Water Conservation

**Statement 1 is correct.** National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) is the financing, planning, implementing, monitoring, and coordinating authority for the Ganges River, functioning under the Jal Shakti Ministry. **Statement 2 is correct.** The mission of the organisation is to safeguard the drainage basin which feeds water into the Ganges by protecting it from pollution or overuse. In July 2014, the NGRBA has been transferred from the Ministry of Environment and Forests to the Ministry of Jal Shakti. **Statement 3 is incorrect.** The Prime Minister is the chair of the Authority. Other members include the cabinet ministers of ministries that include the Ganges among their direct concerns and the chief ministers of states through which the Ganges River flows.

**Statement 1 is incorrect:** As per the report National Compilation on Dynamic Groundwater Resources of India, 2017 of CGWA, out of the total 6881 assessment units (Blocks/Mandals/ Talukas) in the country, 1186 units in various States (17%) have been categorized as Over-Exploited, 313 units (5%) as Critical, and 972 units (14%) as Semi-Critical. **Statement 2 is correct:** The CGWA was established in 1997 under Section 3(3) of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 to regulate and manage groundwater resources. **Statement 3 is correct:** India has the largest area under groundwater irrigation in the world. This is due to the country's heavy reliance on agriculture, which is predominantly rain-fed. Therefore, the correct answer is B. 2 and 3 only.

**Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA)** has been constituted under Section 3 (3) of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 to regulate and control development and management of groundwater resources in the country. **Central Water Commission (CWC)** - Established in 1945, the CWC is a technical organization under the Ministry of Jal Shakti. It focuses on water resource planning, development, and management in India, but its legal basis comes from other central government acts. **Central Ground Water Board (CGWB)** - While it works in close collaboration with the CGWA, the CGWB is a subordinate organization under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, established in 1970. It functions as the technical arm of the CGWA, providing hydrogeological data and technical expertise. **National Water Development Agency (NWDA)** - This autonomous agency, established in 1982 under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, operates under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. It focuses on resolving interstate water resource disputes, conducting feasibility studies for water resource development projects, and planning water transfer and linking projects.