On December 21, 2020, a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) was signed between Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), Ministry of Jal Shakti and Council Of Scientific And Industrial Research–National Geophysical Research Institute (CSIR-NGRI) headquartered in Hyderabad (Telangana) for use of advanced heliborne geophysical survey and other scientific studies in parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Haryana under the Aquifer Mapping Programme.
- It was signed by GC Pati, Chairman, CGWB and Virendra M.Tiwari, Director, CSIR-NGRI in the presence of the Union Minister Gajendra Singh Sekhawat, Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS) and Union Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Ministry of Science and Technology in New Delhi.
- This is the first time MoJS will use the state of the art technology for identification of aquifers in large/semi-arid areas.
- The major objectives of the study include High resolution aquifer mapping using heliborne geophysical studies.
Key Points:
–The study will generate groundwater data in very short time period and will help CGWB in finalizing the groundwater management plan for water stressed areas.
–The estimated cost of phase- I of the project would be Rs 54 Crore.
–Under phase- I of the project, an area of nearly 1 lakh sq km would be covered.
- Nearly 65,500 sq km of western arid Rajasthan (covering parts of Bikaner, Churu, Ganaga Nagar, Jalor, Pali, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Sikar districts).
- 32,000 Sq. Km arid parts of Gujarat (covering Rajkot, Jamnagar, Morbi, Surendranagar and Devbhumi Dwarka districts) and
- Nearly 2500 sq km of Haryana (covering Kurukshetra and Yamuna Nagar districts).
Recent Related News:
i.Tamil Nadu won the first place in the Union ministry of Jal Shakti’s 2nd National Water Awards for 2019 under the best state (normal) category for the conservation and management of water.
ii.On September 18, 2020 Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MEITY) in partnership with National Jal Jeevan Mission (NJJM), Ministry of Jal Shakti has launched ICT (Information & Communication Technology) Grand Challenge for Development of ‘Smart Water Supply Measurement & Monitoring System’ to be deployed at the village level.
About Central Ground Water Board (CGWB):
Chairman – GC Pati
Headquarter – Faridabad, Haryana.
CGWA was constituted under sub-section (3) of Section 3 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
