Environment and Disaster Management › Pollution
हिन्दी — Read in HindiGroundwater and water conservation
Groundwater and water conservation: the assessments that grade India's aquifers, the rules on drawing water, and the schemes that recharge wells and harvest rain. Prelims has asked about the Central Ground Water Authority and which body was constituted under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
Foundation note: Groundwater: the assessment, the four grades and who may regulate a well
Showing 2 of 5 articles, those that changed from 1 to 30 June 2026.Show all
Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0
Copy link to Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0Prelims and Mains
The Jal Jeevan Mission is the central scheme for a functional tap water connection to every rural household.
- Each household is to get 55 litres a person a day of water meeting the Bureau of Indian Standards specification IS 10500.
- JJM 1.0 built pipes and taps; JJM 2.0 shifts to sustained service of adequate quantity and prescribed quality, under reform linked memoranda with the States.
- Village Water and Sanitation Committees run in village supply, and district missions certify Panchayats.
Who runs rural water under JJM 2.0
State Water and Sanitation Mission
Signs the reform linked MoU and sets the State's policy for operation and maintenance
District Water and Sanitation Mission
Prepares Village Action Plans and certifies Gram Panchayats as capable
Gram Panchayat and Village Water and Sanitation Committee
Runs in village supply as a service of adequate quantity and prescribed quality
What changed
16 Jun 2026BriefUnder the 16th Finance Commission, 50 per cent of basic grants to local bodies are tied to water and sanitation. Completion of Gram Panchayat Development Plans by 15 August 2026 is a condition for release, and panchayats fund maintenance through user charges. PIB, 16 Jun 2026: DDWS Organises 9th District Collectors' Peyjal Samvad (opens in a new tab) · PIB, 25 Jun 2026: Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation hosted the 8th edition of Sujal Gram Samvad (opens in a new tab)
Show history (1 other update)
27 Jul 2026
- The Cabinet has extended the mission to December 2028 and raised the total outlay from ₹3.60 lakh crore to ₹8.69 lakh crore.
- As on 18 July 2026 about 82 per cent of rural households had tap water, against about 17 per cent in August 2019.
PIB, 27 Jul 2026: 15.89 Crore Rural Households Connected to Functional Household Tap Connections Under JJM (opens in a new tab) · PIB, 30 Jul 2026: WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT UNDER JAL JEEVAN MISSION (opens in a new tab)
Punjab's paddy and its groundwater
Copy link to Punjab's paddy and its groundwaterPrelims and Mains
Paddy is a water hungry kharif crop: in Punjab it needs about 25 to 30 irrigation cycles a season.
- It has assured procurement at the minimum support price, timely payment, free electricity for irrigation and a mandi network, which cotton and maize lack.
- So with total kharif area fixed, area vacated by other crops moves to paddy.
- Nearly 80 per cent of Punjab's groundwater blocks are overexploited.
- A legume such as groundnut fixes nitrogen through root nodules, saving urea for the next crop.
Spring maize versus spring groundnut
| Spring maize | Spring groundnut | |
|---|---|---|
| Irrigations | 12 to 19 | 3 to 6 |
| Duration | 90 to 100 days | 110 to 115 days |
| Soil effect | none | fixes nitrogen, breaks pest cycles |
What changed
14 Jun 2026New
- Punjab's 2026 paddy area is expected to match or exceed its record, while cotton area fell to its lowest ever.
- Transplanting began on 1 June under a staggered three zone schedule to cut peak power demand and conserve groundwater.
- The High Court struck down the State's ban on hybrid paddy, holding that seeds notified under the Seeds Act, 1966 cannot be barred administratively.
- Hybrids yield more and mature in 125 to 130 days, saving water and giving time for stubble management.
- But seed must be bought each season, and millers allege outturn below the 67 per cent minimum.
Mains: The dispute sets productivity and water saving against seed dependence and procurement norms, and needs a science based, transparent policy.
The Indian Express, 3 Jun 2026: Why Punjab could see record paddy cultivation despite repeated diversification drives (opens in a new tab) · The Indian Express, 14 Jun 2026: Why hybrid paddy continues to divide Punjab's agricultural community (opens in a new tab)