Atal Bhujal Yojana gets World Bank approval; Management of ground water resources in the country to get a huge boost

With depleting fresh water resoucres being a huge concern, ground water management has become very important. The Central government has taken several steps in this regard and the Atal Bhujal Yojana was one of them. The Atal Bhujal Yojana, Central Sector Scheme under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, aims to address the conditions of water bodies across the country. The scheme, which is endorsed and funded by the World Bank, is intended to improve groundwater management and maintain it as a sustainable source.

The World Bank has now approved the Atal Bhujal Yojana, a Rs.6,000 Crore central government project. The funding pattern is 50:50 between Government of India and World Bank. This was informed by the PIB in a press release yesterday.

The scheme envisages active participation of the communities in various activities such as formation of Water User Associations, monitoring and disseminating ground water data, water budgeting, preparation and implementation of Gram-Panchayat wise water security plans and Information, Education & Communication (IEC) activities related to sustainable ground water management.

The identified over-exploited and water stressed areas for the implementation of the scheme fall in the States of Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. The States have been selected according to a number of criteria, including degree of groundwater exploitation and degradation, established legal and regulatory instruments, institutional readiness, and experience in implementing initiatives related to groundwater management.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Jal Shakti & Social Justice and Empowerment, Shri Rattan Lal Katariain a written reply in Lok Sabha today.

Coincidentally, leading national weeklies Organiser and Panchjanya are jointly organizing a summit on Sustanability on New Delhi. The summit will be held on December 18 and will focus on Sustainability, Development and Water Rejuvenation including management of groundwater resources.