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Source: The post is based on the article “Four more states found to be water-stressed amid groundwater crisis” published in The Hindu on 27th March 2023.
What is the News?
Four more states – Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have been found to be water-stressed. These states have more than 3% of their ‘assessment areas’ falling in the over-exploited category.
These states will now be brought under the Atal Bhujal Yojana (Atal Jal) along with seven other states which are already under the scheme.
What is Atal Bhujal Yojana?
About the Groundwater Crisis in India
Groundwater plays an important role in increasing food and agricultural production, providing safe drinking water and facilitating industrial development in India.
It contributes fresh water to meet the requirements of nearly 65% of irrigated area, which caters to nearly 85% of rural drinking water and 50% of urban drinking water needs.
According to the Dynamic Ground Water Resources Assessment Report by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), the groundwater extracted in 1,186 blocks, mandals and taluks is more than what is replenished annually through rainfall and other sources.
Nearly 61% of the observation wells in the country show a long-term declining trend in groundwater levels.
Experts say poor land use policies in India have resulted in the loss of smaller wetlands and the degradation of most wetlands that ultimately pushed groundwater levels very low. Most of the wetlands are treated as wastelands by local administrations and encroached on for other land-use purposes that need to be immediately stopped.
