Rajasthan govt working on bill to set up 'Groundwater Conservation and Management Authority'

Jaipur: The Rajasthan government is working on a bill for the constitution of a "Groundwater Conservation and Management Authority" for the proper use of groundwater and the convenience of industrial units.

The move assumes significance in light of the fact that more than 72 percent of the water blocks in the desert state have come under the "over-exploited" category due to excessive water extraction and a limited recharge of groundwater.

The number of exploited blocks in the state has increased as compared to the previous years, according to an official.

The situation of depleting groundwater levels has also raised concerns for farmers.

According to farmers, the government should shift its focus to addressing irrigation water problems, frame irrigation schemes, and effectively implement projects such as the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP).

The ERCP was envisaged during the rule of the previous Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state to meet the irrigation and drinking water needs of 13 districts in eastern Rajasthan. The present Congress government has approved a financial proposal of Rs 14,500 crore for the project and has also been rigorously demanding that the Centre accord the status of a national project to it because of the high cost involved.

According to the latest assessment of the state's groundwater resources carried out in 2022, only 38 of the 302 units (295 blocks and seven urban units) are under the "safe" category, while 219 are over-exploited, 22 in the "critical" zone, 20 in the "semi-critical" zone, while the assessment of three units could not be carried out due to the water being saline.

In the recently-concluded Budget Session of the Rajasthan Assembly, the minister who is in charge of the groundwater department, Mahesh Joshi, informed the House that in compliance with the budget announcement to constitute a "Ground Water Conservation and Management Authority", the department has prepared the draft bill.

He said the bill has been sent to the finance department after incorporating the suggestions received from the law department.

The dynamic groundwater resources of Rajasthan, as on March 31, 2022, were assessed jointly by the Central Ground Water Board and the state groundwater department and approved by a state-level committee in September last year.

According to the report, groundwater extraction was at 151.06 percent. The highest amount of water extraction was for the purpose of irrigation.

In 14 of the 33 districts, all the blocks are over-exploited, which means the water extraction is more than 100 per cent (extraction is more than recharge).

These districts are -- Ajmer, Alwar, Bharatpur, Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Dausa, Dholpur, Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jalore, Jhunjhunu, Nagaur, Sawai Madhopur and Sikar.

In four districts -- Banswara, Dungarpur, Ganganagar and Hanumangarh -- most of the blocks are safe.

Those blocks are considered safe where the water extraction is up to 70 per cent.

RK Mishra, the superintending engineer of the groundwater department's Jaipur circle, said the water levels of the designated wells before and after monsoon are monitored and numerous other factors, including the population and industrial set-up in an area, are considered for carrying out the assessment.

"A total of 219 blocks are under the over-exploited category, according to the latest report. This number is higher than the previous years. The number of safe zones is reducing and the numbers of over-exploited, critical and semi-critical blocks are increasing due to excessive water extraction," he told PTI.

Mishra said the status of the blocks keeps changing on the basis of groundwater recharge and extraction.

In the assessment report, the annual extractable groundwater resource was 10.96 billion cubic metre (BCM), while the annual gross ground water extraction for all uses was 16.55 BCM, including 14.18 BCM for irrigation and 2.37 BCM for domestic and industrial use.

Farmer leader Rampal Jat said water works as magic and brings prosperity for agriculture and if the water issue is addressed properly by governments, many farmers would not even need to take a loan.

"The priority of the governments has been to strengthen road infrastructure and not addressing the irrigation water problems. Groundwater is constantly depleting. The excess water in rivers is being wasted. It can be utilised more meaningfully for irrigation projects, but it seems that it is not on the priority list of the governments," he said.

Citing an example of Jaipur, he said pea cultivation used to be high in Jhotwara and nearby regions and the former government was considering setting up a dedicated "mandi" (wholesale market) for the crop, which could not happen due to a constant reduction in the yield because of a lack of water.

He said when irrigation projects are set up, drinking water problems are also solved.

"The Indira Gandhi canal project in Rajasthan was made for irrigation purposes but today, several drinking water projects are linked to it," he said.

The canal is the lifeline of irrigation in Ganganagar, Hanumangarh, and nearby districts.

Another farmer in Jaipur, Ramdev Saini, said barring the northern region that has the Indira Gandhi canal, most of the areas depend on groundwater and monsoon rains for water.

He said wheat is one of the most water-intensive crops and if a proper amount of water is not given to it, the grain size is affected. He said crops that are produced with less water do not give high returns.

"The input cost gets significantly reduced when there is proper availability of water," another farmer said.