Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has taken up Aquifer Mapping and Management Programme (NAQUIM) since 2012, under the scheme of Ground Water Management and Regulation. NAQUIM aimed to delineate aquifer (water bearing formations) disposition and their characterization for preparation of aquifer/ area specific ground water management plans with community participation. The management plans are shared with the respective State Governments for suitable implementation.

NAQUIM study was an innovative gigantic task to cover nearly 25.00 Lakh Sq KM of mappable area of the country with an aim to map & characterise the various aquifer system of the country in a time-bound manner to make expeditious availability of groundwater related information for suitable interventions to the stake-holders. The study was taken up at a 1:50000 scale with recommendations of creation of recharge structures on a macro level. At this scale, the NAQUIM report gives information which can be suitably implemented on ground with reasonably good outcomes.

As mentioned above, the NAQUIM studies for the entire country have been taken up by the CGWB for delineation and characterisation of aquifers and development of groundwater management plans. Out of nearly 33 Lakh Sq. Km of geographical area of the country, the mappable area of around 25 Lakh Sq. Km was identified to be covered under NAQUIM. The entire identified area has already been covered by the CGWB before 31^st March 2023.

Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoH&UA) through Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) is supplementing the efforts of State Government to provide safe and clean drinking water in urban areas. AMRUT was launched on June 25, 2015, in 500 selected cities across the country covering around 60% of the Urban Population.

Further, AMRUT focuses on development of basic urban infrastructure in the selected cities in the sectors of Water Supply, Sewerage & Septage Management, Storm Water Drainage, Non-Motorised Urban Transport, and Permeable Green Spaces & Parks. In Water Supply sector, State/Urban Local Bodies(ULBs) may take up projects related to new/augmentation/rehabilitation of water supply system; rejuvenation of water bodies for water supply and recharge of ground water etc.

In addition, to carry forward the momentum of AMRUT and saturate entire urban-scape having about 4,902 statutory towns of the country, to ensure universal coverage of water supply & make 4,902 statutory towns of the country ‘water secure’, AMRUT 2.0 was launched on 1^st October 2021 for a period of five years. On-going AMRUT Mission-1.0 has been subsumed under AMRUT 2.0.

Further, through water supply projects taken up under AMRUT, to provide clean & safe drinking water to citizens, so far, 3,289 Million Liters per Day (MLD) water treatment capacity has been created.

Recycle / reuse of used water is one of the focus areas under AMRUT. Against the approved plan size of Rs 77,640 crore, Rs 32,456 crore (around 42%) have been allocated for Sewerage projects including Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs). Further, States/UTs have taken up various Sewerage projects including STPs under which 3,342 MLD STP capacity have been created from which 1,437 MLD have been developed for recycle/reuse purposes.

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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AS

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