Parliament Question: Declining Groundwater Levels

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2044 ANSWERED ON 30.07.2026 DECLINING GROUNDWATER LEVELS

2044. Shri ZIA UR REHMAN:

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government has conducted any assessment of the declining groundwater levels in various districts of the country and if so, the details thereof; and

(b) whether any district-specific groundwater recharge plans have been prepared and if so, the details thereof, State-wise? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI (SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY)

(a) Yes, Dynamic Ground Water Resources of the country are assessed annually by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) in collaboration with the State Governments. As per the Dynamic Ground Water Resources Assessment, 2025, the total Annual Ground Water Recharge has been assessed at 448.52 Billion Cubic Metres (BCM), the Annual Extractable Ground Water Resource at

407.75 BCM and the total Annual Ground Water Extraction at 247.22 BCM. The Stage of Ground Water Extraction for the country has been assessed at 60.63 per cent.

Out of 6,762 assessment units (Blocks/Taluks/Mandals), 730 (10.80%) have been categorised as Over-exploited, 201 (2.97%) as Critical, 758 (11.21%) as Semi-Critical, 4,946 (73.14%) as Safe and 127 (1.88%) as Saline. The 1State/UT-wise details of groundwater resources are available at the following

link: https://www.jalshakti- dowr.gov.in/static/uploads/2025/11/711d8d476bbf498cd90f8038e7371227.pdf

(b) Water being a State subject, sustainable development and management of groundwater resources is primarily the responsibility of the State Governments across all districts of the state. However, the Central Government facilitates the efforts of the State Governments by way of technical and financial assistance through its various schemes and projects. The major steps taken in this direction, including the district-level initiatives are provided below:

i. CGWB successfully completed NAQUIM 1.0 covering country's mappable area of about 25 lakh sq. km and provided a macro-level understanding of our nation's groundwater resources. District level reports with management plans have been prepared and shared with the state governments. CGWB has embarked upon NAQUIM 2.0, focusing on water stressed districts and quality affected pockets.

Under NAQUIM 2.0 state-of-the-art technologies are harnessed for generating highly detailed scientific data which serve as an important tool for making informed decisions for sustainable groundwater management.

ii. Efforts of the Government for augmenting the groundwater resources of the country are mainly channeled through the flagship campaign of Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA), an annual mission mode programme for taking up water harvesting and artificial recharge activities. As per the available information, under JSA more than 2 cr water conservation and artificial recharge works have been taken up through convergence in the country so far, which has played a key role in enhancing the sustainability of ground water resources in water-stressed districts.

2iii. To further strengthen the momentum of JSA, Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari (JSJB) initiative has been launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister in 2024 with a vision to make rain water harvesting a mass movement in the country. By promoting community ownership and responsibility, the initiative seeks to develop cost-effective, local solutions tailored to specific water challenges across districts. More than 1.55 crore artificial groundwater recharge and storage works have been constructed across the country under this initiative.

Subsequently, on 01 June 2026 JSJB-Catch the Rain (CTR) has been launched nation-wide for water conservation and artificial recharge. iv. M/o Jal Shakti has successfully demonstrated the efficacy of community led participatory ground water management through Atal Bhujal Yojana, which was implemented in 8,203 water stressed Gram Panchayats across 80 districts in 7 States. Construction of various rain water harvesting and recharge structures like check dams, ponds, shafts etc. as well as promotion of micro irrigation was taken up through convergence and by use of incentive funds under the scheme.

v. Mission Amrit Sarovar was launched by the Government of India which aimed at developing and rejuvenating at least 75 water bodies in each district of the country. As an outcome nearly 69,000 Amrit Sarovars have been constructed/rejuvenated in the country leading to enhanced water storage and ground water recharge.

vi. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs is implementing the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0 in all Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) across the country with a focus on water security, including rejuvenation of water bodies and development of green spaces, which contribute to groundwater recharge. Under 3AMRUT/AMRUT 2.0, States/UTs have taken up 2,960 water body rejuvenation projects covering about 1.21 lakh acres and 4,171 parks and green space projects covering about 18,168 acres of permeable green area. Further, the Shallow Aquifer Management (SAM) initiative has been launched for scientific management of shallow urban aquifers.

vii. The Department of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare (DA&FW) has been implementing the Per Drop More Crop component since 2015-16 to improve on-farm water-use efficiency through micro-irrigation. The scheme supports efficient irrigation practices in districts across the country, thereby reducing groundwater extraction and promoting sustainable use of groundwater resources.

viii. The Government of India launched the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) in 2015-16 to improve physical access to irrigation, enhance on-farm water-use efficiency and promote sustainable water conservation practices. Under the Har Khet Ko Pani (HKKP) component of PMKSY, the Repair, Renovation and Restoration (RRR) of Water Bodies scheme is being implemented to restore and rejuvenate existing water bodies, thereby enhancing water availability and promoting groundwater recharge.

ix. Under VBG-RAMG works relating to water conservation and water harvesting are being carried out. In Critical and Overexploited Distt. 65 percent of allocated funds are earmarked for water conservation works.

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