The Ministry of Jal Shakti provided an update on various water management and conservation initiatives in response to a Rajya Sabha question. The Atal Bhujal Yojana, a community-led participatory groundwater management scheme, was implemented as a pilot scheme across 8,203 priority water-stressed Gram Panchayats in 229 blocks across 80 districts of seven states (Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh) during the period from April 1, 2020, to October 15, 2025. The scheme aimed to improve groundwater management in water-stressed areas through community-led investments and management actions, focusing on demand-side management and convergence of various Central and State schemes.
A water body census conducted by the Ministry identified, enumerated, and geo-tagged over 24.2 lakh water bodies across the country. Under the Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari (JSJB) initiative, more than 1.55 crore structures have been constructed for water conservation and groundwater recharge, all geo-tagged and uploaded on the JSJB portal.
The government employs state-of-the-art digital and technological tools for mapping, monitoring, and managing water resources. The National Aquifer Mapping and Management Programme (NAQUIM) has mapped the entire mappable area of 25 lakh sq. km under Phase 1.0, with NAQUIM 2.0 utilizing advanced technologies for detailed scientific data. Real-time groundwater monitoring is conducted through 5,260 Digital Water Level Recorders (DWLRs) under the National Hydrology Project, with integration of data from an additional 12,764 DWLRs from State Governments and 6,266 DWLRs from Atal Bhujal Yojana.
Web-based platforms include the India-Groundwater Resource Estimation System (IN-GRES) for standardized groundwater assessment and the JSA: CTR dashboard, which reported over 2.0 crore water conservation and artificial recharge works taken up through convergence as of July 28, 2026. The JSJB dashboard shows over 1.55 crore artificial groundwater recharge and storage works constructed as of May 31, 2026.
Additional technological initiatives include the 'Flood Watch India' app monitoring 592 flood stations and 150 major reservoirs, collaboration with BISAG-N and Space Application Centre for satellite data, technology-enabled monitoring under PMKSY using GIS and geo-tagging, geo-tagging and GIS-based monitoring of water bodies under PMKSY-HKKP, the Water Information Management System (WIMS) under NHP, and advanced hydrological monitoring technologies by CWC for surface water assessment.