Law and practice of ground water conservation; with specific reference to the State of Uttar Pradesh

Abstract

The State of Uttar Pradesh is the largest and most densely populated state of India. Traditionally an agricultural state has high volume of surface under cultivation. The state has faced deprivation of development until late. Owing to these reasons, the twenty-first century saw a sudden increase in water consumption in the state. For most of it’s requirements, the State has been dependent on ground water only. In the first decade of the 21st century a sharp decline in ground water levels was observed in the State and efforts were on to revive the ground water levels. Increasing food grain requirement increases the agricultural requirement, growing urban and industrial infrastructure causes unsustainable consumption patterns. All these factors make it difficult to maintain the ground water levels and to recharge it. Present paper presents the important concerns of the state and analyzes the state water policy for its completeness and effectiveness. The state policy update and analysis aims at evaluating the policy and suggesting further measures.