New Delhi, Dec 9 (UNI) Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat told the Rajya Sabha on Monday that there was a possibility of water crisis in more than 1,500 blocks of 256 districts in the country and a special campaign was being launched to deal with it.
Replying to a supplementary question during Question Hour in the House, Mr Shekhawat rejected the NITI Aayog report 'Composite Water Management Index' that groundwater would be depleted by 2020 in 21 cities of the country. He said this report was based on estimates of groundwater recharge and its removal. It did not take deep ground water level into account.
He said the government had started Jal Shakti Abhiyan in which efforts would be made to improve ground water level in more than 1,500 blocks of those 256 districts. For this, a team consisting of Central, state and local authorities had been formed for each district.