Over 16.66 lakh water conservation and artificial recharge structures have been constructed or renovated in Karnataka since 2021 under various initiatives of the Central and State governments
The Union Ministry of Jal Shakti has said that 74% of the 1,087 monitored wells in Karnataka have registered a rise in groundwater level in a span of one decade.
On July 24, Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti Raj Bhushan Choudhary gave this information to MP for Udupi-Chikkamagaluru Kota Srinivas Poojary in response to an unstarred question in the Lok Sabha on declining groundwater levels in Karnataka.
The Minister said the Central Groundwater Board (CGWB) monitors groundwater levels throughout the country four times every year. The district-wise groundwater level data taken during post-monsoon 2024 (November) in Karnataka indicated around 96% of the measured wells have shown water levels in the range of 0-10 metres below ground level, indicating ease of access to groundwater.
Decadal mean
Mr. Choudhary said district-wise groundwater level data of November, 2024 was compared with the decadal mean of November month of 10 years (2014-2023). The analysis indicated that around 74% of the wells monitored (1,087) have registered a rise in groundwater level. Of the 1,087 wells, 611 (56.21%) have shown 0-2 metre rise; 127 (11.68%) shown 2-4 metre; and 66 (6.07%) wells have shown more than four-metre increase.
On the other hand, 242 (22.6%) wells have recorded 0-2 metre fall in the level, while 26 (2.39%) wells have recorded more than four-metre fall in the level, the Minister said.
The Minister said the government has been implementing Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) across India since 2019 to harvest rain and take up water conservation activities. The JSA was an umbrella campaign under which various groundwater recharge and conservation work was being undertaken in convergence with various Central and State schemes.
“As per the information available on JSA dashboard, around 16.66 lakh water conservation and artificial recharge structures have been constructed or renovated in Karnataka since 2021. Additionally, 31 Jal Shakti Kendras have been set up in each district for dissemination of water-related knowledge and consultation by citizens,” he said.
Karnataka is one among seven States where Atal Bhujal Yojna, a community-led scheme for participatory groundwater management on demand-side management, is being implemented in 80 water-stressed districts. As many as 4,056 Amrit Sarovars were either constructed or rejuvenated in Karnataka under Mission Amrit Sarovar that aimed at rejuvenating at least 75 waterbodies in each district.
The Central and the State governments have spent Rs. 9,148 crore on water conservation, groundwater recharge, and rainwater harvesting activities from April, 2021 to July, 2025, he added.
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