Mandate of CGWB                                 [Back] [Home]

Mandate of CGWB 

       The future of our national food security system as well as the quality of life and livelihood of millions of our people will depend more on our ability to conserve and utilize ground water resources in environment friendly, economically efficient and socially equitable manner. On the basis of the principles of ecology, efficiency, economics and equity, mandate for the Board has been postulated below :-

“Develop and disseminate technologies, monitor and implement national policies for the scientific and sustainable development and management of India’s ground water resources, including their exploration, assessment, conservation, augmentation, protection from pollution, and distribution based on principles of economic and ecological efficiency and equity”.

Commensurate with the above mandate, the objectives laid down for the Central Ground Water Board are :-

• Periodically assess the country’s ground water resources and publish once in 3 years a report on the status of India’s Ground Water Resources.

• Formulation of perspective plan, basin or sub-basin wise for harnessing ground water resources in a phased manner of need based and resolving regional imbalances.

• Monitor and guide ground water development to promote its sustainable management on principles of ecology, economics, efficiency and equity.

• Develop, refine and disseminate, on its own as well as in coordination with other agencies, basin-specific technologies for suistainable ground water development and management involving priority areas such as major command areas for conjunctive use of ground water and surface water monitoring prevention and remedy of pollution and saline ingress and the location, design, operation and maintenance devices, recycling and reuse of waster water and solutions to other problems of urban areas.

• Plan augmentation, conservation, protection and regulation of ground water resources keeping in view the existing and future ground water demand scenario.

• Establish a National Information System in collaboration with State Governments and other agencies to collect, store process and disseminate Ground water data as part of an overall water resources data bank.

• Forecast the manpower, equipment, energy and financial requirements for the ground water sector, in the context of demand projections.

• Promote the economic and efficient use of manpower, energy and equipment employed in the ground water sector through various measures including setting up performance appraisal and management information systems, training, development of technical and managerial skills, and personal development.

• Support and coordinate the efforts of State Ground Water Organisations for the planned development of their ground water resources on the above lines, specially where inter-state issues arise.

• Foster international cooperation to promote scientific exchanges, acquistion of useful technology including the use of renewable sources of energy for pumping ground water and assistance in other developing countries.

• Establish benchmarks and methodologies for ground water studies in coordination with the State Governments.

• Promote environmental awareness and water quality consciousness.

• Establish a National Institute for Ground Water Research, Training & Management and organize all India Coordinated Research Projects involving appropriate institutions and universities, in order to foster the growth of a national grid of R&D institutions, covering different aspects of ground water conservation and utilization.