Analysis of ground water level data collected by Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) under the Ministry of Water Resources  reveals  that  ground water  levels have declined in some parts  of  the country.   In order to address the issue of depletion of ground water, the following measures have been undertaken by the Government :

  • (i) Circulation of Model Bill to all the States / Union  Territories  to facilitate  regulationand control  of  development and management of ground water.
  • (ii)  Issue  of directions by Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) to States having ‘over-exploited’ areas for taking necessary measures to adopt / promote artificial recharge to ground water / rain water harvesting, conservation of ground water and also to include provision for making construction of roof top rain water harvesting structures mandatory under the building bye-laws.
  • (iii) Notification of 43 areas by CGWA in 10 States / UTs for regulation of ground water development.
  • (iv) Implementation of schemes / programmes namely Artificial Recharge of Ground Water through Dugwell for over-exploited, critical and semi-critical areas of hard rock region covering seven States, Demonstrative Projects for Artificial Recharge to Ground Water and Rain Water Harvesting, Repair, Renovation and Restoration (RRR) of Water Bodies.

In addition, awareness programmes are organised by the respective State Governments as well as Government of India. A Web Enabled Ground Water Information System (WEGWIS) has also been launched.

To encourage non-governmental organizations (NGOs) / gram Panchayats / urban local bodies / institutions / corporate sector and individuals for adoption of innovative practices of augmentation of ground water, promoting water use efficiency, recycling & re-use of water and creating awareness  through people’s participation, the Ministry of Water Resources has instituted Ground Water Augmentation Awards and National Water Award.

Analysis of water level data of observation wells of CGWB of May 2006 and May 2009 indicate decline in ground water table in about 57% of the wells and rise in about 43% of the wells during the period.  Following are the  state-wise details:

Comparative Statement Showing Fluctuation during May 2006 with   May 2009 of Water Levels in respect of observation wells monitored by CGWB
State No. of wells Analysed by CGWB Wells indicating rise in ground water table Wells indicating fall in ground water table
No. No. as % of total No. No. as % of total
Andhra Pradesh 638 210 32.92 428 67.08
Arunachal Pradesh 9 2 22.22 7 77.78
Assam 181 29 16.02 152 83.98
Bihar 148 60 40.54 88 59.46
Chandigarh 17 9 52.94 8 47.06
Chhattisgarh 280 98 35.00 182 65.00
Delhi 142 38 26.76 104 73.24
Gujarat & Daman-Diu 629 301 47.85 328 52.15
Haryana 237 98 41.35 139 58.65
Himachal Pradesh 82 44 53.66 38 46.34
Jammu & Kashmir 123 58 47.15 65 52.85
Jharkhand 115 60 52.17 55 47.83
Karnataka 566 247 43.64 319 56.36
Kerala 535 242 45.23 293 54.77
Madhya Pradesh 770 261 33.90 509 66.10
Maharastra 703 270 38.41 433 61.59
Meghalaya 26 3 11.54 23 88.46
Orissa 679 266 39.18 413 60.82
Punjab 126 62 49.21 64 50.79
Rajasthan 765 335 43.79 430 56.21
Tamil Nadu 663 412 62.14 251 37.86
Tripura 21 11 52.38 10 47.62
Uttar Pradesh 811 338 41.68 473 58.32
Uttaranchal 48 24 50.00 24 50.00
West Bengal 537 311 57.91 226 42.09
Total


for more reading

WATER OF UNDER GROUND SOURCES

DROP IN GROUND WATER RESOURCES

AUGMENTING GROUND WATER RESOURCES IN INDIA

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