**Executive Summary**
This document is a response to questions regarding groundwater management and drinking water schemes in Punjab, answered in the Lok Sabha on February 5, 2026. It details the assessment of groundwater resources, measures taken by the Central and State governments, and initiatives like Jal Shakti Abhiyan and Jal Jeevan Mission implemented in Punjab. The document states that no new drinking water and river rejuvenation schemes are currently proposed due to the substantial achievements of existing programs.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Groundwater Assessment:**
* The Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) conducts annual groundwater resource assessments, including for Punjab, in coordination with the State government.
* The 2025 assessment identified Amritsar, Barnala, Bathinda, Faridkot, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ferozpur, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Ludhiana, Malerkotla, Mansa, Moga, Patiala, SAS Nagar, SBS Nagar, Sangrur and Tarn Taran and Roopnagar as districts facing groundwater stress.
* CGWB monitors groundwater quality across the country, including Punjab, and shares data with stakeholders, indicating that groundwater remains largely potable with localized contaminants.
* **Central Government Initiatives:**
* The Central Government facilitates State efforts with technical and financial assistance.
* The Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) is a time-bound program since 2019, converging funds for water harvesting and artificial recharge. 62,000 water conservation works completed in Punjab since 2021 through convergence in Punjab.
* Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari encourages community ownership for cost-effective water solutions.
* The Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) Scheme, implemented since 2015-16, focuses on efficient water use at farm level.
* Mission Amrit Sarovar aims to develop/rejuvenate water bodies; 1,450 have been completed in Punjab.
* Efforts are in place to encourage crop diversification to reduce over-dependence on groundwater.
* The Government of Punjab has undertaken projects to extend and revive canal networks.
* **Groundwater Quality Management:**
* CGWB disseminates groundwater quality data to State governments via alerts, bulletins, and reports.
* Innovative techniques like Arsenic and Fluoride safe wells are shared with state governments.
* Awareness programs on groundwater quality are conducted at the grassroots level.
* **Drinking Water Schemes:**
* Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) – Har Ghar Jal aims to provide potable tap water to all rural households. 34.26 lakh rural households covered in Punjab.
* Namami Gange Programme and National River Conservation Plan (NRCP) focus on pollution abatement in major rivers.
* **New Projects:**
* No new drinking water or river rejuvenation schemes are currently proposed.
**Impact Analysis**
**Stakeholder: State Government of Punjab**
* **Impact:** Receives technical and financial assistance from the Central Government for water resource management. State government implements its own programs (e.g. canal network extension, crop diversification).
* **Action Required:** Coordinate with the Central Government on various initiatives, implement schemes, and monitor groundwater resources.
**Stakeholder: Farmers in Punjab**
* **Impact:** Affected by groundwater depletion; encouraged to diversify crops and adopt efficient irrigation methods.
* **Action Required:** Consider adopting crop rotation and micro-irrigation techniques to reduce groundwater dependence.
**Stakeholder: Rural Households in Punjab**
* **Impact:** Beneficiaries of the Jal Jeevan Mission, receiving access to potable tap water.
* **Action Required:** Utilize and maintain the provided water infrastructure.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Jal Shakti: The primary central ministry responsible for groundwater management and drinking water schemes, including Jal Shakti Abhiyan and Jal Jeevan Mission.
Central Ground Water Board (CGWB): The organization under the Ministry of Jal Shakti that conducts groundwater resource assessments, monitors groundwater quality, and disseminates related data.
Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA): A flagship campaign for augmenting water/groundwater resources through water harvesting and artificial recharge.
Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) – Har Ghar Jal: A mission to provide contamination-free potable tap water to every rural household.
Punjab: The state in India where groundwater depletion and water quality issues are reviewed.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI
DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1085
ANSWERED ON 05.02.2026
GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT AND DRINKING WATER SCHEMES IN PUNJAB
1085. SHRI CHARANJIT SINGH CHANNI:
Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:
(a) whether groundwater depletion and water quality issues in Punjab have been reviewed;
(b) if so, the details of districts identified as most affected and the remedial measures proposed in this regard;
(c) whether any new drinking water schemes or river rejuvenation projects are planned for Punjab; and
(d) if so, the details thereof including funding pattern, implementation timeline fixed and expected outcomes?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI
(SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY)
(a) & (b) The Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) under this Ministry conducts dynamic ground water
resources assessment of the country including Punjab, on annual basis, in co-ordination with State
governments. As per the latest assessment of 2025, the following districts in Punjab have been found to be
facing ground water stress viz. Amritsar, Barnala, Bathinda, Faridkot, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ferozpur, Gurdaspur,
Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Ludhiana, Malerkotla, Mansa, Moga, Patiala, SAS Nagar, SBS Nagar,
Sangrur and Tarn Taran and Roopnagar.
Furthermore, CGWB also monitors ground water quality across the country including for the state of
Punjab, through its network of monitoring stations as per the prescribed frequency and the data generated is
shared with all stakeholders. Such data on ground water quality generated by CGWB from time to time
indicates that the ground water in the country, including Punjab, remains largely potable with localized
occurrences of contaminants in isolated pockets.
'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 sustainable development of ground water resources in the country including Punjab, are given below:-
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, covering both rural and
urban areas, 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 62,000 water conservation works has been coordinated through convergence in Punjab
since 2021 under JSA.
1To further strengthen the momentum of Jal Shakti Abhiyan, Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari 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.
Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare (DA & FW), GoI. is implementing Per Drop More Crop
(PDMC) Scheme in the country, including Punjab, 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.
Mission Amrit Sarovar was launched by the Government of India which aimed at developing and
rejuvenating at least 75 water bodies in each district of the country, including Punjab. As an outcome nearly
69,000 Amrit Sarovars have been constructed/rejuvenated in the country with 1,450 in Punjab, leading to
enhanced water storage and ground water recharge.
Based on the advisories of M/o Jal Shakti to States to emphasize on crop rotation/diversification/other
initiatives to reduce over-dependence on groundwater, Department of Agriculture, Punjab is pursuing hard to
diversify the acreage under paddy to other less water consuming crops by extending incentives to farmers.
To reduce dependence on ground water and to increase the availability of surface water, the Government
of Punjab has taken up several projects to extend and revive the canal networks.
On the ground water quality front, the data generated by CGWB is regularly disseminated to the state
governments and concerned line departments through fortnightly alerts, half-yearly bulletins and annual
report. Apart from demonstrative construction of Arsenic and Fluoride safe wells in affected pockets, these
innovative techniques are also shared with state governments for replication by CGWB. Additionally,
awareness on ground water quality at grassroots level is being generated through frequent training and public
interaction programmes.
Water quality is one of the priority area under the JJM and several measures for identifying and
segregating contaminated sources have been taken under the Scheme.
(c) & (d) The Government is also implementing Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) – Har Ghar Jal, in partnership with
states, for providing contamination free potable tap water to every rural household of the country, including
Punjab. As per the data available on JJM dashboard all 34.26 lakh rural households of Punjab have been
covered under the Scheme.
The Central Government is implementing the Namami Gange Programme (Central Sector Scheme) and
National River Conservation Plan (NRCP) (Centrally Sponsored Scheme) for abatement of pollution in all the
major rivers of the country.
In view of the substantial achievements and continuing status of the above schemes, there are no other
proposals for any new drinking water and river rejuvenation schemes.
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