Consider the following statements :
- 1.36% of India's districts are classified as "overexploited" or "critical" by the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA).
- 2.CGWA was formed under the Environment (Protection) Act.
- 3.India has the largest area under groundwater irrigation in the world.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
Show answer
Answer: B. Statement 1 is wrong: in the 2017 national groundwater assessment, about 17% of assessment units (blocks, not districts) were 'over-exploited' and about 5% 'critical', about 22% together. The 36% figure only appears if 'semi-critical' units are added. Also, the assessment is made by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) with the States, not by CGWA. Statement 2 is correct: CGWA was set up under Section 3(3) of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. Statement 3 is correct: India has the world's largest area under groundwater irrigation. So 2 and 3.
Watch for: Groundwater stress is often reported in alarming numbers, so 36% looks believable.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Wrong because over-exploited and critical units together are about 22%, and they are blocks assessed by CGWB, not districts classified by CGWA.
- C. Wrong because statement 3 is also correct.
- D. Wrong because statement 1 is false.
Source to check: Central Ground Water Board, Dynamic Ground Water Resources of India 2017 (cgwb.gov.in); Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, Section 3(3)
Answer from the official UPSC key. Written and fact-checked by AI against the official key. Spotted a mistake? Report it.