(a) whether attention of the Government has been drawn to the news- item captioned “India faces ground water depletion†appearing in the Statesman dated June 23, 2002;
(b) if so, whether the country is facing the threat of ground water depletion;
(c) if so, whether the Government have formulated any plans to overcome the crisis; and
(d) if so, the details thereof ?
THE MINISTER OF WATER RESOURCES (SHRI ARJUN CHARAN SETHI)
(a) to (d) A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.
STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY OF PARTS (a) TO (d) OF LOK SABHA
STARRED QUESTION NO. 8 REGARDING DEPLETION OF GROUND WATER LEVEL TO
BE ANSWERED ON 15.07.2002.
The Government is aware of the news-item captioned “India faces
ground water depletion†appearing in the Statesman dated June 23,
2002. The long-term observations made by the Central Ground Water
Board have shown a situation of fall in the level of ground water in
various parts of the country. The names of the districts having
pockets where fall in the ground water level for more than 4 metre
(1981-2000) has been observed in different States is given in the
enclosed Statement.
Water being a State subject, it is primarily the responsibility
of the concerned State Governments to plan, finance and execute
schemes for augmenting water resources. Government of India is also
promoting rainwater harvesting through Watershed Management
Programme, artificial recharge of ground water and roof top rain
water harvesting under various schemes. Various measures as initiated
by the Central Government to arrest decline in ground water and to
harness it are indicated below:-
(i) Constitution of Central Ground Water Authority under the
Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 for regulation and control of
ground water management and development.
(ii) Circulation of a Model Bill in the year 1970 which was re-
circulated in 1992 and 1996 to all the States/Union Territories to
enable them to enact suitable legislation for regulation and control
of ground water development.
(iii)Circulation of Manual on artificial recharge of ground
water to the States/Union Territories to enable them to formulate
area specific artificial recharge schemes to check the declining
trend in ground water levels.
(iv) Implementation of a Central Sector Scheme for Study of Recharge
to Ground Water on “pilot basis†in the country during the IX Five
Year Plan at a cost of Rs. 23.48 crore.
(v) A Central Sector Scheme of Recharge to Ground Water at an estimated cost of Rs. 150 crore for inclusion in the X Five Year
Plan has been proposed.
(vi) Organisation of mass awareness and training programmes on water harvesting and recharging of ground water all over the country.
STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY OF PARTS (a) TO (d) OF LOK SABHA
STARRED QUESTION NO. 8 DATED 15.07.2002
NAME OF THE STATE/UT/DISTRICT HAVING POCKETS WITH FALL IN
GROUND WATER LEVEL OF MORE THAN 4 METRE (1981-2000)
STATE/UT DISTRICTS
ANDHRA Adilabad, Ananthapur, Chittoor, Cuddapah, East PRADESH Godavari, Guntur, Hyderabad, Karimnagar, Khammam, Krishna, Kurnool, Mahabubnagar, Medak, Nalgonda, Nellore, Nizamabad, Prakasam, Rangareddi, Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, Warangal, West Godavari.
BIHAR Dhanbad, Purb Singhbhum, Darbhanga
(including Jharkhand)
CHHATTISGARH Bastar, Bilaspur, Durg, Raigarh, Raipur, Rajnandgaon, Satna, Sidhi.
GUJARAT Ahmedabad, Amreli, Banaskantha, Bharuch, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Kheda, Kutch, Mehsana, Rajkot, Surat, Surendranagar.
HARYANA Ambala, Bhiwani, Faridabad, Gurgaon, Hisar, Jind, Kaithal, Karnal, Kurukshetra, Mahendergarh, Panipat, Rewari, Rohtak, Sonepat, Yamunanagar.
KARNATAKA Bangalore (Rural), Bellary, Belgaum, Bidar, Bagalkot, Bijapur, Chitradurga, Devangiri, Dharwar, Gadag, Gulbarga, Haveri, Hassan, Kolar, Mysore, Chamarajanagar, Raichur, Shimoga, Kapol, Tumkur, Uttara Kannada.
MADHYA Betul, Bhind, Chhatarpur, Chhindwara, Damoh, Datia, PRADESH Dewas, Dhar, Guna, Gwalior, Indore, Jabalpur, Katni, Khandawa, Khargone, Mandsaur, Morena, Narsingpur, Neemuch, Panna, Raisen, Rajgarh, Ratlam, Sagar, Sehore, Shajapur, Shivpuri, Ujjain, Vidisha.
MAHARASHTRA Ahmednagar, Akola, Beed, Bombay, Dhule, Gadchiroli, Kolhapur, Nanded, Nashik, Osmanabad, Amravati, Aurangabad, Bhandara, Buldhana, Chandrapur, Jalgaon, Jalna, Latur, Nagpur, Parbhani, Pune, Ratnagiri, Sangli, Sindhudurg, Thane, Satara, Solapur, Wardha, Yavatmal
ORISSA Angul, Balasore, Bargarh, Bolangir, Dhenkanal, Gajapati, Ganjam, Jajpur, Kalahandi, Keonjhar, Khurda, Koraput, Malkangiri, Mayurbhanja, Nawapara, Nawarangpur, Sundargarh, Suvarnapur.
PUNJAB Amritsar, Bathinda, Fatehgarh, Firozepur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Ludhiana, Moga, Nawan Shehar, Patiala, Ropar, Sangrur.
RAJASTHAN Ajmer, Alwar, Bhilwara, Dungarpur, Ganganagar, Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jhalawar, Jhunjhunu, Jodhpur, Nagaur, Pali, Rajsamand, Sikar, Udaipur
TAMIL NADU Coimbatore, Cuddalore, Dharmapuri, Kancheepuram, Kanyakumari, Madras, Pudukottai, Sivagangai, Tanjavur, Theni, Tirunelveli, Thiruvallur, Tiruvannamalai, Thiruvarur, Tuticorin .
UTTAR PRADESH Agra, Aligarh, Allahabad, Budaun, Bijnor,
(including Bulandshahar, Etah, Etawah, Farrukhabad, Fatehpur, Uttaranchal) Ghaziabad, Hardoi, Kanpur, Lucknow, Mathura, Meerut, Moradabad, Rai Bareli, Saharanpur, Unnao.
WEST BENGAL Bankura, Bardhaman, Midnapur, N-24 Parganas, Purulia.
NCT OF DELHI Mehrauli, Najafgarh and City block.
PONDICHERRY Pondicherry