The Standing Committee on Water Resources has given following recommendations for groundwater management:

• Regular assessment of resources: Assessment of ground water resources, last done in 2011, should be undertaken on a regular basis, preferably after every two years.
• Study of Dark Blocks: A study to assess land-use and proportion of agricultural land falling under dark blocks (over-exploited assessment units) should be initiated. This will help determine suitable cropping pattern in areas that are water stressed.• Ground water withdrawal for agriculture: To prevent the over-exploitation, measured suggested include
o on-farm water management techniques and adoption of improved irrigation methods
o implementation of ‘Master Plan for Artificial Recharge to Ground Water                                                                                                                        • Formulation of policy: A well-defined policy on ground water extraction should also be framed to ensure long-term sustainability.
• Water under concurrent list of the Constitution: It will help evolve a comprehensive plan of action. Consensus between the centre and states will result in better conservation, development and management of water, including ground water.
• Master Plan for Artificial Recharge to Ground Water was prepared by the Central Ground Water Board in 2013. A comprehensive review of the follow-up action taken by states/ union territories should be undertaken. A time-bound roadmap to achieve the objectives of the plan should be put in place.
• Synergy between MGNREGS and ground water management: Steps should be initiated to achieve optimised returns on works related to ground water conservation taken under the scheme.
• Census of water bodies and installation of water meters: An inventory of water bodies (including ponds) in the country should be undertaken and completed in a definite time-frame. To regulate overuse of ground water for irrigation and drinking purposes, installation of water meters in all tube-wells should be made mandatory on the principle of ‘Beneficiary Pays’.
• Institutionalize regular inspections of industries: to ensure compliance of conditions.

Apart from the above following measures can also be taken:
• Mihir Shah committee recommendation: Creating National Water Commission by subsuming CWC and Central Ground Water Board (CGWB: managing groundwater resources), to encourage a shift in focus from the construction of dams to decentralised management and maintenance of water.

• Implementation of Atal Bhujal Yojana (2018) should be started.
o Objective: To recharge ground water and create sufficient water storage for agricultural purposes.
o Focus on demand side management of ground water i.e. how to meet requirements by minimum use of water.
o It would initially be implemented with community participation in 78 identified districts in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Haryana, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh
o Total outlay for central scheme is 6000 crore, out of which half will be supported by the World Bank as loan.
o Encouraging Community Participation And Behavioural Changes: By giving 50% of the money to states, including gram panchayats, as incentives for achieving targets in groundwater management.

• Water conservation
o Encouraging Rainwater harvesting, an age-old technique for capturing monsoon run-off, to provide country with reliable water supplies throughout the year.
o Building check dams on riverbeds to improve groundwater levels.
o Reviving ancient system of maintaining and managing water bodies by local communities themselves such as Kudimaramath practice in Tamil Nadu, Jhalaras (rajasthan), Ahar Pynes (South Bihar), Johads, Baolis (secular structure), Bamboo Drip irrigation System (northeast India) etc.
o Pricing of Irrigation Water as advocated by the Vaidyanathan Committee Report on Pricing of Irrigation Water (1992) can lead to efficient use of irrigation water                                                                                                                                                                                                                         o Water Literacy Movement: CGWB has been organizing mass awareness programmes in the country to promote rain water harvesting and artificial recharge to ground water
o Water Banking and Virtual Transfers- Surplus water from one year can be stored locally—to avoid evaporative losses—in an unconfined aquifer, withdrawn in subsequent years by the “banker,” and transferred to supplement the water resources of the “client” when needed.
o Other measures may include inflatable rubber dams used to maximize groundwater infiltration build infrastructure model to protect aquifer from saline intrusion.
o Levying a new water conservation fee based on quantum of groundwater extracted per unit area (may vary from ?1 to ? 6 per cubic metre where a cubic
metre is 1,000 litres)
o Exemption of government infrastructure projects, government water supply agencies and group housing societies/ private housing societies with only basic amenities, from the water conservation fee.

• Water treatment
o Using Green remediation techniques such as Phytoextraction for soils and wetlands contaminated with toxic metals. e.g. - Water hyacinth is used for cleansing polluted water by absorbing pollutants especially chromium.
o Chemical and biological treatment to industrial discharge from the tanneries, mining and other industries along with establishment of common effluent treatment facilities for smaller industries.