Is India Plunging into Groundwater Crisis?
By
Suryavanshi IAS
India extracted ~241 BCM of groundwater in 2023 against a replenishment of ~449 BCM—drawing roughly 60% of its annual recharge. Alarmingly, 11.2% of assessment units are over-exploited where more water is taken than recharged.
Regional
Hotspots
|
Region |
Extraction Rate |
Issues |
|
Punjab & Haryana |
↘70 % drop in well-levels
(2002–21); extracted ~136–164 % recharge |
Over-watering with tubewells,
subsidized electricity; contamination by uranium & arsenic |
|
Western UP |
~100 %+ extraction in blocks; water-table falling >20 m |
Paddy & sugarcane farming; urban demand |
|
Rajasthan |
145 % extraction; 203/249 blocks critical |
Arid regions, fluoride/salinity issues; but rainwater
harvesting shows promise |
|
Maharashtra (Marathwada) |
5% talukas critical; deep borewells up to 90 m |
Cash crops like sugarcane; erratic monsoons |
|
Tamil Nadu |
106/313 talukas over-exploited; 89% wells dropping |
Heavy reliance on groundwater for irrigation and cities |
|
Urban centres |
Delhi – 99.1 % extraction; Bengaluru – all blocks
over-exploited |
Coastal cities (Chennai, Kolkata) facing saline ingress |
1.
Water-Intensive Cropping:
Rice needs 3,000–5,000 L/kg—3× more than wheat/maize.
Paddy-wheat-sugarcane cycles exacerbate depletion Subsidies
+ Cheap Power:
Free electricity for tube-wells disincentivizes
conservation; farmers often pump excessively to utilize quotas.
2.
Regulatory Lapses:
Only ~14% of over-exploited areas officially notified;
enforcement is weak, community management limited.
3.
Urban Expansion:
Cities like Nashik, Surat, Dehradun, Nagpur,
Lucknow—looming borewell fascism .
What's Being Done
·
Atal Bhujal Yojana:
₹6,000 Cr for community water management; limited uptake so far.
·
Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Over
9.8 million recharge structures built (2019–23).
·
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana: “Per Drop More Crop” encourages micro-irrigation; ~5.2 M ha
covered.
·
State-Level Incentives:
Haryana’s “Mera Pani Meri Virasat” & Punjab’s “Pani Bachao, Paisa Kamao”
promote crop switch and saving.
· Regulation & Mapping: CGWB aquifer mapping; new rules require NOCs for extraction in many areas.
Policy
Imperatives
·
Crop
Diversification: Shift from paddy/wheat to millets, pulses—regionally
tailored.
·
Efficient
Irrigation: Subsidize drip/sprinkler systems; penalize flood
irrigation.
·
Affordable
Metering: Price-based electricity billing for pumps.
·
Community
Ownership: Empower local committees to monitor extraction.
· Urban-Nexus Management: Recharge zones near cities, treated sewage reuse, rainwater harvesting.
Why
This Matters for UPSC Aspirants
·
Interlinkages
across agriculture, economics, environment, federalism—key for GS papers.
·
Case
Studies like Rajasthan’s ponds, Haryana’s crop-incentives show direct
governance outcomes.
· Policy Evaluation of flagship schemes and their gaps is essential in essays and Mains.
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Final Take
India’s groundwater extraction (~60%) is dangerously high. Without deep reforms—agricultural shift, pricing policy, community action, urban planning—alias “tragedy of the commons” will deepen. For UPSC, this is a live case to analyze, critique, and propose sustainable solutions.
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