Question : Declining Water Availability

(a) whether the Government acknowledges the declining per capita availability of water in the country and if so, the details thereof; and
(b) the steps being taken to reverse this decline and conserve water for future generations?

THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI & SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT

(SHRI RATTAN LAL KATARIA)

(a) The per capita availability of water in the country is reducing due to increase in population. The average annual per capita water availability in the years 2001 and 2011 was assessed as 1816 cubic meters and 1545 cubic meters respectively which may further reduce to 1486 cubic meters, 1367 cubic meters, 1282 cubic meters and 1228 cubic meters in the years 2021, 2031, 2041 and 2051 respectively.

(b) Water being a State subject, steps for augmentation, conservation and efficient management of water resources are primarily undertaken by the respective State Governments. In order to supplement the efforts of the State Governments, Central Government provides technical and financial assistance to them through various schemes and programmes. Central Government has taken various steps to improve the water availability in the country.

Ministry of Jal Shakti has been created by the Government of India, integrating the erstwhile Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation and the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, with an aim to integrate water resources management under one umbrella so that the issues relating to water are dealt with in a holistic manner.

Ministry of Jal Shakti has launched Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) - a campaign for water conservation and water security. During the campaign, officers, groundwater experts and scientists from the Government of India are working together with State and district officials in India’s most water-stressed districts for water conservation and water resource management. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, as a participating Ministry in Jal Shakti Abhiyan, has issued detailed guidelines for water conservation activities such as rain water harvesting, reuse of treated waste water, rejuvenation of water bodies and intensive plantation.

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Central Government has formulated a National Perspective Plan (NPP) for Water Resources Development which envisages transfer of water from water surplus basins to water deficit basins to improve availability of water.

Central Government has launched Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) for completion of 99 on-going Major/Medium irrigation projects having ultimate irrigation potential of 76.03 lakh hectares.

Keeping in view the need for water supply infrastructure and service delivery, Government has launched Jal Jeevan Mission with an outlay of Rs. 3.60 lakh crore which aims at providing functional household tap connections to every rural household by 2024 at the service level of 55 litre per capita per day.

Central Ground Water Board is implementing a nationwide programme of “National Aquifer Mapping and Management (NAQUIM)” for mapping of aquifers (water bearing formations), their characterization and development of aquifer management plans to facilitate sustainable development of ground water resources. Aquifer maps and management plans have been shared with the respective State Government agencies.

Central Ground Water Board is implementing innovative schemes for Aquifer Rejuvenation under ‘Ground Water Management and Regulation’ scheme in select overexploited blocks of the aspirational districts on pilot basis.

Some initiatives/measures taken by Central Government to control water depletion and promote rain water harvesting / conservation are available at the URL:
http://mowr.gov.in/sites/default/files/Steps_to_control_water_depletion_Jun2019.pdf

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