include  the  complete  proposal  of  rainwater  harvesting.  35  States/  UTs  have adopted the features of the Bye Laws.

(e) Water  being  State  subject,  the  efforts  to  improve  and  manage  groundwater  conditions  fall  under States'  mandate,  however,  a  number  of  steps  has  been  taken  by  Central  Government  in  this  regard which can be seen at https://cdnbbsr.s3waas.gov.in/s3a70dc40477bc2adceef4d2c90f47eb82/uploads/2023/02/2023021742.pd f. However, some of them are listed as under.

- i. Government of India is implementing Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) in the country. First JSA was launched  in  2019  in  water  stressed  blocks  of  256  districts  which  continued  during  the  years 2021,  2022  also  (across  entire  country  both  rural  and  urban  areas)  with  the  primary  aim  to effectively  harvest  the  monsoon  rainfall  through  creation  of  artificial  recharge  structures, watershed  management,  recharge  and  reuse  structures,  intensive  afforestation  and  awareness generation etc. JSA for the year 2023 have been launched by Hon'ble President  of India on 4 March 2023  with the theme 'Source Sustainability for Drinking Water'.
- ii. Hon'ble Prime Minister has launched Amrit Sarovar Mission on 24 th April 2022. The Mission is aimed at developing and rejuvenating 75 water bodies in each district of the country as a part of celebration of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
- iii. The Central Government is implementing Atal Bhujal Yojana with an outlay of Rs. 6,000 crore, in  collaboration  with  States,  in  certain  water  stressed  areas  of  Gujarat,  Haryana,  Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. The primary aim of the scheme is demand side management through scientific means involving the local communities at village levels leading to sustainable groundwater management in the targeted areas.
- iv. 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 by  industries,  mining  projects,  infrastructure  projects  etc  in  the  country.  The  guideline  in  this regard  with  pan-India  applicability  was  notified  by  the  Ministry  on  24  September  2020  with subsequent  amendment  on 29 March 2023. CGWA and States issue No Objection Certificate (NOC)  for  extraction  of  groundwater  to  various  industries/project  proponents  as  per  their jurisdiction and as per the extant guidelines.
- v. CGWB is implementing National Aquifer Mapping Program (NAQUIM) in the country and an area of 25.15 lakh sq km (the available mappable area) has been covered under the NAQUIM studies.  The NAQUIM study report along-with management plans are shared with States/UTs for suitable interventions.
- vi. Master Plan for Artificial Recharge to Groundwater- 2020 has been prepared by the CGWB in collaboration with States/UTs providing a broad outline of the project and expected investments. 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  water.  The Master plan has been shared with States/UTs for suitable interventions.

ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (c) & (d) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.  33  TO  BE  ANSWERED  IN  LOK SABHA  ON  20.07.2023  REGARDING  'NATIONAL GROUND WATER MANAGEMENT IMPROVEMENT SCHEME'.

## STATUS OF ENACTMENT OF MODEL BILL BY STATES

## A. States/ UTs where Model Bill Enacted and Implemented (15 States and 6 UTs)

| SI. NO.   | STATES                             |
|-----------|------------------------------------|
| 1         | Andhra Pradesh                     |
| 2         | Assam                              |
| 3         | Bihar                              |
| 4         | Goa                                |
| 5         | Haryana                            |
| 6         | Himachal Pradesh                   |
| 7         | Karnataka                          |
| 8         | Kerala                             |
| 9         | Maharashtra                        |
| 10        | Nagaland                           |
| 11        | Odisha                             |
| 12        | Punjab                             |
| 13        | Telangana                          |
| 14        | Uttar Pradesh                      |
| 15        | West Bengal                        |
|           | Union Territories                  |
| 1         | Chandigarh (Regulations &Byelaws)  |
| 2         | Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman &Diu |
| 3         | Jammu and Kashmir                  |
| 4         | Ladakh                             |
| 5         | Lakshadweep                        |
| 6         | Pondicherry                        |

## B. States/ UTs where Initiatives taken for Enactment of Model Bill (10 States and 1 UTs)

| Sl. No.   | STATES                                                     |
|-----------|------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1         | Chhattisgarh                                               |
| 2         | Gujarat                                                    |
| 3         | Jharkhand                                                  |
| 4         | Madhya Pradesh                                             |
| 5         | Meghalaya                                                  |
| 6         | Mizoram                                                    |
| 7         | NCT Delhi (Regulation is being done through Govt. Orders)  |
| 8         | Rajasthan                                                  |
| 9         | Tamil Nadu (Regulation is being done through Govt. Orders) |
| 10        | Uttarakhand                                                |
|           | Union Territories                                          |
| 1         | Andaman &Nicobar                                           |

## C. States which feel it not necessary to Enact Legislation (4 States)

|   Sl. No. | States            |
|-----------|-------------------|
|         1 | Arunachal Pradesh |
|         2 | Manipur           |
|         3 | Sikkim            |
|         4 | Tripura           |