GROUNDWATER SCENERIO IN District: & Chatra

Swati Dokania

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY TRUST

Table of Content:

Topic Page No. • Introduction 3 • Source of ground water 3 • Types of water assessment units 6 • Source of ground water recharge 7 • Annual extractable ground water 8 resource • Validity stage of ground water 9 extraction

• Yearly municipal budget and their 9 development 10 • Legal provisions 12 • Conclusion

2

Introduction

In this paper, we shall be looking at the groundwater resources in the two districts of Jharkhand namely, Bokaro and Chatra. Bokaro is one of the 24 districts of the state of Jharkhand with a population of 20, 21,918 (as on 2011)1. It’s a newly formed district created on 1st April, 19912 craved out from Dhandbad and Giridh district. is the district headquarter of Bokaro. The district Bokaro comprises of two sub-divisions namely and . It consists of eight blocks i.e. Chas, , , Bermo, Peterwar, , Jaridih and alongwith 251 gram panchayats and 744 villages. flows from west to east in the central part of the district. Konark and Jamuniya are other two important rivers of the district.

Chatra is a district in Jharkhand state with a population of 13, 11,382 (as on 2011 census)3.It was formed on 29th of May, 19914.The district is divided into 12 blocks alongwith 154 gram panchayats and 1474 villages. The main rivers5 of the district are Yamuna, Barki, Chako, Damodar and Garhi. Chatra itself serves as the districts headquarter.

Source of Groundwater

As per the research, the principal source of ground water in both the districts is rainfall. Bokaro receives an annual average rainfall of 1363.576. According to the district survey report2018, the maximum rainfall received by the district is 1669.587.More rainfall in the area attracts clouds and brings rainfall to the area. While, the annual precipitation received by Chatra is 1250mm (as per the CGWB report).

In the year 2020, the actual rainfall level for the was 1,174.82 mm8 while that for Bokaro was 1099.71 mm9.The Chatra district faces drought because of the irregular precipitation10.

As per the records of IMD maps presented by SANDRP11, the amount of rainfall from 1-06-2021 to 30-6-2021 for Bokaro was 36 percent and for Chatra was 6 percent. The pre monsoon rate of rainfall12 for the period 1-03-2021 to 31-06-2021 was recorded as 110 and 296 percent

1 Page 3, at a glance, sl no. 1 , http://cgwb.gov.in/District_Profile/Jharkhand/Bokaro.pdf 2 Brief history of the district, https://bokaro.nic.in/history/ 3 Page5,chatra at a glance, sl no. 1, http://cgwb.gov.in/District_Profile/Jharkhand/Chatra.pdf 4About district, https://chatra.nic.in/ 5Page 10, drainage, http://cgwb.gov.in/District_Profile/Jharkhand/Chatra.pdf 6 Page 9, rainfall and climate, http://cgwb.gov.in/District_Profile/Jharkhand/Bokaro.pdf 7 Page 27, district survey report-Bokaro, https://cdn.s3waas.gov.in/s3a760880003e7ddedfef56acb3b09697f/uploads/2018/10/2018103194.pdf 8Chatra district rainfall, https://knoema.com/atlas/India/Chatra-District/Rainfall-actual-level 9 Bokaro rainfall, https://knoema.com/atlas/India/Bokaro/Rainfall-actual-level 10 Page 10,2.0, hydrometerology,http://cgwb.gov.in/District_Profile/Jharkhand/Chatra.pdf 11 District rainfall departure map- Jharkhand,https://sandrp.in/2021/06/30/june-2021-district-wise-rainfall-in-in- -sw-monsoon/ 12 District rainfall departure map-Jharkhand,https://sandrp.in/2021/06/01/state-wise-rainfall-pre-monsoon-2021- season/

3 respectively. Both the districts receive most of its rainfall during the rainy seasons. The rate of rainfall has moderately declined in both of the districts.

In addition to it, the other major source of ground water in both the districts is the rivers that flow through it. Bokaro is 224 m above sea level. The district receives most of the groundwater from the Damodar River which flows from the west to east in the central part of the district. The major rivers of the Chatra districts are Yamuna, Barki, Chako, Damodar and Garhi. Some waterfalls are also observed in the districts.

Judging the historical water level trends (2009 – 2018)13 given by CGWB (Central Ground Water Board) the ground water level in Bokaro shows fluctuations. shows a fall of 0.2677 m/ year, Chas shows decline of 0.2401m/ year and Tenughat shows decline of 0.0524 m/year. Rise in few blocks has been observed. Petarbar shows a rise of 0.0898 m/ year, Jaina More also shows a rise in the level by 0.0784m/ year. The block Bermo also shows a rise of 0.1856 m/year. The fluctuating level of groundwater in the district is an alarming issue. The groundwater level in chatra shows decline of 0.1134 m/year in Bagra and rise of 0.0799 m/ year in Simaria. The level of groundwater is declining in the district of Chatra as well.

As per the records by the Ground Water Year Books of Jharkhand, the pre-monsoon water level in the year 201814 for the Bokaro district was minimum 3.10 m bgl and maximum 11.10 m bgl while that for Chatra district was mininmum 5.90 m bgl and maximum 13.33 m bgl. On May 201915, the depth in Bokaro district was minimum 2.89 m bgl and maximum 12.65 m bgl while that for Chatra was minimum 5.10 m bgl and maximum 15.75 m bgl. . On January 202016, the depth in Bokaro district was minimum 2.31 m bgl and maximum 8.51 m bgl while that for Chatra was minimum 1.80 m bgl and maximum 10.45 m bgl. The annual range of fluctuation in the level of groundwater from May 2018 to may 201917 was minimum 0.003and maximum 0.45 m bgl rises and minimum 0.1 and maximum 6.47 m bglfalls in Bokaro district. While, minimum 2.2 and maximum 2.2 m bgl rise and minimum 0.87 and maximum 4.9 m bgl fall in Chatra.

As per the records by the Ground Water Year Books of Jharkhand ,the range of fluctuation between (2003 May - 2012May) - 2013/May18 for Bokaro was minimum 0.85 and maximum 4.41 m bgl rise and minimum 0.31 and maximum 2.41 m bgl fall. That for Chatra district was a

13 Annexure- 2, Page 56, http://cgwb.gov.in/Regions/MER/Reports/Revised%20Ground%20Water%20Year%20Book%202018-19- 11.5.2020-Jharkhand.pdf 14 Page 12, table 2, district wise categorization of depth to water level may 2108,sl no. 1& 2, http://cgwb.gov.in/Regions/MER/Reports/Revised%20Ground%20Water%20Year%20Book%202018-19- 11.5.2020-Jharkhand.pdf 15 Page 12, table 2,district wise categorization of depth to water level may 2019,sl no. 1& 2, http://cgwb.gov.in/Regions/MER/Reports/Ground%20Water%20Year%20Book%202019-20-Jharkhand.pdf 16 Page 15, table 5, district wise categorization of depth to water level Jan. 2020, http://cgwb.gov.in/Regions/MER/Reports/Ground%20Water%20Year%20Book%202019-20-Jharkhand.pdf 17 Page 12, table 6,district wise categorization of annual fluctuation level, http://cgwb.gov.in/Regions/MER/Reports/Ground%20Water%20Year%20Book%202019-20-Jharkhand.pdf 18 Page 68, table 14 , http://cgwb.gov.in/Regions/GW-year-Books/GWYB-2013-14/Jharkhand%20GWYB13-14.pdf

4 fall of minimum 1.57 and maximum 2.15 m bgl. The range of fluctuation between January (2010-2019 mean) - January, 202019 for Bokaro was minimum 0.25 and maximum 2.04 m bgl rise and minimum 0.25 and maximum 0.62 m bgl fall. And that for Chatra district was minimum0.08 and maximum 3.4 m bgl rise and minimum 0.38 and maximum 3.8 m bgl fall. The data clearly says that the rise in the level of groundwater in both the districts has declined.

The readings from few more data of water level trends in both the districts show the depletion in the ground water level. For instance20, the level of groundwater in Bokaro district on August 2018 was minimum 0.90 m bgl and maximum 9.95 m bgl and that for Chatra district was 1.17 m bgl and 10.16m bgl. There was a sudden decrease with 2.49 m bgl minimum in Boakro and 4.37 m bgl minimum in Chatra to 10.81 maximum in Bokaro and 12.21 in Chatra on January 2019. The exploitation of groundwater in the name of development is a key factor contributing to sudden decrease in the levels of groundwater.

As per the records from news article Down to Earth21, Jharkhand has been said to be a drought prone. Both the districts recorded rain shortages of about 40 percent and above during the monsoon in the year 2018. Delayed monsoon and inadequate irrigation facility has led to crop failure in the state. Reasons farmers are committing suicide in the state. Most of the blocks of chatra district show that the ground water level is moderately poor22.Another news article23 posted on 4th of august 2015 by The Pioneer, also witnessed the decline of groundwater level in the districts.

According to an article published by Jagran24, a farmer named Lokenath in Chatra district hanged himself because of the abundant water supply. The report says that a sum of Rs. 50,000 was taken as loan from a relative. The farmer being unable to repay the loan was going through a mental stress from months.

Both the districts namely Bokaro and Chatra district suffers from a major water quality poblem.a study of past datas by CGWB brings out some troubling details. To understand it better , it is imerative to know that ph is a measure of how acidic or basic the water is , TDS is a measure of how many particles of dissolved solids the water contains and EC is a measure of the electrical conductivity of water. The results of the ground water samples were evaluated in accordance

19 Page 26, table 16, http://cgwb.gov.in/Regions/MER/Reports/Ground%20Water%20Year%20Book%202019-20- Jharkhand.pdf 20 Groundwater year book 2018-19 ,page 15, http://cgwb.gov.in/Regions/MER/Reports/Revised%20Ground%20Water%20Year%20Book%202018-19- 11.5.2020-Jharkhand.pdf 21 News article, down to earth, https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/agriculture/drought-but-why-jharkhand- staring-at-food-insecurity-63484 22 Map, https://chatra.nic.in/ground-water-potential-map/ 23 News article,https://www.dailypioneer.com/2015/state-editions/groundwater-level-on-rise-in-71-wells-in- jharkhand.html 24 Jagran, news article, farmer hangs himself,https://www.jagran.com/jharkhand/chatra-farmer-suicide-with-debt-in- jharkhand-19224502.html

5 with the standard (ISI-1993) for drinknig purpose in the district of Bokaro25. The EC value varies from 455-1421 micro siemans/ cm. The constituents are under permissible limits as per the Indian Standard of Drinking Water ( BIS 10500-91). The Ph value of ground water in Bokaro indicates its alkaline nature. The total CaCO3 value varies from 170-420 mg/l. The ground water is contaminated with fluoride in two blocks. Iron is also found above desirable limit. Elements like Mn & Zn is found above permissible limit around industrial area. While in the district of Chatra, the nature of ground water is slightly alkaline. As stated in the CGWB report, the EC value varies from 655-2408 micro siemans/cm.26 The suitability of ground water for drinking purpose has been evaluated on the basis of Ph, total hardness, Ca, C1, F AND NO3. The presence of F and NO3 is beyond the permissible limit in Chatra district. It can be concluded that the presence of alkaline, iron and flouride makes the water unfit for drinking.

Types of Water Assessment Units

The units for ground water assessment are blocks, mandals, talukas, fikras, etc. These units are further categorized on the basis of stage of ground water development and long term water level trend i.e. pre monsoon and post monsoon water levels. There are four categories, namely safe, critical, semi-critical and over-exploited zone. 'Safe' areas have ground water potential for development, ‘Semi-critical' areas means where cautious groundwater development is recommended. 'Critical' areas and 'Over-exploited' areas are the areas where there should be intense monitoring and evaluation and future ground development along with water conservation measures27.

As per nationwide the survey, Dynamic Groundwater Resources Assessment of India – 201728shows the assessment mentioned in table 1 below:

Table -1 DISTRICT SAFE CRITICAL SEMI- OVER- CRITICAL EXPLOITED Bokaro 1) 1)Bermo 2)Chas 3)Baliapur

No categorization of records has been found for Chatra District.

Source of Groundwater Recharge

25 Bokaro, district at a glance, page 4, sl no. 11, http://cgwb.gov.in/District_Profile/Jharkhand/Bokaro.pdf 26 Chatra, district at a glance, page 5, sl no. 11 , http://cgwb.gov.in/District_Profile/Jharkhand/Chatra.pdf 27 FAQ, central ground water board, http://cgwb.gov.in/faq.html 28 Page 125, http://cgwb.gov.in/GW-Assessment/GWRA-2017-National-Compilation.pdf 6

The level of ground water is declining because of the over- extraction of the ground water. Ground water is a subject to stress both from the point of quality and quantity. Ground water recharge can be done in two ways, either naturally or artificially.

According to the Dynamic Ground Water Assessment of India, 201729 during the monsoon season, the recharge from rainfall in the district of Bokaro was 23143.61 and recharge from other sources was 626.87. During the non monsoon season, the recharge from rainfall was 1690.79 and recharge from other sources was 1502.56.While the recharge from rainfall in the district of Chatra was 25140.17 and recharge from other sources was 753.86 during the monsoon period. And, the recharge from rainfall was 1554.12 and recharge from other sources was 2670.89 during the non- monsoon season. The total annual groundwater recharge fro Bokaro was 26963.83 and for Chatra was 30119.04.

According to the CGWB (2013)30, no awareness program or training for water harvesting has been made for both the districts. It’s simply written that no efforts have been taken for artificial recharge and rain water harvesting in the district profiles of both the districts.

According to the Interim Report31 of MINISTRY OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION, in the state of Jharkhand only 2 artificial recharge projects were implemented in the district of Dhandbad(2016) . No other projects were implemented in any of the districts.

As per the article published on Down to Earth32,the Government of Jharkhand resolved to construct around 6,00,000 ‘Dobha’ (farm ponds) in the state by the end of 2017.however, at the end of march 2017, only 40 percent of the target could be met.

Also an article published on 23rd of June, 2012 in Times of India33, Bokaro is the first in the Adra division to set up a rainwater harvesting pit at the station. The objective was to conserve the rain water and also to end the trouble passengers are facing in the summers. The cost of the project was Rs. 30 lakhs and the project was to be completed in a month. The rain water logged on tracks of platform or terminals during the monsoon would be drained out into huge pits which will later be soaked by the inside the earth. The installation will help in maintaining the groundwater level throughout the year and will also stop the hand pumps from drying up. According to an article published on 16th of October, 2019 in the JAGRAN34, the Rain Water

29 Page 86, http://cgwb.gov.in/GW-Assessment/GWRA-2017-National-Compilation.pdf 30 Distict profile, sl no. 13, sl no. 14http://cgwb.gov.in/District_Profile/Jharkhand/Bokaro.pdf, , http://cgwb.gov.in/District_Profile/Jharkhand/Chatra.pdf 31 Page 33, Jharkhand, http://cgwb.gov.in/AR/Document/Interim_Report-1_20.10..2016.pdf 32 News article, down to earth, https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/agriculture/drought-but-why-jharkhand- staring-at-food-insecurity-63484 33TOI,News article, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ranchi/Rainwater-harvesting-pit-at-Bokaro-station- soon/articleshow/14350534.cms?from=mdr 34 Jagran news article,https://www.jagran.com/jharkhand/bokaro-bokaro-railway-station-is-quenching-the-thirst-of- passengers-saving-every-drop-of-rain-jagran-special-19672241.html 7

Harvesting Project at Bokaro station is serving drinking water to 1000s of passengers for seven years.

According to an article posted on Jagran35 (10 July 2020), rainwater harvesting, plantation will be done in the Railway stations through Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act in the district of Chatra.

Annual Extractable Groundwater Resource

The Dynamic Ground Water Resources of the country are being periodically assessed jointly by Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) and State Governments. As per the 2017 assessment36, total Annual Extractable Ground Water Resources for the district of Bokaro is 24605.19 Billion Cubic Meter (BCM) and that for Chatra is 27586.39 Billion Cubic Meter (BCM). The purpose and rates of extraction are given below:

Bokaro

Purpose Rate • Irrigation 2200.25 ham • Industrial 3773.07 ham • Domestic 6031.56 ham This brings the total amount of actual extraction to 12004.88ham, which is almost ½ of the total extractable ground water resource. The stage for ground water extraction for Bokaro is 48.79 percent.

Chatra

Purpose Rate • Irrigation 5917.00 ham • Industrial 708.58 ham • Domestic 1705.92 ham This brings the total amount of actual extraction to 8331.50ham, which is almost more then 1/3rd of the total extractable ground water resource. The stage for ground water extraction for Chatra is 30.20 percent.

35 Jagran , Chatra rainwater harvesting, https://www.jagran.com/jharkhand/chatra-now-rain-water-harvesting-will- be-done-from-mnrega-in-railways-20495919.html 36Page 86, Dynamic Ground Water resources of India 2017, http://cgwb.gov.in/GW-Assessment/GWRA-2017- National-Compilation.pdf

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The Ministry of Jal Shakti, Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) notified revised guidelines37 for ground water extraction which was made effective from June, 2019. The most important feature of the new guidelines was the concept of water conservation fee (WCF). The WCF differs from area to area and also the type of industry. This is done to discourage the setting up of new industries in the over-exploited and critical areas. The other important feature of the new guideline is that it encourages use of recycled and treated sewage water by industries etc. Also, the exemption from requirement of NOC (no objection certificate) has been given to the agricultural users.

Validity Stage of Groundwater Extraction

According to GEC2015 methodology38, if the stage of ground water extraction is <70 percent then it is categorized as safe. Thus both the districts are categorized as safe as per the Gec15 Methodology.

The ground water extraction rate is higher in India as compared to other countries in the world. The estimation of ground water extraction components vary from area to area. The estimation must be done accurately as there is no accurate method and common procedure. As per the Dynamic Ground Water Resource Assessment of India 201739, the stage of ground water extraction was 48.79% for the district of Bokaro and 30.20% for the district of Chatra. As per the records of Dynamic Ground Water Resource Assessment 2013, the stage of groundwater development for the Bokaro is 46 percent and that for Chatra is 32 percent which is very less in comparison to the extraction.

Yearly Municipal Budget and Their Development 40

In the CGWB reports for September 201341, it’s clearly mentioned on the very first page i.e. District at a glance of both the districts that no amount has been allotted for artificial recharge and rainwater harvesting. The column for projects completed by CGWB (no. and amount spent) is NIL for both the districts. Also, the number of projects under technical guidance of CGWB mentions NIL.

The Water Resources Department by Government of Jharkhand, has reported many ongoing major and medium projects for the state as a whole. Many major and minor irrigation schemes, flood control projects, command area developments were ongoing in the state. The district of

37 Press release, Water conservation fee, https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1555824 38 Page 60, 5.6.1.14.1, http://cgwb.gov.in/Documents/GEC2015_Report_Final%2030.10.2017.pdf 39 Dynamic Groundwater Resources assessment , page 86, http://cgwb.gov.in/GW-Assessment/GWRA-2017- National-Compilation.pdf 40 Project wise Impact Assessment of Completed Demonstrative Artificial Recharge Projects of XIth plan, http://cgwb.gov.in/AR/Document/Interim_Report-1_20.10..2016.pdf 41 Page 4,sl no.14, http://cgwb.gov.in/District_Profile/Jharkhand/Bokaro.pdf ,page 6, sl no. 14, http://cgwb.gov.in/District_Profile/Jharkhand/Chatra.pdf

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Bokaro has one ongoing project named Konar Irrigation Scheme42 which was started in the year 1975. Many more districts/ blocks were attached to this scheme. The total amount allotted in total was 15.00 crores. Expenditure up to May 2018 was 1.13 crores. The physical progress and development was 85 percent in main canals and 37 percent in dist. As per the details given by the Department of Economic Affairs of Government of India, the project was delayed by 20-30 years because of shortage of funds and unavoidable reasons (land acquisition, forest clearance, etc.). According to a news article published on Hindustan Times43, the project was hanged for so many years because of the death of five laborers during the construction. The project was inaugurated after 41 years with the estimated cost of Rs 2,176.25 crore. The objective was to supply the water from the dam directly to the farmland. The article state that Rs 477.19 crore has already been spent till July 2019. The deadline for project completion is 2021.

A workshop44 regarding Jal Shakti Abhiyan was organized in the Chatra district. The objective was to make people aware of the present groundwater scenario of the district and also the importance of Jal Shakti Abhiyan. Bokaro has been listed for the Jal Shakti Abhiyan.

No data is available for the Chatra district.

Legal provisions

Jharkhand is one such state that has created the Jharkhand State Ground Water Development & Management (Control & Regulation) Act-2019 to regulate and control the development and management of ground water in the state. The objective of this act is to keep control on exploitation of ground water in those regions where ground water exploitation exceeds its availability.

i) The Jharkhand State Ground Water Development & Management (Control & Regulation) Act-2019: According to The Jharkhand State Ground Water Development & Management (Control & Regulation) Act-201945, no grant of permit is required for extracting water for small irrigation farmers, domestic purposes (but the boring should not be greater than 4 inches). All other users except them such as, industries, institution, commercials, etc. are required to take permission from the authority for the extraction of ground water. All the existing users shall apply to the JGWA (Jharkhand State Ground Water Authority) for grant of a certificate of Registration to the State within a period of one hundred eighty days from the date of

42 Scheme wise financial report 2018-19, http://wrdjharkhand.nic.in/pdf/Expenditure_OngoingMay18.pdf 43 News article, https://www.hindustantimes.com/ranchi/41-years-on-jharkhand-s-konar-irrigation-project- inauguration-today/story-8pJinJSe0HXve8iBgDgraO.html 44 Live Hindustan, https://www.livehindustan.com/jharkhand/chatra/story-chatra-rain-water-harvesting-seminar- organised-2607722.html 45 CHAPTER – II Constitution of the Authority, Section 10, 11,12 ,13 http://wrdjharkhand.nic.in/What's%20New/Ground%20Water%20Regulation%20Act-2019_PDF.pdf 10

establishment of Authority. Decision regarding the grant or refusal of a Certificate of Registration shall be intimated by the Authority within 90days.

In granting refusal or permit the authorities must keep in mind the purpose for which the ground water is to be used. No permission must be granted in the areas categorized as over-exploited and critical for commercial and industrial purposes. (Section 11, 12)

The act also states that no permission must be granted if there’s a problem in the water quality i.e. not drinkable or fit for human consumption. It is made mandatory for all existing users to practice artificial recharge through scientific techniques. ( Section 11.4.3, 11.4.4.1)

Every person needs to register his machinery for carrying on business of digging wells or extracting ground water which is valid only for tenure of 6 months. (Section 13)

In addition to it, rainwater harvesting structures are to be constructed in all existing and new residential, commercial, public and open areas to improve the groundwater situation. (Section 23, 24)

In addition to this, provision is being made to improve the ground water status in the critical areas by adopting methods which can conserve the rain water and ensure the recharge of ground water. The control over ground water is essential for meeting the needs of future generations.

• Penalty46:

Section 33 deals with penalty in case of any offence. A sum which may extend to Rs. Ten Thousand shall be charged for the first offence. For any subsequent offences, imprisonment extending up to one year and a fine of Rs. Fifty thousand or both.

It can be concluded that the Act had certain limitations, it do not talk on issues like, amount of water that can be withdrawn for agriculture and many more. The main goal of this act is to secure a sustainable and adequate supply of groundwater of prescribed quality to all.

ii) The Jharkhand Building By-laws 201647: The state of Jharkhand is governed by The Jharkhand Building By-laws 2016. According to Section 51 of the bill, the rainwater harvesting shall be made mandatory for every plot of 300sq.m and above. The dimension of recharging pits and trenches shall be at least 6 cubic meters for every 100 sq.m of roof area. According to section 51.1.1, the terrace shall be connected to a sump or the well through a filtering tank by PVC pipe for terrace water collection.

46 Section 33, http://wrdjharkhand.nic.in/What's%20New/Ground%20Water%20Regulation%20Act-2019_PDF.pdf

47 Section 51, Jharkhand building by laws,https://www.latestlaws.com/bare-acts/state-acts-rules/jharkhand-state- laws/jharkhand-building-byelaws-2016/

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iii) Jharkhand Water Resources Regulatory Authority Act, 201448: The Act states the powers, functions and duties of the authorities. For instance, determining and regulating the distribution of entitlement of water for irrigation, domestic and industrial use on a yearly/seasonal basis. Regulating and fixing water tariff system and charges. Ensuring publication of annual audit reports and statistical data.

Conclusion

From the above evidences presented in this paper, the following conclusions can be drawn.

• Firstly, there’s a lack of transparency. The websites are not updated and no current data can be found. The official district sites don’t hold any proper information regarding the groundwater. Also, the websites of CGWB has not been updated. No further reports are available for the areas which were categorized as semi-critical and over-exploited in the year 2013. • As stated above, no awareness programs has been conducted in both the districts as far therefore, there a need to conduct some awareness programs. People should be made aware about the existing laws. They should be aware of the alarming situation of the groundwater and scarcity the future generations are going to face. They should be motivated to practice easy artificial recharges and stop wastage of water. • Since it’s mentioned in the reports that no measures has been taken for artificial recharge till the year 2013, but in the year 2014 to 2020 I barely see any difference. There are two reasons: Firstly, I have not seen any data published online. Secondly, no authority has written despite of their report publication on whether the water is safe for drinking purpose or the efforts has been taken for rain water harvesting. • As per some news articles, many districts and blocks of Jharkhand has been notified as the drought hit areas. But no official websites provide any information regarding it. The CGWB report shows that the district of Bokaro falls under safe category. But on widening the research few blocks has been found to be semi-critical and over-exploited. While no data is available regarding the other district. • There’s a presence of alkaline in the groundwater of both the districts. Also the presence of fluoride and iron makes the water unfit for drinking. Also, there are many coal factories in the state which dumps the hazardous liquids in the rivers. These chemicals pollute the rivers. Various steps should be taken to clean the rivers. • Since the estimation of ground water extraction components vary from area to area that’s why an extensive research may be done. A committee may be set up to know the extraction components that are needful for both the districts. • There is a huge scope of development in both the districts as plenty of rivers flow through the districts. No major project has been implemented so far.

48 https://www.indiacode.nic.in/bitstream/123456789/4324/1/water_regulatory_authority_eng.-1.pdf

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Based on the information present on the internet regarding the groundwater in both the districts, one cannot form any opinion as the data is very scarce.

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