The Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) data has revealed that approximately 57 per cent of the wells monitored in Punjab have registered a rise in groundwater levels while 43 per cent wells have shown decline over the past decade.The rise is mostly in the range of 0-2 metres, according to information shared by the Ministry of Jal Shakti with the Parliament on Monday. The data was collected by CGWB to assess the long-term fluctuation in groundwater level.“The decline in groundwater levels across various regions of the country attributes to multiple factors including over-extraction, deforestation, inefficient irrigation practices and region-specific hydro-geological conditions. Excessive groundwater withdrawal beyond the annual recharge capacity has contributed to significant depletion in north-western states, including Punjab,” the Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Raj Bhushan Choudhary, said in the Rajya Sabha while replying to a question by MP Sant Balbir Singh.“However, the groundwater water is replenished through rainfall, return flow from irrigation, canal seepage, recharge from surface water bodies etc.,” he added. Water being a state subject, the aspects including its conservation and management are studied, planned, funded and executed by the state governments. The Central Government supplements the efforts of the state governments by providing technical support and in some cases, partial financial assistance.The minister said that major interventions undertaken by the Central Government for sustainable groundwater management in the country, including the state of Punjab, include National Aquifer Mapping and Management Programme (NAQUIM) to delineate aquifer disposition and characterisation for the preparation of aquifer/area specific ground water management plans with community participation.Studies have been carried out in Punjab covering an area of 50,369 square kilometres and the aquifer maps and management plans have been shared with the respective state agencies for implementation.In Punjab, NAQUIM 2.0 studies were undertaken for category areas, namely poor quality and over-exploited, in Ludhiana and Sangrur districts, to obtain higher granular information for issue based scientific inputs towards groundwater management.A master plan for the artificial recharge of groundwater in Punjab, covering an area of 45,592 square kilometres has been prepared and shared with the state government for suitable interventions.The ministry has circulated a model bill to all the states and UTs to enable the enactment of suitable ground water legislation for regulation of its development. So far, 21 states and UTs, including Punjab, have adopted and implemented the legislation.Awareness generation programmes and workshops on various aspects of ground water, including preventing ground water pollution and safe use of contaminated water, are being conducted by CGWB, periodically. In Punjab, 41 public interaction programmes have been organised, in which over 6,000 people participated.Other nationwide measures include rainwater harvesting with scientific monitoring of parameters like hydrogeology, groundwater contamination, pollution and spring discharges. In order to increase availability of utilisable water in urban areas.To enhance water quality monitoring efficiency, a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for groundwater quality monitoring under CGWB has been introduced, incorporating more frequent and denser sampling in vulnerable areas, including Punjab. Fortnightly results of chemical analysis data carried out by CGWB are being shared with the state government since June 2024.