Bengaluru, 4 Sept 

The first-ever Census of 2.42 crore water bodies has been completed, and over 25 lakh sq km of aquifers mapped under the National Aquifer Management Programme, National Water Mission Director N Ashok Babu said. 

The Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal and the Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal are at various levels of hearing, he added.

He was delivering the keynote address at the Federation of Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) India CSR and Sustainability Awards on Thursday.

"As of now, as per the Central Ground Water Resources Assessment Report 2024, there are 102 over-exploited districts and 22 critical districts, whereas 69 districts are semi-critical, and the remaining 512 districts are considered safe as far as groundwater levels are concerned," Babu said.

Awards have been finalised for the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal, Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal and Kaveri Water Disputes Tribunal, he added.

The director said that the Tungabhadra Board at Hospet is working to regulate the supply of water, power and maintenance of the Tungabhadra Dam.

The director said that over two crore water conservation works and 142 crore afforestation activities have been completed, alongside 639 District Water Conservation Plans.

Talking about water conservation, he said that through the ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan – Catch the Rain’ campaign, India has achieved 11.36 billion cubic metres in water tables, greater than the storage of the Bhakra Nangal Dam.