Majority of the blocks in Odisha have safe groundwater: CM Majhi
BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Thursday informed the Assembly that vast majority of blocks in the state remain in the ‘safe’ category in terms of groundwater availability, according to the latest assessment.
Replying to a question from BJD MLA Sarada Prasad Nayak, the chief minister said that as per the Groundwater Resource Assessment (GWRA)-2025, out of the total 314 blocks in the state, 298 blocks have been classified as safe, while 10 blocks fall under the semi-critical category. No block in Odisha has been classified as over-exploited or critical, he added.
Providing districtwise details, Majhi said the semi-critical blocks include Baliapal in Balasore district, Korei in Jajpur, Bhubaneswar, Bolagarh and Khurda blocks in Khurda district, Nuapada in Nuapada district, Talcher in Angul, Jharsuguda block in Jharsuguda district, Nayagarh block in Nayagarh district and Bargarh block in Bargarh district.
The chief minister further informed the House that the state government has not conducted any separate scientific study in the last five years specifically on the rapid increase of borewells and its impact on groundwater levels.
He, however, clarified that commercial and high-capacity borewell groundwater extraction is regulated by the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) to prevent excessive withdrawal of groundwater.
Majhi said the state government has undertaken several initiatives for groundwater recharge and conservation, including the construction of recharge structures and promotion of rainwater harvesting. These measures are being implemented under schemes such as CHHATA (Community Harnessing and Harvesting of Rainwater Artificially from Terrace to Aquifer) and ARUA (Artificial Recharge of Underground Aquifers), he said.
According to preliminary monitoring data, Majhi noted that the implementation of these schemes has helped stabilise fluctuations in groundwater levels in several areas of the state.