Key Details
India is using different digital systems to map water resources, observe changing conditions and monitor conservation programmes.
Aquifer Planning: NAQUIM Phase 1 mapped the country’s entire 25 lakh sq km mappable area and produced district-level aquifer maps and management plans.
Groundwater Monitoring: The Central Ground Water Board integrates readings from more than 24,000 Digital Water Level Recorders operated by the Board, state governments and Atal Bhujal Yojana.
Water Body Mapping: The national water body census identified, enumerated and geo-tagged more than 24.2 lakh water bodies.
Conservation Tracking: The Catch the Rain dashboard records over 2 crore conservation and recharge works taken up, while Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari reports more than 1.55 crore structures constructed and geo-tagged.
Flood And Reservoir Information: Flood Watch India uses satellite data, mathematical modelling and real-time observations to provide information from 592 flood-monitoring stations and storage positions for 150 major reservoirs.
Irrigation Monitoring: PMKSY uses GIS mapping, geo-tagging, unique identification codes and digital project tools to follow irrigation and water-body restoration works.
Community Groundwater Management: The Atal Bhujal pilot used groundwater information to support demand-management plans across 8,203 water-stressed Gram Panchayats in seven states.
Digital Technologies Are Reshaping Water Governance
A Rajya Sabha reply provides a consolidated view of the digital technologies now supporting India's water sector. Rather than relying only on periodic surveys, agencies increasingly use GIS, automated sensors, satellite observations and digital dashboards to map water resources, monitor groundwater and surface water, and track conservation and irrigation projects.
Water remains a State subject, with States responsible for management. The Centre supports planning through technical assistance, national assessments, funding and digital platforms deployed across programmes such as NAQUIM, IN-GRES, Flood Watch India, PMKSY, Catch the Rain and Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari.
Groundwater Monitoring Links Science With Local Planning
The National Aquifer Mapping and Management Programme (NAQUIM) has mapped the country's 25 lakh sq km mappable aquifer area, identifying aquifers, recharge zones and groundwater sustainability while providing district-level management plans to States.
Monitoring is increasingly real-time. The Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) operates 5,260 Digital Water Level Recorders, integrated with 12,764 State-operated recorders and 6,266 additional devices installed under the Atal Bhujal Yojana.
The India-Groundwater Resource Estimation System (IN-GRES) provides a standardised framework for groundwater assessment, supporting planning under schemes such as MGNREGA, Atal Bhujal Yojana and Jal Shakti Abhiyan. The Atal Bhujal Yojana also demonstrated how scientific monitoring can support community-led groundwater management, with lessons from its pilot now shared for wider adoption.
Digital Dashboards Track Water Infrastructure and Programme Delivery
Digital platforms increasingly monitor both water resources and government interventions.
Catch the Rain has reported more than 2 crore water-conservation and recharge works undertaken.
Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari has geo-tagged more than 1.55 crore recharge and storage structures.
Flood Watch India combines satellite monitoring, modelling and real-time flood information.
PMKSY uses GIS, geo-tagging and unique identification codes to monitor irrigation infrastructure and water-body restoration.
The Catch the Rain and Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari figures are not directly comparable: they cover different initiatives and measure different stages of implementation — works taken up in one case and structures reported as constructed in the other.
Together with hydrological monitoring by the Central Water Commission, these systems increasingly support water-resource assessment, recharge planning, flood forecasting, reservoir operations, irrigation management and programme evaluation.
What Is NAQUIM?
The National Aquifer Mapping and Management Programme (NAQUIM) is a Central Ground Water Board initiative that maps India's aquifers using remote sensing, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), hydrogeological surveys and geophysical investigations. The programme generates aquifer maps and groundwater management plans that help governments identify recharge zones, assess groundwater availability and plan sustainable groundwater management interventions.
Policy Relevance
India has created water datasets at a scale that can support more targeted planning. The next policy step is to connect information across platforms and assess whether recorded interventions are improving water availability and resilience.
Moves beyond asset inventories: Geo-tagging establishes where a structure is located; groundwater levels, storage changes and irrigation performance indicate whether it is producing results.
Supports more precise interventions: Aquifer and hydrological data can help direct recharge, conservation and irrigation investments towards areas with identified water stress.
Makes data interoperability important: Common location identifiers, definitions and reporting formats would allow information from programme-specific systems to be analysed together.
Places states at the centre of implementation: Water is a state subject, making state and district capacity to interpret and use national datasets critical to their policy value.
Creates clearer performance measures: Dashboards can distinguish works initiated, completed, functional and associated with measurable changes in water conditions.
Connects technology with community management: Atal Bhujal demonstrates how scientific information can support local decisions on groundwater demand rather than only infrastructure creation.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: How can India connect its water databases and programme dashboards so that the success of conservation measures is assessed through changes in water security rather than the number of structures recorded?
Follow the Full Parliamentary Reply Here: Water Management and Conservation — Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1670