Lok Sabha Question No. 1841 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-31
Subject: Sustainable Management of Water Resources
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Smt. Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah, Shri Bhartruhari Mahtab, Shri Parbhubhai Nagarbhai Vasava, Shri Jashubhai Bhilubhai Rathva, Shri Vijay Kumar Dubey, Shri Basavaraj Bommai, Shri Balabhadra Majhi, Shri Bibhu Prasad Tarai, Shri Janardan Mishra, Shri Godam Nagesh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1841

ANSWERED ON 31.07.2025

## SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF WATER RESOURCES

1841. SMT. MALA RAJYA LAXMI SHAH SHRI BHARTRUHARI MAHTAB SHRI PARBHUBHAI NAGARBHAI VASAVA SHRI JASHUBHAI BHILUBHAI RATHVA SHRI VIJAY KUMAR DUBEY SHRI BASAVARAJ BOMMAI SHRI BALABHADRA MAJHI SHRI BIBHU PRASAD TARAI SHRI JANARDAN MISHRA SHRI GODAM NAGESH

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government has taken strategic actions to monitor glaciers and glacial lakes in the Himalayan Region;

(b) if so, the details thereof;

(c) whether any steps are taken to support data-driven policy formulation for the sustainable management of India's water resources; and

(d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI

## ( SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY )

(a) & (b) The Government, through various Ministries, Departments and Institutes, has taken strategic and systematic actions to monitor glaciers and glacial lakes in the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR).

The Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS) has constituted a Steering Committee on 'Monitoring of Glacier' under the Chairmanship  of  Secretary,  Department  of  Water  Resources,  River  Development  &  Ganga  Rejuvenation (DoWR, RD & GR), to monitor and coordinate the work carried out by various ministries and organizations on the Himalayan glaciers.

The Central  Water  Commission  (CWC)  under  Ministry  of  Jal  Shakti  (MoJS)  is  the  nodal  agency  for monitoring  glacial  lakes  and  water  bodies  in  India.  The  CWC  presently  monitors  902  Glacial  Lakes  and Water Bodies (GL&WBs) of size greater than 10 Ha included from Glacial Lake Inventory 2011 prepared by National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), in the Himalayan Region of Indian River Basins, for the period June to October every year, using remote sensing techniques.

The National  Disaster  Management  Authority  (NDMA),  under  the  Ministry  of  Home  Affairs  (MHA)  also monitors glaciers and glacial lakes under the National Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) Risk Mitigation Programme  (NGRMP),  implemented  in  four  Himalayan  States,  namely,  Himachal  Pradesh,  Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh.

The Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), under the Department of Science and Technology (DST),  actively  monitors  glaciers  through  field-based  observations  across  the  Central  Himalaya,  Western Himalaya,  and  Karakoram  regions.  Currently,  WIHG  monitors  thirteen  glaciers,  seven  in  the  Central Himalaya and six in the Western Himalaya and Karakoram.

The  Geological  Survey  of  India  (GSI),  under  the  Ministry  of  Mines,  is  also  involved  in  monitoring  and measuring  glacier  recession  or  advance  and  conducting  mass  balance  observations  of  selected  glaciers, particularly in the Indian Himalayan Region.

The G. B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment (GBPNIHE), an autonomous institute of the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC), is also involved in glacier studies in the Himalayan region through field measurements and remote sensing approach.

The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) through its autonomous institute, the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) monitors six glaciers in the Chandra basin (2437 km 2 area) in Western Himalaya.

A  centre  for  Cryosphere  and  Climate  Change  Studies  has  been  established  at  National  Institute  of Hydrology  (NIH),  Roorkee  with  a  focus  to  study  the  impact  of  climate  change  on  water  resources  of  the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR).

(c) & (d) The Ministry of Jal Shakti has undertaken various initiatives to enable data-driven approaches for the sustainable management of India's water resources. These efforts aim to improve the availability, quality, and accessibility  of  water-related  data,  thereby  supporting  scientific  planning,  efficient  resource  allocation, and effective decision-making.

National Hydrology Project (NHP) is a World Bank supported Central Sector Scheme with State/Central Implementing  Agencies.   NHP  has  pan-India  coverage  with  48  Implementing  Agencies  from  Central Government and States/ UTs Government, with the objective to improve the extent and accessibility of water resources  information  and  to  create  decision  support  system  for  flood  management,  water  resources assessment and planning.

National Water Informatics Centre (NWIC) was set up by the Government of India to act as a central repository of water data and allied themes. It collects, maintains, updates and disseminates the water data and information for use by various stakeholders. NWIC is also aligning water resource planning with PM Gati Shakti using GIS-based tools for better inter-ministerial coordination and spatial planning.

The National Aquifer Mapping and Management (NAQUIM) program, initiated by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), aims to delineate and characterize aquifers across India for sustainable groundwater management using Scientific data.

Reservoir Storage Monitoring System is developed by Central Water Commission (CWC) for monitoring water storage in major reservoirs in the country. The weekly bulletin consisting of water storage data is shared with the stakeholders for planning and informed water release decisions.

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