NEW DELHI: The groundwater recharge in India touched 449 billion cubic metres (BCM) in the current year, which is the maximum ever since 2004, and an increase of 11.5 BCM compared to 2022. The government data released on Friday also showed that the annual groundwater extraction was 241.3 BCM, only 2 BCM more than that of last year.
While this is a positive sign amid efforts of central and state governments to conserve waterthe report titled “Dynamic Ground Water Resources of India2023” also shows how extraction of ground water continues to be a cause for concern in Punjab, Rajasthan and Haryana where more water is pumped out than what’s recharged.Delhi comes fourth in the list where nearly 100% of the water recharged is extracted, with New Delhi district registering maximum extraction at 138%.
In the case of Punjab, which tops the list, the extraction of groundwater is 164%. In Sangrur and Malerkotla, the withdrawal of groundwater is more than three times of what is recharged. The data show that in Rajasthan, the extraction of groundwater is at 148% and in Haryana, this stood at 136%.
As per the report, after a gap of six years, more areas have come under safe zones whereas the number of critical and over-exploited zones have declined. It said that 4,793 out of 6,553 assessment units across the country are classified as ‘safe’. It also highlights the progress in groundwater management, with improvements observed in 226 assessment units compared to the 2022 data.
The assessment of ground water extraction is carried out considering the Minor Irrigation Census data and sample surveys carried out by the state ground water departments. The agriculture sector is the largest consumer of groundwater resources, accounting for 87% of the total annual groundwater extraction while the domestic use accounts for 11% and the remaining 2% is used for industrial purposes. In Arunachal Pradesh, Delhi, Goa, Kerala, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, Andaman and Nicobar, Chandigarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Lakshadweep the ground water extraction for domestic uses is more than 40%, the report said.
While this is a positive sign amid efforts of central and state governments to conserve waterthe report titled “Dynamic Ground Water Resources of India2023” also shows how extraction of ground water continues to be a cause for concern in Punjab, Rajasthan and Haryana where more water is pumped out than what’s recharged.Delhi comes fourth in the list where nearly 100% of the water recharged is extracted, with New Delhi district registering maximum extraction at 138%.
In the case of Punjab, which tops the list, the extraction of groundwater is 164%. In Sangrur and Malerkotla, the withdrawal of groundwater is more than three times of what is recharged. The data show that in Rajasthan, the extraction of groundwater is at 148% and in Haryana, this stood at 136%.
As per the report, after a gap of six years, more areas have come under safe zones whereas the number of critical and over-exploited zones have declined. It said that 4,793 out of 6,553 assessment units across the country are classified as ‘safe’. It also highlights the progress in groundwater management, with improvements observed in 226 assessment units compared to the 2022 data.
The assessment of ground water extraction is carried out considering the Minor Irrigation Census data and sample surveys carried out by the state ground water departments. The agriculture sector is the largest consumer of groundwater resources, accounting for 87% of the total annual groundwater extraction while the domestic use accounts for 11% and the remaining 2% is used for industrial purposes. In Arunachal Pradesh, Delhi, Goa, Kerala, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, Andaman and Nicobar, Chandigarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Lakshadweep the ground water extraction for domestic uses is more than 40%, the report said.