Underground water reservoirs

The annual replenishable ground water resources of the country have been assessed as 433 billion cubic metres (bcm) as per the assessment of ground water resources carried out by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) jointly with States in 2004. Keeping 34 bcm for natural discharge, net annual ground water availability has been estimated as 399 bcm. Annual ground water withdrawal for all uses in the country is estimated as 231 bcm with stage of ground water development at 58%. Ground water withdrawal for irrigation is 212 bcm, which is 92% of the total ground water withdrawal.

As per the assessment, recharge to the aquifers from monsoon rainfall has been estimated as 248 billion cubic metres (bcm). Considering the annual precipitation in the country as 4000 bcm, monsoon rainfall recharge works out to be 6.2% of the annual precipitation for the country as a whole.

Construction of underground reservoir for tapping the rain water for streamlining the water distribution system is not envisaged under any of the ongoing schemes of Ministry of Water Resources. However, the Ministry of Water Resources has scheme for supporting artificial recharge to ground water and rain water harvesting by construction of various structures like percolation tanks, check dams, subsurface dykes, recharge shafts/trenches, injection wells, gabion structures, etc.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Water Resources Shri Vincent H.Pala in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.

SK