ENVIS Centre: Uttar Pradesh
Status of Environment and Related Issues

          ·         In the State, Ground Water resources are mainly used in following sectors:

Ø  Irrigation sector: 70%                                     

Ø  Drinking water: 80%

Ø  Industrial sector: 85%

        ·         Growing dependency on ground water resources can be assessed by the fact that the rate of ground water development/ exploitation estimated as 54.31% in the year 2000 has sharply increased to 73.65% in the year 2011, approaching stressful condition of ground water regime.

           ·         Large scale exploitation is being done from 42 lakh shallow tube wells, 46771 medium tube wells and 33375 state tube wells in minor irrigation sector.

          ·         As per the estimates, under the drinking water schemes, about 5500 million litter ground water from 659 urban areas and more than7800 million litter ground water from rural areas is being abstracted every day.

            ·         In past years, ground water level decline is recorded in 659 blocks out of 820 blocks.

            ·         As per ground water estimation (as on 31 March, 2011), 111 blocks are categorized as over-exploited, 68 as critical and 82 as semi critical in the state. In the year 2000, the number of over-exploited & critical blocks was only 22, which has increased more than eight times, i.e. 179 in the year 2011.