Assam Leads in Extractable Groundwater in Northeast: Ministry of Jal Shakti Report Reveals

GUWAHATI: Assam has the highest quantity of extractable groundwater among the north-eastern states, including Sikkim. The north-eastern states, including Assam, have a total of 29.114 billion cubic metres (BCM) of extractable groundwater in 2023.

The recent report of the Ministry of Jal Shakti has revealed this fact. The Central Groundwater Board (CGWB) assesses the dynamic groundwater resources jointly with the states and union territories concerned. In the Northeast, the CGWB assesses dynamic groundwater resources jointly with the individual states concerned. 

According to the report of the union ministry, in 2023, Assam had 20.93 BCM of extractable groundwater and 21.4 BCM in 2022. 

The report also revealed the extractable groundwater of other states in the Northeast for the year 2023 as 4.16 BCM in Arunachal Pradesh, 0.466 BCM in Manipur, 1.51 BCM in Meghalaya, 0.2 BCM in Mizoram, 0.54 BCM in Nagaland, 1.09 BCM in Tripura, and 0.218 BCM in Sikkim. 

The report further said that the central government is cognizant of the importance of groundwater resources in the country, including in the north-eastern region. However, water being a state subject, sustainable development and management of groundwater resources are primarily the responsibility of the state governments. The central government facilitates the efforts of the state governments by way of technical and financial assistance through its various schemes and projects.

The important steps taken by the Ministry of Jal Shakti and other central ministries are: The Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has completed the National Aquifer Mapping (NAQUIM) Project in the entire mappable area of the country, including the entire mappable area of 89,596 sq. km in the north-eastern states. The aquifer maps and management plans have been prepared and shared with the respective state agencies for implementation. The management plans include various water conservation measures through recharge structures.

The Union ministry revealed these statistics while replying to a query from Assam MP Gaurav Gogoi in the Lok Sabha recently.

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