Parliament Question: Construction of New Ponds for Groundwater Recharge

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3141 ANSWERED ON 06.08.2026 CONSTRUCTION OF NEW PONDS FOR GROUNDWATER RECHARGE †3141. Dr. ANAND KUMAR: Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government proposes to formulate any new or revised action plan for the districts/blocks identified under the 'Over-exploited' or 'Critical' category by the Central Ground Water Board under the Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABY) and if so, the details thereof; (b) whether the Government proposes to give priority to such critical areas for groundwater recharge through construction of the five hundred new ponds announced in the Budget 2026-27 and if so, the details thereof; (c) the number of new ponds proposed/sanctioned in Uttar Pradesh, particularly in the critical areas of Bahraich Lok Sabha Constituency; and (d) the timeline fixed in this regard along with the financial provisions made therein? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI (SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY) (a) Atal Bhujal Yojana, a community-led participatory groundwater management scheme, was implemented on pilot basis across 8,203 water- stressed Gram Panchayats in 229 blocks of 80 districts in seven States viz. Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, during the period from 01.04.2020 to 15.10.2025. 1Atal Bhujal Yojana was a pilot programme conceived with a fixed duration & outlay which has successfully demonstrated the efficacy of community centred ground water management and provided a replicable model which can be taken up for implementation by other States. The learnings of the pilot programme have been shared with States for replication. (b) to (d) The Government of India (GoI), in the Union Budget 2026-27, has announced the development of fisheries and aquaculture by undertaking integrated development of 500 Reservoirs and Amrit Sarovars in the country, including Uttar Pradesh. The initiative reinforces the Government’s objective to harvest the untapped fisheries potential of Reservoirs and Amrit Sarovars, strengthening the livelihoods of fishermen and promoting the engagement of women Self-Help Groups (SHGs), fisheries cooperatives, and Fish Farmers Producer Organizations (FFPOs) in the development of fisheries in Reservoirs and Amrit Sarovars. The Ground Water Resources Assessment by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) indicates that reservoirs and ponds have enhanced surface and groundwater availability. The Department of Fisheries, GoI, in consultation with States and Union Territories, has selected 351 number of Reservoirs and 100 number of Amrit Sarovars for implementation of this scheme across the country. The Department of Fisheries, in consultation with the Government of Uttar Pradesh, has selected 19 Reservoirs, and 12 Amrit Sarovars in Uttar Pradesh, details of which given at Annexure. *** 2ANNEXURE ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (b) to (d) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3141 TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 06.08.2026 REGARDING “CONSTRUCTION OF NEW PONDS FOR GROUNDWATER RECHARGE” 1 List of 19 Reservoirs selected in the State of Uttar Pradesh is given below: Sl. No. Name of Reservoirs District 1 Rihand Sonbhadra 2 Moosakhand Chandauli 3 Naughar Chandauli 4 Rangwan Banda 5 Bariarpur Banda 6 Barua Chitrakoot 7 Pahadi Jhansi 8 Badwar Jhansi 9 Pahuj Jhansi 10 Mata Tila Lalitpur 11 Latifshah Chandauli 12 Kamla Sagar Jhansi 13 Chandraval Mahoba 14 Urmil Mahoba 15 Jirgo Mirzapur 16 Gunta Chitrakoot 17 Shahjahan Lalitpur 18 Arjun Mahoba 19 Obra Sonbhadra 2 List of 12 Amrit Sarovars selected in the State of Uttar Pradesh is given below: Sl. No. Name of Amrit Sarovars District 1 Kathirav, Pindara Varanasi 2 Barautha, Koil Aligarh 3 Basob, Konch Jalaun 4 Ballasai Khera, Haidergarh Barabanki 5 Achroo Ladhaura, Mahavan Mathura 6 Bhilaura, Sadar Gorakhpur 7 Mandola, Loni Ghaziabad 8 Kaul, Sadar Meerut 9 Bhusaula, Bansi Siddharthnagar 10 Loi, Budhana Muzaffarnagar 11 Unchaa, Fatehabaad Agra 12 Ekdala, Khaga Fatehpur ***** 3