World Bank nod for ₹6,000 cr. groundwater recharge plan

World Bank nod for ₹6,000 cr. groundwater recharge plan

News:

1. The government has joined hands with the World Bank to execute scheme called the Atal Bhujal Yojana(ABHY).

Reasons to join hands with World Bank:

2. To address concerns about depleting groundwater reserves in India.

Important facts:

3. ABHY is designed as a Central Sector Scheme with a total outlay of Rs 6,000 crore.

4. The scheme is to be implemented over a period of five years from 2018-19 to 2022-23, as per the Union water Ministry.

5. The scheme proposal has already been recommended by the Expenditure Finance Committee.

6. The scheme is yet to be cleared by the Cabinet.

7. According to a sample assessment in 2011, groundwater in 19 of India’s 71 districts-about 26% were critical or exploited.

8. In another assessment in 2013, they included groundwater blocks in districts that had gone saline, and this percentage was up to 31%.

9. Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) is regulating ground water development in 23 States/ UTs.

10. For enforcement of the regulatory measures in these areas, concerned Deputy Commissioners/ District Magistrates have been directed under Section 5 of ‘The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986’ to take necessary action in case of violations of directives of CGWA.

11. As per the assessment of dynamic ground water resources of country (As on 31^stMarch 2013)carried out jointly by CGWB and State Ground Water Departments, out of the total 6584 numbers of assessment units (Block/ Taluks/ Mandals/ watershed/ Firkka), 1034 units have been categorized as ‘Over-exploited’.

Reasons for Over-exploitation:

12. Increase in population.

13. Rapid urbanization

14. Industrization

Atal Bhujal Yojana:

Objectives:

15. To improve ground water management in priority areas in the country through community participation.

Priority areas:

16. The priority areas indentified under the scheme fall in Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

17. These areas represent about 25% of the total number of over-exploited, critical and semi-critical blocks in terms of ground water in India.