National Institute of Hydrology (NIH), Roorkee has mapped about 1,750 springs in Ravi river catchment of Himachal Pradesh, Western Ghat of Maharashtra and North Karnataka

Ground Water Management and Regulation (GWMR) Scheme is a Central Sector Scheme, which is being implemented since 2007-08 by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) in the country including Gujarat. Major activities being taken up under the scheme include aquifer mapping for the entire country and other routine activities of CGWB such as ground water level and quality monitoring on regular basis, assessment of dynamic ground water resources as per laid down periodicity in collaboration with States/UTs, regulation and control of ground water withdrawal in certain States/UTs, taking up few demonstrative recharge projects in selected water stressed areas, strengthening of scientific infrastructure for technological upgradation etc.

One of the main activity under the scheme is National Aquifer Mapping and Management Programme (NAQUIM) which is being implemented with the objectives to delineate and characterize the aquifers and develop plans for ground water management. In Gujarat, out of mappable area of 1.60 Lakh Sq Km, 1.55 Lakh Sq Km has been covered. Further, aquifer maps and management plans are shared with the State for suitable demand side and supply side interventions.

Further, under the Scheme, CGWB has also carried out high resolution aquifer mapping using heli-borne geophysical survey in around 1.00 lakh Sq Km of arid/semi-arid areas in parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Haryana. In Gujarat, heli-borne survey have been completed in 31,436 Sq Km of semi-arid area of Rajkot, Surendranagar, Morbi, Devbhumi, Dwarka and Jamnagar Districts.

Total funds allocated and utilized under the scheme during the last three years and the current year in Gujarat is given as under:

National Institute of Hydrology (NIH), Roorkee has mapped about 1,750 springs in Ravi river catchment of Himachal Pradesh, Western Ghat of Maharashtra and North Karnataka. Further, 459 Springs have been mapped in Tawi River catchment of Jammu & Kashmir. Details of such springs can be accessed in the web-links

–http://117.252.14.230:8080/TestSpring@Feb2020/

and  http://117.252.14.230:8080/TestSpring_TawiRiver/.

Further, under NAQUIM studies, 409 springs were inventoried by CGWB in Arunachal Pradesh (28), Nagaland (32), Meghalaya (153), Mizoram (16), Tripura (35), Odisha (3), West Bengal (64) and Jammu & Kashmir (78). Details of such springs can be accessed in the web-link-https://cgwb.gov.in/Ground-Water/State%20wise%20Spring%20details.pdf

Water being a State Subject, water management including mapping and rejuvenation of springs for water availability is the responsibility of respective State Governments. Further, Central Government facilitates the efforts being taken by the State Governments through technical and financial assistance.

In addition, Department of Land Resources is implementing PMKSY-Watershed development scheme, part of umbrella PMKSY scheme in rainfed/degraded land areas of the country. Under the scheme, activity on Spring-shed management (in Hilly/NE areas) has been introduced.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Shri Bishweswar Tudu in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.