The importance of Fresh Water cannot be over emphasized, as it is a basic necessity for staying healthy and growing food, vegetation, transportation, irrigation industry etc. Govt. of India has declared 2003 as Fresh Water Year respecting the resolution of UN, which has declared 2003 as International Freshwater Year. The objectives of adopting 2003 as the ‘Year of Fresh Water’ are:

• Increasing Awareness among stakeholders about scarcity value of fresh water.

• Conservation and efficient use of fresh water

• Freshwater preservation-quality and ecosystem

• Enhancement of fresh water resources

• Fostering of community partnership for informed decision-making.

Thus the year 2003 is pregnant with opportunity / possibilities wherein we can rededicate ourselves and focus attention on protecting/ augmenting fresh water – only .007% of the total water available on the earth. Is it not mind-boggling? According to a rough estimate, total annual requirement of fresh water for various sectors in the country will be about 1093 b.cu.m by 2025- at par with exploitable water resources-both surface as well as groundwater.

Central Ground Water Board, inter alia constantly seeks to popularize the importance of groundwater as the major source of fresh water and its scarcity value. CGWB having being declared as the Central Ground Water Authority, has taken upon itself the onerous and enormous task of regulation and control of ground water management and development in the country.

The launching of the website of Central Ground Water Board, North Central Chhattisgarh, Raipur (http://www.cgwbraipur.com) is an honest effort on its part to reach out to masses and explain to them, every aspect related to ground water – its occurrence quantity, quality and controls of its localization. The website contains all these and more.The website was inaugurated by Dr. Indira Misra, Addl. Secretary Govt. of Chhattisgarh and dedicated to people in a function organised on 1st No. 2003 , the third anniversary of formation of Chhattisgarh Stat e. An exhibition of different models and posters related to hydrogeology was also organised on this occasion.

CGWB calls upon all the stakeholders in groundwater, be they experts or laymen to take maximum advantage of the opportunity of visiting this website and help us in our noble effort.