The Ministry of Jal Shakti has progressively adopted advanced digital technologies for efficient monitoring of groundwater regime across the country. Under different schemes of MoJS like Ground Water Monitoring & Regulation (GWM &R) Scheme, National Hydrology Project (NHP), Atal Bhujal Yojana etc., and under various other schemes of State governments, Digital Water Level Recorders (DWLRs) with telemetry system have been installed across several locations in the country covering almost all States & UTs. This telemetry enabled DWLRs capture ground water level and quality data on a real time basis, helping in providing more detailed and precise picture of ground water situation in the country.

Dynamic Ground Water Resources of the country are being assessed annually by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) in co-ordination with the State Governments, through which water stressed Blocks/Tehsils/Taluks of the country are identified. The report on assessment of ground water resources, as well as ground water level and quality are shared with all stakeholders, including the Jal Jeevan Mission authorities, for prioritized policy planning and taking up targeted interventions.

‘Water’ being a State subject, sustainable development and management of water, including groundwater resources is primarily the responsibility of the State Governments. The Central Government, on its part, 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, to promote aquifer recharge, reduce contamination from industrial waste and ensure sustainable groundwater use in agriculture are provided below:

1. 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 by the M/o Jal Shakti. under which various ground water recharge and conservation related works are being taken up in convergence with various central and state schemes.

2. To further strengthen the momentum of Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA), Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari (JSJB) has been launched 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.

3.  Mission Amrit Sarovar was launched by the Government of India, which aimed at developing and rejuvenating water bodies in each district of the country. As an outcome nearly 69,000 Amrit Sarovars have been constructed/rejuvenated in the country.

4. In order to mitigate ground water contamination issues, CGWB regularly generates ground water quality data of the country under its monitoring programme and as part of scientific studies. The data so generated by CGWB including that occurring from industrial wastes, is regularly disseminated through Annual Reports, Half-yearly Bulletins and Fortnightly Alerts for quick action by the stakeholders. Moreover, with a view to enhance monitoring efficiency, a new Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) for Groundwater Quality Monitoring has been adopted by CGWB, which stipulates more frequent and denser sampling, particularly in vulnerable areas, to ensure a more comprehensive assessment of groundwater quality.

5. Further, as per the Guidelines for Ground water Extraction dated 24.09.2020, all industries obtaining No Objection Certificate (NOC) from CGWB are mandated to take up well head protection measures and prohibited from injecting industrial effluents into aquifers.

6. For enhancing sustainability of water/ground water in agriculture, M/o Jal Shakti has successfully implemented Atal Bhujal Yojana, demonstrating the efficacy of community led participatory ground water management. By educating and empowering the communities in scientific management of their ground water resources, this unique scheme has established a scalable decentralized ground water governance model.

7. Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare (DA & FW), GoI, is implementing Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) Scheme in the country 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.

The information was provided by THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.

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ND

(Rajya Sabha USQ 1050)

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