Srinagar, Aug 30: The Jammu and Kashmir government has constituted a Union Territory Level Committee for the assessment of groundwater resources in J&K.
The UT-level Committee will be headed by Administrative Secretary Jal Shakti Department and its objective is to ensure the assessment of the annual groundwater recharge of the Union Territory.
Further, the Committee will work on groundwater assessments for the water year (June to May ) in accordance with the approved latest methodology.
As per the government order, the committee will be serviced by the Jal Shakti Department and it will adopt improved procedures and practices wherever possible for the sake of achieving greater accuracy of assessment. The Committee will also supervise the estimation of the status of utilization of annual ex-tractable groundwater resources as in the specified water year.
The member of this committee includes the Administrative Secretary Planning Development and Monitoring Department, Director of Rural Sanitation, Director Agriculture Jammu/Kashmir, Director Industries Jammu/Kashmir, Chief Engineer PHE of J&K, Chief Engineer I&FC Jammu and Kashmir, Regional Director Central Ground Water Board Jammu, General Manager Nabard, Representative of Water Commission and other officials.
In its report, ‘National Compilation on Dynamic Ground Water Resources of India, 2020’, the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti said the groundwater resources of Jammu and Kashmir have been assessed for valley areas and outer plains in all 20 districts. “The total annual groundwater recharge has been estimated at 4.68 bcm (billion cubic metre) and the annual extractable groundwater resources is 4.22 bcm. The total current annual groundwater extraction is 0.89 bcm and the stage of groundwater extraction is 21.03 per cent,” the report stated. It said all the assessment units have been categorized as ‘safe’. “As compared to the 2017 assessment, the total annual groundwater recharge and extractable groundwater resources have increased from 2.78 bcm to 4.68 bcm and 2.50 bcm to 4.22 bcm, respectively. “The annual groundwater extraction also has increased from 0.74 bcm to 0.89 bcm. The stage of groundwater extraction has decreased from 30.80 per cent to 21.03 per cent. The increase in annual groundwater recharge is due to the additional recharge from canal seepage, return flow from irrigated fields, tanks and ponds, lakes and other surface water bodies,” the report said.
The government has entrusted the Jal Shakti department with the duty of preventing the depletion of identified groundwater resources in the Union Territory.
The Jal Shakti department was also asked to undertake extensive information, education and communication (IEC) activities and promote water conservation efforts through enhanced public participation in Jal Jeevan Mission, which aims at providing functional tap water connection to every household.
Govt constitutes UT-level committee to assess groundwater resources in J&K
