During the assessments conducted under Atal Bhujal Yojana in 2023-24 and 2024-25, 180 out of 229 blocks have shown measurable improvement in groundwater levels.
Water Budgeting
- Definition: A systematic assessment that calculates water availability against demand within a defined geographical unit (village, watershed, block, etc.) to ensure balanced use.
- Calculation: Weighs inputs (rainfall, surface inflows, groundwater recharge) against outputs (evapotranspiration, runoff, groundwater discharge).
- Balancing Demand & Supply
- Agriculture Alignment: Water budgeting aligns crop planning with local water availability, improving productivity and reducing risk.
- Livestock Integration: Accounts for rising water demand from allied sectors such as livestock and fisheries, supporting diversified rural livelihoods.
Government Initiatives aiding Water Budgeting
- Atal Bhujal Yojana (2019): Mandates Gram Panchayat level water budgets and revives traditional conservation systems like Gokatte, Bawdi, Johad, and Tanka.
- National Water Mission (NWM): Promotes water budgeting as a core element of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) and emphasizes women-led participation.
- Varuni App: Developed under Indo-German project with NITI Aayog support; automatically generates block-level water budgets using rainfall, land-use, etc data.
- State-Level Action:
- Mukhyamantri Jal Swavlamban Abhiyan (Rajasthan): Launched in 2016 based on "Four Waters Concept"; led to about a 4% rise in groundwater levels.
Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyan (Maharashtra): Launched in 2014 using geotagging and app-based monitoring; helped make over 11,000 villages drought-free
