Lok Sabha Question No. 719 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-04
Subject: Groundwater Replenishment in Bihar and Maharashtra
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Ms. Praniti Sushilkumar Shinde, Shri Vishaldada Prakashbapu Patil, Adv Gowaal Kagada Padavi, Shri Manoj Kumar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 719

ANSWERED ON 04.12.2025

## GROUNDWATER REPLENISHMENT IN BIHAR AND MAHARASHTRA

719. MS. PRANITI SUSHILKUMAR SHINDE:

SHRI VISHALDADA PRAKASHBAPU PATIL:

ADV GOWAAL KAGADA PADAVI:

SHRI MANOJ KUMAR:

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  implement  any  rainwater  harvesting  and  groundwater restoration plans for the drought and flood prone areas of Bihar and Maharashtra, particularly Nandurbar, Solapur and Sangli;

(b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;

(c) the details of the timelines, allocation reports and current status (completed, ongoing, delayed etc.) for implementation of the Master Plan for Artificial Recharge to Groundwater-2020 prepared by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB); and

(d)  the  extent  to  which  the  Atal  Bhujal  Yojana  has  been  integrated  with  the  goals  of  the  Jal  Shakti Abhiyan  including  the  percentage  expenditure  on  community-led  groundwater  replenishment  projects and the details of independent impact evaluations conducted for Bihar and Maharashtra?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI

## ( SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY )

(a)  &  (b) Water  being  a  State  subject,  sustainable  development  and  management  of  water  and 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.  The  major  steps  taken  by  the  Government  in  this  direction, including in the states of Bihar and Maharashtra, are provided below:

- i. Efforts  of  the  Central  government  for  augmenting  the  water/groundwater  resources  of  the country, are mainly channeled through the flagship campaign of Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA). JSA is a time bound and mission mode programme being conducted annually since 2019 by the M/o Jal Shakti, wherein all the efforts and funds under various schemes and projects are converged to deliver water harvesting and artificial recharge works on the ground.

Currently, JSA 2025 is underway in the country with special focus on over-exploited

and critical districts. As per the available information, under JSA, completion of around 1.21 cr lakh water conservation and artificial recharge works has been coordinated through convergence in  the  country  in  the  last  4  years,  with  around  4.65  lakh  structures  in  Bihar  and  1.84  lakh structures  in  Maharashtra  (3,395  in  Nandurbar,  2,001  in  Solapur  and  6,232  in  Sangli),  which have played a key role in enhancing the sustainability of ground water resources in these states.

- ii. 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 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  costeffective, local solutions tailored to specific water challenges across different regions.
- iii. M/o  Jal  Shakti  has  successfully  demonstrated  the  efficacy  of  community  led  participatory ground water management through Atal Bhujal Yojana, which was implemented in 80 water stressed  districts  in  7  States,  including  Maharashtra.  Construction  of  various  rain  water harvesting and recharge structures like check dams, ponds, shafts etc. as well as promotion of micro  irrigation  was  taken  up  through  convergence  and  by  use  of  incentive  funds  under  the scheme.  94  Gram  Panchayats  in  5  blocks  of  Sangli  District  and  114  Gram  Panchayats  in  4 Blocks of Solapur District in the Maharashtra are covered under the Atal Bhujal Yojana.
- iv. 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. As an outcome nearly 69,000 Amrit Sarovars have been constructed/rejuvenated in the country, with 2,613 in Bihar and  3,055  in  Maharashtra  (73  in  Nandurbar,  139  in  Solapur  and  76  in  Sangli),  leading  to enhanced water storage and ground water recharge.
- v. After  the  successful  completion  of  NAQUIM  1.0,  which  mapped  the  country's  aquifers  and provided  a  macro-level  understanding  of  our  nation's  groundwater  resources,  the  Central Ground Water Board has now embarked upon NAQUIM 2.0, focusing on water stressed and quality  affected  pockets.  Under  NAQUIM  2.0  state-of-the-art  technologies  are  harnessed,  for generating highly detailed, scientific data which serve as an important tool for making informed decisions for sustainable groundwater management.
- vi. In  addition  to  the  above,  significant  amount  of  work  has  been  done  towards  rainwater harvesting  and  groundwater  restoration  through  the  state  government  schemes  of  Jal  Jeevan Hariyali in Bihar and Jalyukt Shivar in Maharashtra.

(c) Master  Plan  for  Artificial  Recharge  to  Groundwater-  2020  has  been  prepared  by  CGWB  in consultation with States/UTs which is a macro level plan indicating various rain water harvesting and artificial recharge structures for the different terrain conditions of the country. The plan aims to construct

approximately  1.42  crore  such  structures  across  India,  potentially  harnessing  about  185  Billion  Cubic Meters (BCM) of rainwater.

Here  it  may  be  appreciated  that the  Master  plan  is  only  recommendatory  in  nature  and  does  not involve  any  kind  of  binding  commitment  on  the  central  or  the  state  governments.  The  purpose  of  the Master plan is to serve as a technical guidance note only and the extent of its execution will depend upon the administrative and practical requirements prevailing in each state. However, to have a demonstrative effect, states were requested to identify one district in each state for priority implementation of Master plan.  Accordingly,  Gaya  district  in  Bihar  and  Nagpur  district  in  Maharashtra  were  selected  and respectively 691 and 1,344 structures were constructed as per Master plan recommendation.

(d) Both  Atal  Bhujal  Yojana  and  Jal  Shakti  Abhiyan  have  community  led  sustainable  management  of ground water resources as their core theme. Extensive training and capacity building at grassroots level, enhancing  community's  role  in  local  water  governance  through  sustained  ground  level  participation, ownership and  coordination  etc.  are  some  of  the  core  ideas  and  objectives  shared  by  them.  However, whereas Atal Bhujal Yojana was a pilot scheme implemented in priority water stressed Gram Panchayats across 7 States, Jal Shakti Abhiyan is an annual umbrella campaign spearheaded by the Ministry of Jal Shakti  wherein  water harvesting/conservation and  artificial recharge activities are taken up for completion in mission mode through convergence.

Furthermore, impact assessment of activities under Atal Bhujal Yojana has already been conducted in all seven participating states, including Maharashtra, through the third-party government verification agency, i.e., the Quality Council of India (QCI). Bihar was not covered under the scheme. It is observed that  the  scheme  has  played  a  major  role  in  enhancing  community  knowledge  on  water  related  issues, prompting behaviour change. Moreover, the extent of people's participation and gender inclusivity has also been appreciated.

On  the  expenditure  side,  an  amount  of  Rs.3602.68  cr  has  been  allocated  till  date  for  taking  up institutional strengthening and incentivizing water conservation activities under Atal Bhujal Yojana.

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