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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI
DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION
RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4080
ANSWERED ON 30.03.2026
SEVERE GROUNDWATER DEPLETION IN MALWA REGION
4080 SHRI SATNAM SINGH SANDHU:
Will the Minister of Jal Shakti be pleased to state:
(a) whether Government has taken cognizance of the severe groundwater depletion and emerging reports
of heavy metal contamination, including Uranium and Arsenic, in the Malwa region of the State of
Punjab;
(b) the details of financial assistance provided to the State under the Jal Jeevan Mission and the National
Aquifer Mapping and Management Programme (NAQUIM) to address this crisis;
(c) the progress of surface-water-based supply projects implemented to provide safe drinking water to
the affected border villages; and
(d) the timeline to achieve 100 per cent safe tap water connectivity in these high-risk areas?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI
(SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY)
(a) Ground water level and quality monitoring in the country is conducted on a regular basis by the
Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) under this Ministry and respective State Governments.
As per the data of ground water level monitoring conducted by CGWB during
November/December 2025, in the Malwa region of Punjab (known to comprise of Barnala, Bhathinda,
Faridkot, Fatehgarh Sahib, Fazilka, Firozpur, Ludhiana, Mansa, Moga, Shri Muktsar Sahib, Patiala,
Rupnagar, Sangrur and SAS Nagar districts), out of 164 wells monitored,73 wells (44.51%) have
registered water levels in the range of 0-10 meters below ground level (mbgl).
In order to assess the long-term fluctuation in ground water level, district-wise groundwater level
data of November 2025 has been compared with the decadal mean of data of November (2015-2024).
Such comparative analysis indicates that about 45.1 % of the well monitored have registered rise in
groundwater level.
Further, CGWB also generates groundwater quality data at a regional scale across the country
including Malwa region of Punjab, through its groundwater quality monitoring programme and
scientific studies conducted as per the approved Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
1As per the Annual Ground Water Quality Report – 2025, out of 296 samples of ground water
analyzed in Malwa region for heavy metal contamination, 9.12%, 3.72% and 53% samples were found
to have Arsenic, Iron and Uranium respectively beyond the respective permissible limits.
(b) Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) – Har Ghar Jal, being implemented by this Ministry in partnership with
states, marks an important milestone for providing contamination free potable tap water to every rural
household of the country, including Punjab, in adequate quantity, of prescribed quality and on regular &
long-term basis. As per the data available on JJM dashboard, from August 2019 to March 2026, an
amount of Rs.799.46 Cr has been released as Central share to Punjab and the total expenditure is Rs.
2084.18 Cr.
It is also to state that National Aquifer Mapping and Management Programme (NAQUIM) is an
organization based scientific study project of CGWB for the purpose of aquifer mapping and devising
locally suited ground water management plans. Providing financial assistance to States is not within the
mandate of NAQUIM.
(c) & (d) Drinking Water being a State subject, it’s the responsibility of States/UTs to plan, design,
approve and implement drinking water supply schemes. Government of India supplements the efforts of
the States/UTs by providing technical and financial assistance.
Under JJM, while allocating the funds to States/ UTs for provisioning tap water connection, 10%
weightage has been given to the population residing in habitations affected by chemical contaminants
including Uranium and Arsenic. Further, States/ UTs have been advised up to 2% of allocated fund
could be utilised in water quality monitoring and surveillances. However, separate allocation is not done
for water quality affected areas, including those which are affected with Uranium and Arsenic. States/
UTs have also been advised to plan and implement piped water supply schemes based on alternative safe
water sources for the villages with water quality issues.
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