(a) whether there is any proposal to enhance the water harnessing capacity in the country and if so, the details thereof;
(b) whether any target has been fixed in this regard for each State/UT including Delhi;
(c) if so, the details thereof; and
(d) whether any time-bound action plan has been made to harness water in each State/UT including Delhi and if so, the details thereof?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT AND GANGA REJUVENATION
(PROF. SANWAR LAL JAT)
(a) to (d) Several steps are taken by the concerned State Governments for enhancing the water harnessing capacity which, inter-alia, include conservation of water resources in reservoirs and traditional water bodies, rain water harvesting and artificial recharge of ground water. This Ministry provides technical and financial assistance to the State Governments through various schemes and programmes namely, Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (AIBP), Repair, Renovation and Restoration (RRR) of Water Bodies etc. Further, sixteen projects have been declared as National Projects.
The live storage capacity of completed dams in the country is about 253.388 billion cubic metre (BCM). The storage capacity of dams under construction is about 50.959 BCM. Further, the storage capacity of dams under consideration for construction by the respective State Governments is about 104 BCM.
Under the Scheme of RRR of Water Bodies, 10,000 water bodies have been targeted for restoration during the XII plan.
Central Ground Water Board, under this Ministry has prepared a conceptual document entitled “Master Plan for Artificial Recharge to Ground Water in India” during the year 2013, which envisages construction of different types of Artificial Recharge and Rainwater Harvesting structures in the country in an area of 9,41,541 square kilometer by harnessing 85,565 million cubic metre of surplus monsoon runoff to augment ground water resources. The Master Plan has been circulated to all State Governments including Delhi for implementation.
Further, the Government of India has launched National Water Mission with the objective of ‘conservation of water, minimizing wastage and ensuring its more equitable distribution both across and within States through integrated water resources development and management’. One of the goals of National Water Mission is ‘Promotion of citizen and state action for water conservation, augmentation and preservation.
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