Parliament Question: Groundwater Depletion and Water Security in Haryana

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1148 ANSWERED ON 05.02.2026 GROUNDWATER DEPLETION AND WATER SECURITY IN HARYANA 1148. SHRI DEEPENDER SINGH HOODA: Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government is aware that around thirty per cent of villages in Haryana have been categorised as red-zone areas where groundwater extraction exceeds recharge levels as per recent reports and if so, the details thereof; (b) the latest data on groundwater status in Haryana including the number of blocks and villages classified as over-exploited or critical; (c) the key factors identified for the worsening groundwater crisis including water-intensive cropping patterns, unregulated extraction and rapid urbanisation; (d) the steps taken so far to address groundwater depletion through regulatory, technological and behavioural interventions; and (e) whether the Government has formulated or proposes to formulate a time-bound action plan with concrete policy measures for sustainable water management, crop diversification and recharge augmentation to prevent long-term water insecurity in Haryana and if so, the details thereof? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI (SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY) (a) & (b) The Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) annually conducts Dynamic Ground water Resource Assessment of the entire country, including Haryana, in co-ordination with the State Governments. Further, the Assessment Units (AUs) for this exercise are generally Blocks/Mandals/Taluks/Tehsils etc. As per the latest assessment report of 2025, the total Annual Ground Water Recharge for Haryana State is 10.27 Billion Cubic Meter (BCM) and the Annual Extractable Ground Water Resource is 9.30 BCM. The Total Annual Ground Water Extraction of the entire state for the year 2025 has been estimated as 12.72 BCM. The Stage of Ground Water Extraction (SoE) which is a measure of Annual Ground Water Extraction for all uses (irrigation, industrial and domestic uses) over Annual Extractable Ground Water Resource is 136.75% for the state as a whole. Out of total 143 assessment units (blocks/Urban) in the State of Haryana, 91 units (63.64%) have been categorized as ‘Over exploited’ and 6 units (4.20%) as ‘Critical’. 1(c) The key factors behind increasing ground water stress in certain parts of the country, including Haryana, could be large-scale cultivation of water intensive crops coupled with inefficient irrigation methods, inadequate availability/development of surface water sources, lack of community awareness/ownership regarding sustainable management of ground water resources, increasing population burden, rapid industrialization & urbanization, climate change etc. (d) & (e) 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 conservation and sustainable development of ground water resources in the country, including Haryana, through regulatory, technological and behavioral interventions and sustained policy measures are provided below: i. For holistic and sustainable development of water resources in the country, Ministry of Water Resources had formulated the National Water Policy (NWP) in 1987 itself which was subsequently reviewed and updated in 2002 and 2012. From the ground water perspective, the NWP, inter-alia, calls for rainwater harvesting and conservation of water, mapping the aquifers of the country, proper regulation and integrated development of surface and ground water. ii. 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 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 1.60 lakh water conservation works has been coordinated through convergence in Haryana since 2021 under JSA. iii. To further strengthen the momentum of Jal Shakti Abhiyan, Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari (JSJB) 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. So far, more than 9,200 such structures have been constructed/renovated in Haryana under the campaign. iv. The Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti is involved in regulation of ground water extraction at the central level. That apart, 17 States/UTs, including Haryana, are having their own regulatory mechanism/bodies. CGWA issues No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for ground water extraction for various purposes in accordance with its Guidelines dated 24.09.2020 which have pan India applicability. CGWA has been taking 2stringent measures including imposition of heavy penalties and Environmental Compensation (EC) charges for illegal extraction of ground water and even resorting to sealing of bore wells in fitting cases. v. On the technological front, the government is employing a range of state of the art digital and technological tools for all round mapping, monitoring and planning in water sector. Some of the prominent ones that can be cited are use of high end Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for aquifer mapping under NAQUIM programme of CGWB, High resolution heli-borne surveys, creation of a nation-wide network of Digital Water Level Recorders (DWLRs) with telemetry for real time ground water data generation and sharing, creation of web-based INGRESS platform for ground water resource assessment, collaborations with apex technological agencies like (BISAG -N) and Space Application Centre, Ahmedabad for generating detailed aquifer maps and identifying recharge zones etc. vi. From the angle of promoting community ownership and prompting behaviour change, M/o Jal Shakti has successfully demonstrated the efficacy of community led participatory ground water management through Atal Bhujal Yojana, which was implemented in 80 water stressed districts in 7 States, including Haryana. By educating and empowering the communities in scientific management of their ground water resources, this unique scheme successfully brought about change in the societal mindset regarding ground water issues, leading to notable improvement in ground water situation. vii. For enhancing water use efficiency in agriculture, Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare (DA & FW), GoI, is implementing Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) Scheme in the country including Haryana since 2015-16, which promotes Micro Irrigation and better on-farm water management practices to optimize the use of available water resources. viii. DA & FW is also implementing Crop Diversification Programme (CDP) under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana - Remunerative Approaches for Agriculture and Allied Sectors Rejuvenation (RKVY-RAFTAAR), in Original Green Revolution States viz., Haryana, Punjab and Western Uttar Pradesh to divert the area of water intensive paddy crop to alternative crops like pulses, oilseeds, coarse cereals, nutri cereals and cotton etc. ***** 3