The NDA Government has plans to lay down water supply pipes from large dams to over 1,000 over-stressed blocks across the country, a first of its kind move that would ensure regular water availability to these water starved regions.
The Union Ministry of Water and Sanitation has asked the States to identify large dams and water reservoirs located around these critically water stressed and over-exploited blocks so as to implement surface-based piped water supply schemes in such areas.
There are around 839 over-exploited and 226 critical blocks spreading over 11 States including Madhya Pradesh which has 899 large dams, Maharashtra (1,693), Karnataka (229), Gujarat (598), Tamil Nadu (120), Andhra Pradesh (283), Uttar Pradesh (115), Rajasthan (201), and Punjab (14). In allm there are total 4,672 large dams across the country.
As per Central Water Commission (CWC), these blocks have been declared as over-exploited areas, where ground water withdrawal is more than the average annual replenishment of ground water resources and the ground water levels are also declining on long term basis.
“We have also asked the Central Water Commission (CWC), which has identified these blocks as per their water level, to integrate the GIS layers on big tanks and dams and superimpose on these water stressed blocks so that we have complete data to work on the implementation of the scheme,” an official said.
The move follows concerns that average availability of water is reducing steadily with the growing population and it is estimated that by 2020 India will become a water stressed nation.
Groundwater is the major source of water in our country with 85 per cent of the population dependent on it.
The latest assessment of the state wise ground water resources as in March 2009 out of the 5,842 assessment units (blocks, mandals, talukas, districts), 832 over-exploited units, 226 critical units, 523 semi-critical units, 4277 safe units and 71 saline units have been identified across the country. The Annual replenishable ground water resources have been estimated as 431 Billion Cubic Metres (bcm).
The Net Ground Water availability is 396 bcm and the overall stage of ground water development of the country is 61 per cent, as per the CWC website.