Ministry of Jal Shakti has conducted the first Census of Water Bodies in convergence with the Sixth Minor Irrigation Census (reference year 2017-18) with the objective of developing a national database of all water bodies in the country. The census, conducted by the State Governments through nodal department identified in each State/UT for this purpose, has revealed that there are 24.24,540 number of water bodies in the country. Out of these, 20,30,040 number of water bodies are ‘in use’, while remaining 3,94,500 water bodies are not ‘in use’. Out of total number of ‘not in use’ reported water bodies, 93,009 water bodies are reported to be not in use on account of being dried up.

Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) under this Ministry, is periodically monitoring the ground water levels throughout the country on a regional scale, through a network of monitoring wells. In order to assess the long term fluctuation in ground water level, the water level data collected by CGWB during November 2022 has been compared with the decadal mean of November (2012-2021), which indicates that about 61% of the wells monitored have registered rise in ground water level, whereas about 39% wells have registered decrease in water level.

Water being a State subject, it is for the State Government concerned to take up rejuvenation of water bodies, including the dried-up water bodies. However, some of the measures taken by Government of India to supplement the efforts of the State Governments, are given below.

 

1. Government of India is providing financial assistance to the identified schemes under Repair, Renovation and Restoration of Water Bodies (RRR of WBs) component of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY)-Har Khet Ko Pani (HKKP). However, during last three years, no proposal for rejuvenation of water body has been forwarded by Government of Uttar Pradesh, for funding under the scheme.
2. Focused interventions under Jal Shakti Abhiyan annual campaigns taken up by the Government of India and the State Governments, inter-alia, include renovation of traditional and other water bodies/ tanks, enumeration, geo-tagging & making inventory of all water bodies, removal of encroachments of tanks/ lakes, and de-silting of tanks.
3. Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) has provisions for public works relating to natural resource management, water conservation and water harvesting structures to augment and improve ground water like underground dykes, earthen dams, stop dams, check dams and roof top rain water harvesting structures in public buildings.
4. Launched in April 2022, Mission Amrit Sarovar is aimed at developing and rejuvenating at least 75 water bodies of minimum pondage area of 1 acre each, in each district of the country as a part of celebration of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
5. Rejuvenation of water bodies is also a component under Water Supply sector of Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) Scheme under Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs. Further, AMRUT 2.0 launched in October, 2021, targets to promote circular economy of water through development of city water balance plan for each city focusing on recycle/reuse of treated sewage, rejuvenation of water bodies and water conservation.

 

This information was given by the Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Shri Bishweswar Tudu in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.

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(Release ID: 1945398)