Parliament Question: Water Conservation

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3149 ANSWERED ON 07.08.2025 WATER CONSERVATION †3149. SHRI ANOOP PRADHAN VALMIKI Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government is planning to focus more on water conservation and reduce its use in the agriculture sector which takes away a major part of this essential resource; (b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and (c) the steps taken/being taken by the Government to recharge underground aquifers and replenish major reservoirs across the country, particularly in Uttar Pradesh? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI (SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY) (a) to (c) Water being a State subject, the aspects related to water resources including its conservation are studied, planned, funded and executed by the State Governments themselves as per their own resources and priorities. The Central Government supplements the measures and efforts being taken up by the State Governments. However, the Government of India takes various initiatives on water conservation and its efficient use in the agriculture sector. Major steps taken by the Government for water conservation and rainwater harvesting to manage the increasing water stress in the country are as follows: i. The Ministry of Jal Shakti has been implementing Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) since 2019 on an annual basis. In the current year, Ministry of Jal Shakti is implementing Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain (JSA: CTR) 2025, 6th in the series of JSAs, in all the districts (rural as well as urban) of the country. JSA: CTR is a convergence of various Central Government schemes and funds like MGNREGS, Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), Per Drop More Crop, Repair, Renovation and Restoration Components under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY), Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), Finance Commission grants, State Government schemes, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds etc. One of the major interventions undertaken under the campaign includes constructions and repair or rainwater harvesting structures including rooftop and water harvesting structures. The details of 1intervention-wise progress of JSA:CTR across the country and Uttar Pradesh is attached at Annexure-I. To further strengthen JSA: CTR, “Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari” (JSJB) initiative was launched in Surat, Gujarat on 06th September, 2024, which focuses on intensifying community mobilization to build low cost rainwater harvesting structures in saturation mode. The Jal Sanchay programme started in Gujarat by leveraging community funds, individual donations, Corporate Social Responsibility Funds etc. for construction of low cost structures like borewells, recharge shafts, recharge pits, using locally available material, to harvest rainwater, to boost ground water level and provide local tailor made solution to water issues. A total of 27,62,620 artificial groundwater recharge and storage works were on-boarded under JSJB 1.0, out of which 23,83,162 works have been completed, as on 31st May 2025. The details of district-wise progess under JSJB initiative in the State of Uttar Pradesh is attached at Annexure-II. ii. The Ministry of Jal Shakti has set up the Bureau of Water Use Efficiency (BWUE) under the National Water Mission on 20.10.2022, to act as a facilitator for promotion of improving water use efficiency across various sectors namely irrigation, drinking water supply, power generation, industries, etc. in the country. To promote water conservation and reduce usage in the agriculture sector, BWUE completed 16 baseline studies across major and medium reservoirs/dams in various states. These studies evaluated water use efficiency by examining dam/reservoir performance, conveyance and on-farm application efficiencies, and irrigation potential utilization. Based on comprehensive field data, the reports offer detailed recommendations such as canal lining, modernization of irrigation infrastructure, adoption of micro-irrigation techniques, and crop diversification strategies. iii. Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has completed the National Aquifer Mapping (NAQUIM) Project in the entire mappable area of about 25 lakh sq. km. which has been shared with the respective State agencies for implementation. The management plans include various water conservation measures through recharge structures. Based on NAQUIM studies, groundwater management plans are prepared wherein crop-diversification, promotion and adoption of water use efficiency & conservation practices viz. drip/sprinkler are proposed as one of the demand side management measures for sustainable groundwater development. The management plans are prepared and shared with the respective State governments for taking appropriate measures / implementation. CGWB also prepared a Master Plan for Artificial Recharge to Groundwater- 2020 in consultation with States/UTs which is a macro level plan indicating various structures for the different terrain conditions of the country including estimated cost. 2iv. The Cabinet approved the Modernization of Command Area Development and Water Management (MCAD) as a sub-scheme of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) for the period 2025-2026 with an initial total outlay of Rs.1600 crore. The scheme aims for modernization of the irrigation water supply network to supply of irrigation water from existing canals or other sources in a designated cluster. It focuses on creating robust backend infrastructure for micro-irrigation by farmers from established source to the Farm gate with underground pressurized piped irrigation increasing the Water Use Efficiency (WUE) at the farm level, agriculture production & productivity and result in reduced usage of water in agriculture sector. v. Government of India has been implementing a scheme namely Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) which inter-alia includes water conservation and water harvesting structures. vi. Financial assistance is given to various States under 15th Finance Commission tied grants which can be inter-alia utilized for rainwater harvesting. vii. Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) has provisions for harvesting the rainwater through storm water drains into water body (which is not receiving sewage/effluent). Through preparation of ‘Aquifer Management Plan’ cities targets to strategize groundwater recharge augmentation by developing a roadmap for improving rain water harvesting within city limits. Through IEC campaign, awareness is created about practices for water conservation like rainwater harvesting. viii. Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs formulated guidelines for the States to adopt measures suitable to local conditions, such as Unified Building Bye Laws (UBBL) of Delhi, 2016, Model Building Bye Laws (MBBL), 2016 and Urban and Regional Development Plan Formulation and Implementation (URDPFI) Guidelines, 2014 with adequate focus on requirement of rainwater harvesting and water conservation measures. ix. Government of India is implementing Atal Bhujal Yojana in 80 districts of 7 States, viz., Haryana, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh for a period of 6 years from 01.04.2020. The scheme marks a paradigm shift from groundwater development to groundwater management. x. Government of India is implementing “Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY)” with an aim to enhance physical access of water on farm and expand cultivable area under assured irrigation, improve on farm water use efficiency, introduce sustainable water conservation practices etc. PMKSY has three components/ schemes namely Har Khet Ko Pani (HKKP), Repair, Renovation & Restoration (RRR) Scheme of Water Bodies and Surface Minor irrigation (SMI) Scheme. 3xi. National Water Policy (2012) has been formulated by Department of Water Resources, RD & GR, which inter-alia advocates rainwater harvesting and conservation of water and also highlights the need for augmenting the availability of water through direct use of rainfall. xii. Department of Land Resources (DoLR) implements Watershed Development Component of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (WDC-PMKSY) for the development of rainfed and degraded lands in the country. The activities undertaken, inter-alia, include ridge area treatment, drainage line treatment, soil and moisture conservation, rainwater harvesting, nursery raising, pasture development, livelihoods for asset-less persons etc. WDC-PMKSY, through these interventions, seeks to ensure sustainable development through improved natural resource management and better resilience of farmers to climate change xiii. The activity of installing rainwater harvesting structures at the Gram Panchayat level has been included in the Panchayat Development Plan (PDP) for Panchayats to opt for the same as per their needs for execution from XV Finance Commission (FC) funds or any other available funds with them. Further, Revamped scheme of Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA) also provides support to States/UTs for Capacity Building and training of Elected Representatives (ERs) of Panchayats, Officials and other stakeholders of the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs). xiv. The Ministry of Jal Shakti is promoting various efficient water use techniques in agriculture sector such as micro-irrigation (drip and sprinkler irrigation systems), crop diversification towards low water consuming crops, laser land levelling, Direct Seeding of Rice, Zero- Till/Minimum tillage, Mulching, polyhouse/shade-nets etc to reduce groundwater extraction in agriculture. These systems help in reducing water use by 40–80% while improving crop yield. Through schemes like Atal Bhujal Yojana various water conservation structures including ponds, check dams, and rooftop rainwater harvesting structures are constructed to replenish groundwater levels. *** 4ANNEXURE-I ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) to (c) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3149 TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 07.08.2025 REGARDING “WATER CONSERVATION”. Jal Shakti Abhiyan:Catch the Rain (across country) National Water Mission, Ministry of Jal Shakti Intervention-Wise Status Report (JSA 2019 - 2025) *Figures Showing No. of Works Completed & Ongoing Water Renovation Total Reuse and Conservation of Watershed Water Intensive S.No. Year Recharge and Rain Water Traditional Development Related Afforestation Structures Harvesting Water Bodies Works 1 2019 273256 44497 142740 159354 619,847 123,599,566 2 2021 1627677 295836 832596 1918913 4,675,022 367,660,580 3 2022 1241770 267782 872489 1628706 4,010,747 783,836,035 4 2023 1242357 283786 680256 1484611 3,691,010 55,026,292 5 2024 1301806 308711 534564 2021450 4,166,531 64,845,783 6 2025 700287 107760 170916 703393 1,682,356 17,408,545 Total 6,387,153 1,308,372 3,233,561 7,916,427 18,845,513 1,412,376,801 Jal Shakti Abhiyan:Catch the Rain National Water Mission, Ministry of Jal Shakti UTTAR PRADESH - Intervention wise Progress (Status from 22-03-2021 to 04-08-2025) Water Total Water Renovation of Reuse and JSA Conservation and Watershed Related Intensive Traditional Recharge Year Rain Water Development Works Afforestation Water Bodies Structures Harvesting (Year-wise) 2021 86599 35944 44610 407109 574262 6188274 2022 112283 53502 39264 494147 699196 20993215 2023 101619 45078 49372 401270 597339 400735974 2024 130475 48370 32402 576702 787949 33063528 2025 56810 18074 6411 213579 294874 2643315 Total 487786 200968 172059 2092807 2953620 463624306 5ANNEXURE-II ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) to (c) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3149 TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 07.08.2025 REGARDING “WATER CONSERVATION”. District-wise progress under Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari 1.0 (Status as on 31.05.2025) S.No State District Completed Works 1 UTTAR PRADESH AGRA 212 2 UTTAR PRADESH ALIGARH 82 3 UTTAR PRADESH AMBEDKAR NAGAR 5 4 UTTAR PRADESH Amethi 279 5 UTTAR PRADESH AMROHA 2387 6 UTTAR PRADESH AURAIYA 24 7 UTTAR PRADESH AYODHYA 97 8 UTTAR PRADESH AZAMGARH 585 9 UTTAR PRADESH BAGHPAT 1023 10 UTTAR PRADESH BAHRAICH 320 11 UTTAR PRADESH BALLIA 65 12 UTTAR PRADESH BALRAMPUR 488 13 UTTAR PRADESH BANDA 67 14 UTTAR PRADESH BARABANKI 252 15 UTTAR PRADESH BAREILLY 128 16 UTTAR PRADESH BASTI 1 17 UTTAR PRADESH BHADOHI 5 18 UTTAR PRADESH BIJNOR 1666 19 UTTAR PRADESH BUDAUN 49 20 UTTAR PRADESH BULANDSHAHR 270 21 UTTAR PRADESH CHANDAULI 37 22 UTTAR PRADESH CHITRAKOOT 15761 23 UTTAR PRADESH DEORIA 17 24 UTTAR PRADESH ETAH 94 25 UTTAR PRADESH ETAWAH 265 26 UTTAR PRADESH FARRUKHABAD 200 27 UTTAR PRADESH FATEHPUR 127 28 UTTAR PRADESH FIROZABAD 51 GAUTAM BUDDHA 29 UTTAR PRADESH 182 NAGAR 30 UTTAR PRADESH GHAZIABAD 148 31 UTTAR PRADESH GHAZIPUR 344 32 UTTAR PRADESH GONDA 4 33 UTTAR PRADESH HAMIRPUR 54 34 UTTAR PRADESH HAPUR 149 35 UTTAR PRADESH HARDOI 32 36 UTTAR PRADESH HATHRAS 11 37 UTTAR PRADESH JALAUN 16279 638 UTTAR PRADESH JAUNPUR 2641 39 UTTAR PRADESH JHANSI 1214 40 UTTAR PRADESH KANNAUJ 313 41 UTTAR PRADESH KANPUR DEHAT 126 42 UTTAR PRADESH KANPUR NAGAR 37 43 UTTAR PRADESH Kasganj 22 44 UTTAR PRADESH KAUSHAMBI 285 45 UTTAR PRADESH KHERI 10 46 UTTAR PRADESH KUSHI NAGAR 49 47 UTTAR PRADESH LALITPUR 1256 48 UTTAR PRADESH LUCKNOW 200 49 UTTAR PRADESH MAHARAJGANJ 15 50 UTTAR PRADESH MAHOBA 746 51 UTTAR PRADESH MAINPURI 234 52 UTTAR PRADESH MATHURA 34 53 UTTAR PRADESH MAU 711 54 UTTAR PRADESH MEERUT 403 55 UTTAR PRADESH MIRZAPUR 35509 56 UTTAR PRADESH MORADABAD 10 57 UTTAR PRADESH MUZAFFARNAGAR 163 58 UTTAR PRADESH PILIBHIT 272 59 UTTAR PRADESH PRATAPGARH 312 60 UTTAR PRADESH PRAYAGRAJ 55 61 UTTAR PRADESH RAE BARELI 23 62 UTTAR PRADESH RAMPUR 233 63 UTTAR PRADESH SAHARANPUR 56 64 UTTAR PRADESH SAMBHAL 362 65 UTTAR PRADESH SANT KABEER NAGAR 720 66 UTTAR PRADESH SHAHJAHANPUR 248 67 UTTAR PRADESH SHAMLI 73 68 UTTAR PRADESH SHRAVASTI 106 69 UTTAR PRADESH SIDDHARTH NAGAR 3 70 UTTAR PRADESH SITAPUR 24 71 UTTAR PRADESH SONBHADRA 42 72 UTTAR PRADESH SULTANPUR 2516 73 UTTAR PRADESH UNNAO 126 74 UTTAR PRADESH VARANASI 24409 Total 115318 ***** 7