(a) the steps taken by the Government to restore ground water in water scarce cities of Madhya Pradesh;
(b) whether there is any policy of the Government for ground water recharge in the State of Madhya Pradesh and if so, the details thereof; and
(c) the policy of the Government for monitoring the Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) of ground water in Madhya Pradesh, district/city-wise?
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI
(SHRI BISHWESWAR TUDU)
(a) Though water is a State subject, Central Government has taken a number of important measures for conservation, management of ground water including effective implementation of rain water harvesting in the country including cities of Madhya Pradesh, which can be seen at URL:http://jalshakti-dowr.gov.in/sites/default/files/Steps_to_control_water_depletion_Feb2021. pdf. Some of the important initiatives in this regard are also given at Annexure.
(b) The National Water Policy (2012) formulated by Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, inter-alia advocates rainwater harvesting and conservation of water and highlights the need for augmenting the availability of water through direct use of rainfall. It also advocates that conservation of river, river bodies and infrastructure should be undertaken in a scientifically planned manner through community participation.
Model Building Bye Laws (MBBL) 2016 circulated by Ministry of Housing &Urban Affairs include provisions for rainwater harvesting and it has been shared with all the States / UTs. So far 33 States / UTs have adopted the provisions of rainwater harvesting of MBBL-2016, including Madhya Pradesh.
Further, Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) has been constituted under section 3(3) of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 for the purpose of regulation and control of ground water development and management in the country. CGWA has advised States/UTs to take measures to promote/adopt artificial recharge to ground water / rain water harvesting. CGWA grants No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for ground water abstraction to industries, infrastructure units and mining projects in feasible areas in certain States/UTs, including Madhya Pradesh. The latest guidelines for control and regulation of groundwater extraction with pan-India applicability were notified on 24 September 2020.
(c) Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) generates ground water quality data including Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) of the entire country including Madhya Pradesh on a regional scale as part of its ground water quality monitoring program and various scientific studies. Further, as per the information received from the Government of Madhya Pradesh, they are also monitoring the Total Dissolved Solids of ground water village-wise twice a year i.e. pre-monsoon and post-monsoon. Further, Public Health Engineering Department, Madhya Pradesh is conducting chemical testing of water samples of tube-wells once in a year.
Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation implements Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in partnership with States/UTs to provide potable tap water supply to every rural household of the country. The drinking water supply schemes under the mission are planned, approved, and implemented by the State/UTs. Water quality monitoring & surveillance is one of the components of the mission. Under this, the water samples from the villages are regularly tested inter alia for Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), as per the roster plan of the laboratory.
****
ANNEXURE
ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3606 TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 24.03.2022 REGARDING “RESTORATION OF GROUND WATER”.
Important initiatives on water conservation/water harvesting by the Central Government.
Government of India launched Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) in 2019, a time bound campaign with a mission mode approach intended to improve water availability including ground water conditions in the water stressed blocks of 256 districts in India including water stressed cities of Madhya Pradesh. In 2021, Ministry of Jal Shakti took up the “Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain” (JSA:CTR) with the theme “Catch the Rain - Where it Falls When it Falls” to cover all the blocks of all districts (rural as well as urban areas) across the country during 22nd March 2021 to 30th November 2021. The campaign was launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister on 22 March 2021.
Master Plan for Artificial Recharge to Groundwater- 2020 has been prepared by CGWB in consultation with States/UTs which is a macro level plan indicating various structures for the different terrain conditions of the country. The Master Plan - 2020 envisages construction of about 1.42 crore rain water harvesting and artificial recharge structures in the country to harness 185 Billion Cubic Metre (BCM). The “Master Plan for Artificial Recharge to Ground Water in India - 2020” is available at http://cgwb.gov.in/Master%20Plan%20to%20GW%20Recharge%202020.pdf. In Madhya Pradesh, the Master Plan envisages construction of about 7.2 lakh rain water harvesting and artificial recharge structures to harness 9,188 Million Cubic Metre (MCM) of monsoon surplus rainfall.
National Aquifer Mapping and Management program (NAQUIM) is being implemented by CGWB as part of Ground Water Management and Regulation (GWM & R) scheme, a Central Sector scheme. NAQUIM envisages mapping of aquifers (water bearing formations), their characterization and development of Aquifer Management Plans to facilitate sustainable management of groundwater resources in the country. NAQUIM outputs are shared with States/UTs for suitable interventions. So far, in Madhya Pradesh, 1,62,147 sq.km. have been covered against the target of 2,65,234 sq km.
Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has 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, wherein adequate focus has been given on requirement of rainwater harvesting and water conservation measures. As per MBBL, all buildings having a plot size of 100 sq.m. or, more shall mandatorily include the complete proposal of rainwater harvesting. 33 States/ UTs have adopted the features of these Bye Laws.
****