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New Delhi : Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) is periodically monitoring the ground water levels in the Country on a regional scale through a network of monitoring wells. In order to assess the long term fluctuation in ground water levels, the water level data collected by CGWB during November 2021 have been compared with the decadal mean of November (2011-2020). Analysis of water level data indicates that about 30% of the wells monitored have registered a decline in ground water level whereas 70 % wells have registered rise in ground water levels.
This Information was given by the Minister of State for Jal Shakti Bishweswar Tudu in a written reply in Rajya Sabha on February 7, 2022, according to a PIB release.
Further, CGWB has not conducted any specific study on the reasons and consequential effects of decrease in ground water level, however, ground water levels in various parts of the country appear to decline mainly because of continuous withdrawal due to reasons such as increased demand for freshwater for various uses, vagaries of rainfall, increased population, industrialisation, and urbanisation etc.
Though Water is a State subject, Central Government has taken a number of important measures for conservation, management of ground water including effective implementation of rain water harvesting in the country,
The Government of India launched Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) in 2019 which continued during 2021 also to improve water availability including ground water conditions in the country. The campaign “Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain” (JSA:CTR) was launched by the Prime Minister on March 22, 2021.
In addition, a number of States have done notable work in the field of water conservation/harvesting such as ‘Mukhyamantri Jal Swavlamban Abhiyan’ in Rajasthan, ‘Jalyukt Shibar’ in Maharashtra, ‘Sujalam Sufalam Abhiyan’ in Gujarat, ‘Mission Kakatiya’ in Telangana, Neeru Chettu’ in Andhra Pradesh, Jal Jeevan Hariyali in Bihar, ‘Jal Hi Jeevan’ in Haryana, and Kudimaramath scheme in Tamil Nadu.