NEW DELHI : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday launched a scheme to conserve groundwater in seven states facing acute water shortage, and urged farmers to opt for less water-intensive crops.

Atal Jal Yojana will benefit Maharashtra, Haryana, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat. “In these states, in 78 districts, in 8,300 gram panchayats, groundwater situation is very worrisome," Modi said, adding that in the remaining parts of India, the problem often was floods.

The move to conserve groundwater comes in the wake of concerns among policymakers about a water crisis affecting lives and livelihoods in several parts of the country. Federal policy think tank NITI Aayog had, in a report last June, flagged that about 600 million people faced high to extreme water stress, and about 200,000 people die every year because of inadequate access to safe water, a crisis that would only get worse. It said that by 2030, India’s water demand will be twice the available supply.

“Atal Jal Yojna and the Jal Jeevan Mission guidelines are big steps in realizing the goal of supplying (tap) water to every household by 2024," Modi said. “The government has paid attention to water recycling and people participation in conservation. Groundwater levels are depleting fast," he said.

Earlier, the complaint in Punjab was of high groundwater level hurting crops, but 20 years later, the complaint is about depleted groundwater levels, the PM added.

Places where water-intensive crops, such as sugarcane, are grown, have witnessed depletion of groundwater table, said Modi. “To improve this, we need to make farmers aware of conservation of rain water and of choosing alternative crops for cultivation and move towards micro-irrigation." He also urged every village to prepare a water action plan, water fund and make use of the funds through different related state and central schemes. Modi said villages with low groundwater level should prepare a water budget and farmers should be encouraged to grow crops accordingly.

PTI contributed to this story.

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