Ghaziabad: A review of the centre’s Jal Shakti Abhiyan found that funding and coordination gaps have affected groundwater recharge efforts in the district and that it could slow down further if corrective steps are not taken urgently.Assessing the implementation of Jal Shanchay Jan Bhagidari scheme (JSJB) 2.0, officials called for strict measures including stopping illegal groundwater extraction and building rainwater harvesting systems, ponds, soak pits, percolation pits and check dams to recharge groundwater.The review was carried out by Richa Gautam, scientist C, Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), north region, Lucknow in capacity as technical officer for Ghaziabad. The district is among 12 groundwater-stressed districts under focused review.The JSJB initiative under the ministry of Jal Shakti aims at mass water conservation to create low-cost artificial water recharge structures, such as rooftop rainwater harvesting systems, recharge pits and the revival of defunct borewells.Presenting findings based on the National Aquifer Mapping and Management Programme (NAQUIM), officials highlighted continued stress on groundwater resources across most blocks of the district. NAQUIM assessments classify blocks as over-exploited, critical, semi-critical, or safe based on extraction versus recharge trends. Assistant geophysicist, ground water department, Srishti Jaiswal, said the latest groundwater level data for 2025 showed some signs of limited improvement in some blocks after monsoon. Block-wise data shows that Muradnagar, the only semi-critical block, recorded a pre-monsoon groundwater level of 7.4m below ground level in 2025 compared to 6.5m in 2024, indicating rising stress. Post-monsoon levels improved to 6.5m in 2025 from 7.3m a year earlier.In Bhojpur, groundwater levels deepened sharply, with pre-monsoon levels falling from 10m in 2024 to 12.1m in 2025. Post-monsoon recovery was modest at 10.8m in 2025 compared to 9.8m in 2024. Loni continued to show severe stress, with groundwater levels remaining very deep. Pre-monsoon levels worsened from 27.2m in 2024 to 29.3m in 2025, while post-monsoon levels improved from 19.7m to 25.2m, still indicating heavy extraction pressure.Rajapur also remained over-exploited, with fluctuating but concerning trends. Pre-monsoon groundwater levels improved but post-monsoon levels remained stressed at 17.4m, reflecting inadequate recharge. Ghaziabad city recorded the deepest groundwater levels in the district, exceeding 34m both before and after the monsoon in 2025, showing negligible improvement despite rainfall.One of the key concerns raised during the review was the non-availability of MGNREGA funds in the district, which stalled construction of new artificial recharge structures. Officials said this narrowed options for large-scale groundwater infrastructure, forcing reliance on corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds.“Several groundwater-related works were taken up using CSR funds, but these are limited in scale and coverage and cannot substitute for sustained public funding. We focused on rainwater harvesting systems, ponds, soak pits, percolation pits and check dams to recharge groundwater despite the lack of MGNREGA funds,” Jaiswal said.Weak inter-departmental convergence was another concern, with works by the municipal corporation and the GDA under JSJB 2.0 being reported separately. The centre-appointed officer flagged delays in uploading data on the JSJB 2.0 portal and inadequate repair and maintenance of existing recharge structures.
