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?
Explanation
Statement 1 is incorrect: In official CGWA national assessments, approximately 17% of assessment units are categorized as ‘Over-exploited’ and roughly 5% as ‘Critical’ (combined around 22%), not 36%.
Statement 2 is correct: The Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) was constituted as a statutory body under Section 3(3) of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 to regulate and control indiscriminate groundwater extraction and management across the country.
Statement 3 is correct: India accounts for the largest volume of annual groundwater extraction globally, possessing roughly 39 million hectares of well-equipped groundwater irrigation, exceeding China and the United States.
Therefore, statements 2 and 3 are correct — Option B.