Lok Sabha Question No. 1085 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-05
Subject: Groundwater Management and Drinking Water Schemes in Punjab
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Shri Charanjit Singh Channi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1085

ANSWERED ON 05.02.2026

## GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT AND DRINKING WATER SCHEMES IN PUNJAB

1085. SHRI CHARANJIT SINGH CHANNI:

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a) whether groundwater depletion and water quality issues in Punjab have been reviewed;

(b) if so, the details of districts identified as most affected and the remedial measures proposed in this regard;

(c) whether any new drinking water schemes or river rejuvenation projects are planned for Punjab; and

(d) if so, the details thereof including funding pattern, implementation timeline fixed and expected outcomes?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI

## ( SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY )

(a) & (b) The  Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) under this Ministry conducts dynamic ground water resources  assessment  of  the  country  including  Punjab,  on  annual  basis,  in  co-ordination  with  State governments. As per the latest assessment of 2025, the following districts in Punjab have been found to be facing ground water stress viz. Amritsar, Barnala, Bathinda, Faridkot, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ferozpur, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur,  Jalandhar,  Kapurthala,  Ludhiana,  Malerkotla,  Mansa,  Moga,  Patiala,  SAS  Nagar,  SBS  Nagar, Sangrur and Tarn Taran and Roopnagar.

Furthermore, CGWB also monitors ground water quality across the country  including for the state of Punjab, through its network of monitoring stations as per the prescribed frequency and the data generated is shared  with  all  stakeholders.  Such  data  on  ground  water  quality  generated  by  CGWB  from  time  to  time indicates  that  the  ground  water  in  the  country,  including  Punjab,  remains  largely  potable  with  localized occurrences of contaminants in isolated pockets.

'Water'  being  a  State  subject,  sustainable  development  and  management  of  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. In this direction, the important steps taken by the Ministry of Jal Shakti and other central ministries for sustainable development of ground water resources in the country including Punjab, are given below:-

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, covering both rural and urban areas, wherein all the efforts and funds under various schemes and projects are converged to deliver water harvesting and artificial recharge works on the ground. As per the data available on JSA dashboard, completion of around 62,000 water conservation works has been coordinated through convergence in Punjab since 2021 under JSA.

To  further  strengthen  the  momentum  of  Jal  Shakti  Abhiyan,  Jal  Sanchay  Jan  Bhagidari  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.

Department of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare (DA & FW), GoI. is implementing Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) Scheme in the country,  including  Punjab,  since  2015-16,  which  focuses  on  enhancing  water  use efficiency at farm level through Micro Irrigation and better on-farm water management practices to optimize the use of available water resources.

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, including Punjab. As an outcome nearly 69,000  Amrit  Sarovars  have  been  constructed/rejuvenated  in  the  country  with  1,450  in  Punjab,  leading  to enhanced water storage and ground water recharge.

Based on the advisories of M/o Jal Shakti to States to emphasize on  crop rotation/diversification/other initiatives to reduce over-dependence on groundwater, Department of Agriculture, Punjab is pursuing hard to diversify the acreage under paddy to other less water consuming crops by extending incentives to farmers.

To reduce dependence on ground water and to increase the availability of surface water, the Government of Punjab has taken up several projects to extend and revive the canal networks.

On the ground water quality front, the data generated by CGWB is regularly disseminated to the state governments  and  concerned  line  departments  through  fortnightly  alerts,  half-yearly  bulletins  and  annual report. Apart from demonstrative construction of  Arsenic and Fluoride safe wells in affected pockets, these innovative  techniques  are  also  shared  with  state  governments  for  replication  by  CGWB.  Additionally, awareness on ground water quality at grassroots level is being generated through frequent training and public interaction programmes.

Water  quality  is  one  of  the  priority  area  under  the  JJM  and  several  measures  for  identifying  and segregating contaminated sources have been taken under the Scheme.

(c) & (d) The Government is also implementing Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) - Har Ghar Jal, in partnership with states, for providing contamination free potable tap water to every rural household of the country, including Punjab.  As  per  the  data  available  on  JJM  dashboard  all  34.26  lakh  rural  households  of  Punjab  have  been covered under the Scheme.

The Central Government is implementing the Namami Gange Programme (Central Sector Scheme) and National River Conservation Plan (NRCP) (Centrally Sponsored Scheme) for abatement of pollution in all the major rivers of the country.

In view of the substantial achievements and continuing status of the above schemes, there are no other proposals for any new drinking water and river rejuvenation schemes.

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