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The Uttar Pradesh authorities connected Saturday (June 6, 2026) said that integrated h2o absorption efforts are starring to an wide betterment successful water-stressed areas of the State, with the fig of over-exploited units decreasing from 82 to 44. Meanwhile, the fig of harmless artifact units accrued from 540 successful 2017 to 563 successful 2025, indicating gradual betterment crossed regions, arsenic the State advances Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)-6 targets of cleanable h2o and sanitation for all.
“From 2017 to 2025, Uttar Pradesh State has seen a notable betterment successful the presumption of its artifact groundwater appraisal units. The fig of over-exploited units decreased from 82 successful 2017 to 44 successful 2025, reflecting a simplification of 38 units. This diminution indicates advancement successful managing groundwater accent successful regions with excessive extraction. Similarly, the harmless blocks units accrued from 540 successful 2017 to 563 successful 2025, showing a gradual betterment successful regions. With each specified strategical efforts, Uttar Pradesh has besides won National Water awards twice,” Anurag Srivastava, Additional Chief Secretary, Namami Gange and Rural Drinking Water Supply Department, Government of Uttar Pradesh, said.
“This occurrence reflects the effectual implementation of policies addressing groundwater issues. By integrating strategical readying with effectual argumentation execution, Uttar Pradesh has made important advancement successful addressing h2o scarcity, improving groundwater management, and fostering sustainable development. These achievements underscore the State’s enactment successful advancing SDG-6 targets and establishing a exemplary for sustainable and equitable h2o assets management,” helium told The Hindu.
Mr. Srivastava added that the State has pursued innovative strategies, proactive initiatives, and sustained efforts towards sustainable h2o management.
“Uttar Pradesh has a mixed groundwater scenario. At 1 side, being situated successful fertile Indo-Gangetic plains, the State is blessed with affluent groundwater resources. But simultaneously, owed to dense dependence connected crushed h2o successful agriculture sectors, resources were facing challenges. Before 2016, this emerging menace was not addressed earnestly and this tin easy beryllium seen successful the Groundwater Resource Assessment Report of 2017, published by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India.
“As per 2017 report, 129 blocks of Uttar Pradesh were categorised arsenic water-stressed blocks, which see 82 over-exploited and 47 captious blocks. These were the units wherever groundwater extraction had surpassed groundwater recharge. From 2017, Uttar Pradesh has exhibited fantabulous enactment done innovative strategies, proactive initiatives, and sustained efforts towards sustainable h2o management,” Mr. Srivastava said.
“A cardinal landmark successful this respect is the enactment of the Ground Water Management and Regulation Act of 2019, which highlights Uttar Pradesh’s committedness to the businesslike regularisation and absorption of its groundwater resources. This Act aims to protect, conserve, control, and modulate groundwater resources to guarantee their sustainable absorption some successful presumption of quantity and quality. By this Act, concern groundwater request is being regulated. Further, h2o pricing and groundwater recharge person been made an integral portion of compliance conditions for NOC. The Act besides includes strict penalties for non-compliance, with much terrible consequences successful cases of groundwater pollution. Notably, the funds collected done fees and penalties are dedicated to h2o conservation activities successful the State,” helium added.
The IAS serviceman said that the Uttar Pradesh State Groundwater Department is the lone State section successful the state to person commissioned 3,511 Digital Water Level Recorders (DWLRs), the largest fig of real-time groundwater monitoring stations among each States.
“These DWLRs supply real-time groundwater data, which improves the prime and frequence of information generation. Jal Shakti Abhiyan ‘Catch the Rain’, a flagship ngo of the Government of India, has made singular improvements successful the groundwater script of Uttar Pradesh. Ground Water Department, U.P., being the nodal section of this Abhiyan successful Uttar Pradesh, monitors each enactment departments and guides them connected area-specific supply-side and demand-side interventions.
“Through the Jal Shakti Abhiyan ‘Catch the Rain’, Uttar Pradesh has precocious h2o conservation efforts, including rainwater harvesting, renovation of accepted h2o bodies, and watershed development, demonstrating its committedness to sustainable h2o management. As disposable connected the Jal Shakti Abhiyan portal, till now, nether the Jal Shakti Abhiyan campaign, 338,981 h2o conservation and rainwater harvesting structures, renovation of 27,368 accepted h2o bodies and operation of 132,788 reuse/recharge structures person been completed by Uttar Pradesh.
“Watershed improvement successful 1,438,177 micro-watershed areas, intensive afforestation with the plantation of astir 10.8 crore trees and operation of 16,630 Amrit Sarovars person further augmented groundwater resources. Further, the Minor Irrigation Department of Uttar Pradesh has besides constructed 6,627 cheque dams and 1,417 ponds to code h2o scarcity successful agrarian areas. These corporate efforts person been acknowledged by the caller Groundwater Resource Assessment Report, 2025. In 2025, full yearly groundwater recharge was recorded astatine 73.39 BCM, whereas successful 2017 it was 69.91 BCM. These h2o conservation works person created 3.48 cardinal cubic metres (BCM) of groundwater recharge,” added Mr. Srivastava.
The Additional Chief Secretary said that water, being the instauration of life, sensitising radical to its value and judicious usage is simply a premier absorption of the State government.
“All the acrophobic departments are continuously moving wrong their resources and schemes to pass much and much radical astir the same. Uttar Pradesh is the lone State successful the state that organises a week-long consciousness campaign, ‘Bhujal Saptah’, during July 16-22 each twelvemonth to sensitise radical to groundwater conservation and management. Further, to promote radical successful the ngo of h2o conservation, IEC activities specified arsenic rallies, panchayat meetings and door-to-door campaigns are organised passim the twelvemonth by the Namami Gange section of Uttar Pradesh,” Mr. Srivastava said.
