Lok Sabha Question No. 830 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-04
Subject: Groundwater Contamination in Eastern Uttar Pradesh
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Shri Rajeev Rai

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 830

## ANSWERED ON 04.12.2025

## GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION IN EASTERN UTTAR PRADESH

## 830. SHRI RAJEEV RAI:

## Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a) the steps being taken to address groundwater depletion, improve the quality of groundwater and deal with the problem of arsenic contamination in eastern Uttar Pradesh including Mau and Ballia districts;

(b)  the  details  of  the  total  budgetary  allocations  made and  utilised  by  the  Union  Government  for  schemes and projects related thereto during the last five years;

(c) whether the Government is planning any large-scale projects to improve the water quality in the affected areas of Mau and Ballia districts; and

(d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI

## ( SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY )

(a) As  per  the  dynamic  ground  water  resource  assessment  report,  2025  of  the  Central  Ground  Water  Board (CGWB), both Mau and Balia districts are in safe category in terms of their Stage of ground water Extraction (SoE)  and  no  district  of  the  region  is  in  over-exploited  or  critical  category.  Further,  although  Arsenic contamination  has  been  reported  in  isolated  pockets  of  the  region,  overall,  the  ground  water  remains  largely potable.

In  this  regard,  it  is  also  to  mention  that  'Water'  being  a  State  subject,  sustainable  development  and management  of  water  and  groundwater  resources  along  with  mitigation  of  quality  issues,  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 in this direction, including the latest initiatives are provided below:

- i. MoJS is implementing Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) in the country since 2019 which is a time bound and mission mode programme 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.
- 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 cost-effective, local solutions tailored to specific water challenges across different regions.
- iii. The  Central  Ground  Water  Board  (CGWB)  is  implementing  'Ground  Water  Management  & Regulation  Scheme'(GWM  &R),  of  which  regular  monitoring  of  ground  water  levels  and  quality throughout the country and judicious ground water regulation are important pillars. Further, after the successful  completion  of  NAQUIM 1.0 (National Aquifer Mapping and Management Programme), which  mapped  country's  aquifers and provided a macro-level understanding of our nation's

groundwater resources, CGWB has now embarked upon NAQUIM 2.0, focusing on water stressed and quality affected pockets.

- 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 leading to enhanced water storage and ground water recharge.
- v. The  ground  water  quality  data  generated  by  CGWB  including  that  for  Arsenic  contamination,  is regularly disseminated through Annual Reports, Half-yearly Bulletins and Fortnightly Alerts for quick action by the stakeholders.

(b) As noted above, most of the schemes and programmes for ground water management and improvement are taken up through convergence with ongoing state and central schemes MGNREGS, PMKSY etc. and no separate budgetary allocation is made for the states. Under MGNREGS, as per scheme guidelines at least 60% expenditure is to be incurred on public works relating to Natural Resource Management (NRM) under which construction of water conservation and water harvesting structures is a major thrust area.

Further, the government's efforts towards mitigating the drinking water quality issues and providing safe drinking water to all rural households of the country are mainly channeled through the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) scheme. As per available information from JJM dashboard, an amount of Rs. 60,816 crore has been allocated to the State of Uttar Pradesh as cemtral share under JJM from 2019 to date. States can utilize up to 2% of the total allocated amount for Water Quality Monitoring & Surveillance. Further, it is for the state governments to devise and execute suitable projects from the allocated amount based on local requirements.

( c) & (d) This Ministry, in partnership with states, is implementing Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) - Har Ghar Jal, which marks an important milestone for providing contamination free potable tap water to every rural household of the country in adequate quantity, of prescribed quality and on regular & long-term basis. Following measures have been taken under JJM for ensuring the quality of water delivered to habitations :-

-  Under the JJM, Bureau of Indian Standards' BIS:10500 standards have been adopted as prescribed norms for quality of tap water service delivery.
-  While  allocating  the  funds  to  States/  UTs,  10%  weightage  is  given  to  the  population  residing  in habitations affected by chemical contaminants.
-  The 'Drinking Water Quality Monitoring & Surveillance Framework' was devised and disseminated to states in October 2021.
-  To  facilitate  implementation  of  the  above  said  Framework,  around  2180  water  quality  testing laboratories  have  been  set  up  in  the  country.  Besides  this,  five  persons,  preferably  women  are identified and trained from every village for testing the water samples through Field Test Kits (FTKs).
-  States/  UTs  have  also  been  advised  to  install  community  water  purification  plants  (CWPPs)  as  an interim measure, especially in quality affected habitations, to provide potable drinking water to every household.

Further,  CGWB  has  also  developed  an  innovative  cement  sealing  technology  for  tapping  deeper  Arsenic  free aquifers in the Arsenic affected areas and has so far successfully constructed 525 Arsenic safe exploratory wells, including  294  wells  in  Uttar  Pradesh,  with  3  wells  in  Mau  and  53  in  Balia  district.  CGWB  is  also  providing technical  assistance  to  state  departments  for  taking  up  similar  constructions.  As  informed  by  the  State government, the Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam, the department responsible for drinking water supply in the state, is extensively using cement Sealing Technique and so far 204 arsenic safe wells have been constructed in 9 Districts benefiting 5 lakh inhabitants.

*****