Key findings 

• Trend: The severity of GW drought increased 22 times during the pre-monsoon season from 1996 to 2016.
  • GW drought is a condition when water tables drop below their normal levels. 
• Affected Regions: Large parts of North India, including major cities such as Delhi-NCR, Jaipur, and Lucknow. 

About Groundwater 

• Global abundance: 30% of the world's freshwater is groundwater. 
• India's Usage: India is the largest groundwater user in world (more than 25% of global total). 
  • Contribution of GW is nearly 62% in irrigation, 85% in rural water supply and 50% in urban water supply.
• Major Basins: Indo-Ganga-Brahmaputra plains possess 60% of the country's groundwater resources
• High Utilization States: Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Tamil Nadu
• Extraction level: As per Dynamic Groundwater Resource Assessment 2023 by the CGWB, of the assed GW units:
  • 11% are overexploited (i.e., extraction exceeding annually replenishable groundwater recharge)
  • 3% are critical (i.e., extraction is between 90-100 % of annual extractable resources available).

Causes of Groundwater Depletion

• Excessive use of groundwater for agricultural and industrial purposes due to rising population. 
• Shifting climate patterns affecting water availability. 
• Unsustainable urbanisation (like encroachment of water bodies, concretisation).
• Subsidies facilitating low-cost pumping technologies, free electricity, etc.