Parliament Question: Law for Management of Groundwater

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1986 ANSWERED ON 31.07.2025 LAW FOR MANAGEMENT OF GROUNDWATER †1986. SMT. VIJAYLAKSHMI DEVI Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state: (a) whether the States in the country are facing a water crisis and aquifers are depleting, particularly in Bihar, Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh; (b) if so, the details thereof; (c) whether half of the groundwater in the country is contaminated leading to occurrence of various water-borne diseases among the population of the country and if so, the details thereof; (d) whether the Government has identified dark zones and formulated a model law for the conservation, safety, regulation and management of groundwater in the country, particularly in Bihar, Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh and if so, the details thereof; and (e) the details of other measures taken/being taken by the Government for the conservation and recharging of groundwater level in the country? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI (SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY) (a) & (b) The Dynamic Ground Water Resources of the country including Bihar, Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh States are being annually assessed by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) in coordination with respective State Governments. Comparison of data between the years 2020 and 2024 indicates that, during the subject period, annual ground water recharge in the country has increased from 436.15 Billion Cubic Meters (BCM) to 446.90 BCM and the Stage of Ground water Extraction (SoE), has improved from 61.6% to 60.47%. However, there may be isolated pockets experiencing ground water stress due to localized conditions. Analysis of ground water resources data for the states of Bihar, Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh for the subject period indicates that annual ground water recharge has increased in three states other than Punjab and SoE also has shown improvement in three states other than Haryana. Further details are provided in Annexure. (c) Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) generates ground water quality data of the country on a regional scale as part of its ground water quality monitoring program and various scientific studies. These studies indicate that ground water in the country largely remains potable. However, occurrence of contaminants such as Fluoride, Arsenic, Nitrate, heavy metals etc. beyond permissible limits (as per BIS) for human consumption is observed in certain isolated pockets in some States / UTs. Nonetheless, the Government is taking adequate care to ensure that every rural household in the country has access to 1regular and adequate amount of safe drinking water by implementing the Jal Jeevan Mission -Har Ghar Jal scheme. (d) As per the National Dynamic Ground Water Assessment Report 2024, there are totally 751 Over- Exploited (OE) assessment units (previously referred to as Dark zones) in the country out of 6746 total assessed. In the states of Bihar, Punjab and Haryana, the number of such OE units have been assessed as 4, 115 and 88 respectively and in Himachal Pradesh there are no OE units. In order to facilitate the states in their endeavour towards proper regulation and management of ground water resources, this Ministry had drafted a Model ‘Groundwater (Regulation and Control of Development and Management) Bill’ providing a regulatory framework to curb indiscriminate extraction of ground water while also making provisions for rain water harvesting and artificial recharge. The Model Bill has been circulated to all States/UTs and so far 21 States/UTs have adopted it, including Bihar, Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. (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, several significant steps have already been taken by the Ministry of Jal Shakti and other central ministries for sustainable development of ground water resources in the country, while focusing on regions facing water scarcity. Some of the important ones are given below:- i. The Government is implementing Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) in the country since 2019 which is a mission mode and time bound programme for harvesting the rainfall and taking up water conservation activities. Currently, JSA 2025 is being implemented in the country with special focus on over-exploited and critical districts. JSA is an umbrella campaign under which various ground water recharge and conservation related works are being taken up in convergence with various central and state schemes. ii. Master Plan for Artificial Recharge to Groundwater- 2020 has been prepared by the CGWB for the entire country, including Bihar, Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh and shared with States/UTs providing a broad outline for construction of around 1.42 crore rain water harvesting and artificial recharge structures in the country to harness 185 BCM (Billion cubic meter). iii. The government of India is implementing Atal Bhujal Yojana in 80 water stressed districts of 7 states which has community led sustainable management of ground water resources and demand management as its core theme. iv. Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare (DA & FW), GoI, is implementing Per Drop More Crop 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. v. 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. As an outcome nearly 69,000 Amrit Sarovars have been constructed/rejuvenated in the country. vi. To further strengthen the momentum of Jal Shakti Abhiyan, Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari: A Community-Driven Path to Water Sustainability in India 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. *** 2ANNEXURE ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) & (b) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1986 TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 31.07.2025 REGARDING “LAW FOR MANAGEMENT OF GROUNDWATER”. Comparative Details of Dynamic Ground Water Resources of Bihar, Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh between the years 2020 and 2024. S. Parameter GW Resource Assessment for No. Year Bihar Punjab Haryana Himachal Pradesh 1 Annual GW Recharge (in 2024 34.15 19.19 10.32 1.11 BCM)* 2020 28.05 22.80 9.53 1.07 2 Annual Extractable GW 2024 30.95 17.63 9.36 1.01 Resource (in BCM) 2020 25.46 20.59 8.63 0.97 3 Annual GW Extraction for all 2024 14.10 27.66 12.72 0.36 uses (in BCM) 2020 13.02 33.85 11.61 0.36 4 Stage of GW Extraction (SoE) 2024 45.54% 156.87 % 135.96 % 35.48 % 2020 51.14% 164.42% 134.56% 36.83% *BCM – Billion Cubic Meters ***** 3