The Atal Ground Water Scheme has been discontinued in Narnaul district, dealing a major blow to efforts to improve groundwater levels in dark zone areas of Mahendragarh.
The Atal Groundwater Scheme has been discontinued. This closure has dealt a major blow to efforts to improve groundwater levels. The entire district of Mahendragarh is in the dark zone. Therefore, this scheme had become a major hope for the district’s residents.
Twenty-five large, four-acre reservoirs have been constructed under this scheme, costing ₹100 crore, facilitating water conservation. Similarly, a similar amount has been spent on improving groundwater levels in the Mahendragarh and Satnali areas.
Efforts to improve the water level will be affected
The closure of this scheme is bound to impact efforts to improve water levels. Although the scheme was launched in 2020-21 for a five-year term, it will be discontinued in November 2025. A major reason for its closure is believed to be the fact that corruption had become ingrained in the scheme over time.
The CM Flying Squad, Rewari, investigated this matter in 2024. The investigation uncovered embezzlement of crores of rupees in Mahendragarh, Dadri, and Bhiwani districts. A substantial amount was embezzled by using fake photos of awareness camps. At present, this scheme is not expected to be revived.
It is a different matter if the World Bank releases a significant amount of funding again. This scheme covered 1,647 villages, 36 blocks, and 14 districts in Haryana. A budget of ₹617 crore was allocated. The scheme was launched nationwide on December 25, 2019.
This five-year plan was scheduled to be completed by March 31, 2026. In Haryana, it was launched the following year, 2020-21. The goal was to improve the groundwater level by 50 percent from the base level. However, the plan was put on hold prematurely.
Employees were recalled
Employees deployed under the Atal Groundwater Scheme after November 2025 have been recalled. Since then, no new budget has been released in the district. Although there are rumors that the central government has extended the scheme until 2027, no official information has been released yet.