Question : Water Crisis

(a) whether the Union Government is aware that ‘water crisis’ has hit more than 26 cities across the country and if so, the details thereof;

(b) whether the States and Urban Local bodies are not taking any effective steps to tackle the water crisis in the cities and if so, the reasons therefor;

(c) whether the efforts of Union Government for water conservation in cities have also become ineffective and/or are being neglected to deal with the water crisis and if so, the details in this regard;

(d) the steps the Union Government proposes to take in consultation with State Governments and urban local bodies to face the challenges of the water crisis in cities; and

(e) the action taken/to be taken by the Union Government to handle the water crisis situation and make strict regulation for water conservation in the country?

THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT AND GANGA REJUVENATION & PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS

(SHRI ARJUN RAM MEGHWAL)

(a) No specific information regarding water crisis hitting more than 26 cities across the country is available. However, the Government is aware of the growing water related problems in cities across the country.

As per National Commission for Integrated Water Resources Development (NCIWRD) report, the total water availability of India received through precipitation has been assessed about 4000 Billion Cubic Meter (BCM) per annum. After evaporation, 1869 BCM water is available as natural runoff. Due to geological and other factors, the utilizable water availability is limited to 1137 BCM per annum comprising 690 BCM of surface water and 447 BCM of replenishable ground water.

Total requirement of the country for different uses for high demand scenario for the years 2010 and 2025 has been assessed as 710 Billion Cubic Meter (BCM) and 843 BCM respectively. Further, it is projected that in the year 2050, the country’s total water demand is estimated at 1180 BCM, outstripping the total availability of 1137 BCM.

(b) to (e) Water is a State subject. Steps for augmentation, conservation and efficient management of water resources to ensure sustainability and availability are primarily undertaken by the respective State Governments. The Central Government supplements the efforts of the States/UTs by providing technical and financial assistance through various schemes and programmes.

The Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs formulates the policies and strategies pertaining to various aspects of urban development including Water Supply and Sanitation and also provides technical and financial assistance to the States. The Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering Organisation (CPHEEO), a technical Wing of the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, deals with the matters related to urban water supply and sanitation in the Country. It acts as an Advisory body at Central level to advise the concerned State agencies and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in implementation, operation & maintenance of urban water supply, sanitation and Solid Waste Management projects and helps to adopt latest technologies in these sub sectors.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has launched Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) in five hundred cities across the country with major focus on water supply. The States/UTs have been empowered to select, appraise and implement the projects.

Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) under this ministry has prepared a conceptual document titled “Master Plan for Artificial Recharge to Ground Water in India” which provides information about area specific artificial recharge techniques to augment the ground water resources based on the availability of source water and capability of subsurface formations to accommodate it. The Master Plan envisages construction of about 1.11 crore artificial recharge structures in urban and rural areas at an estimated cost of Rs. 79178 crore.

Under National Water Mission, 11 State Governments namely, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttarakhand and West Bengal are being supported to formulate State Water Budgeting for water security, safety and sustainability as an innovative strategic intervention to check over-exploitation, water deficiency and contamination by building a convergence and synergy model aimed at performance based water governance. The initiative is being expanded across all the States and UTs.

*****