Dynamic Ground Water Resource Assessment Report, 2024
Kartavya Desk Staff
Source: PIB
Subject: Geographical features and their location-changes in critical geographical features (including water-bodies and ice-caps)
Context: The Union Minister of Jal Shakti has released the Dynamic Ground Water Resource Assessment Report, 2024, showing a net improvement in groundwater status with higher recharge and lower long-term extraction compared to 2017.
About Dynamic Ground Water Resource Assessment Report, 2024:
Key trends of ground water resources in India:
• Increase in recharge: Total annual groundwater recharge is 446.90 BCM, showing a long-term rise driven by rainwater harvesting and water conservation structures.
• Moderate extraction levels: Annual groundwater extraction stands at 245.64 BCM, with the stage of extraction at 60.47%, indicating overall national-level sustainability.
• Expansion of ‘Safe’ units: 73.4% of assessment units are now categorised as Safe, up from 62.6% in 2017, reflecting improved management practices.
• Decline in over-exploitation: Over-exploited units have fallen from 17.24% (2017) to 11.13% (2024), indicating partial reversal of groundwater stress.
• Role of water conservation: Recharge from tanks, ponds and water conservation structures has increased to 25.34 BCM, nearly doubling since 2017.
• Regional imbalance persists: Over-exploited and critical units remain concentrated in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana and Gujarat.
• Rainfall dominance: Nearly 61% of recharge comes from rainfall, making groundwater availability highly sensitive to monsoon variability and climate change.
Reasons for groundwater depletion in India:
• Agriculture-driven over-extraction: Groundwater supports ~62% of irrigation, with water-intensive crops (rice, sugarcane) dominating NW and peninsular India, pushing 11.13% units into ‘Over-exploited’ category.
• Highly seasonal rainfall dependence: Nearly 75% of annual rainfall occurs in just four months (June–September), causing sharp temporal mismatch between recharge and year-round withdrawal.
• Hydro-geological constraints: About two-thirds of India lies in hard rock terrains, where groundwater storage is limited to fractured zones, making extraction unsustainable.
• Energy-subsidy distortion: Cheap or free electricity encourages indiscriminate pumping, especially in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu where >25% units are Critical/Over-exploited.
• Urban–industrial pressure: Rising urbanisation and industrial clusters increase non-agricultural extraction, reflected in 245.64 BCM annual groundwater draft (2024).
Initiatives taken to counter depletion:
• National Aquifer Mapping Programme (NAQUIM & NAQUIM 2.0): Scientific mapping and aquifer-level management planning.
• Atal Bhujal Yojana (ATAL JAL): Community-led demand-side management in water-stressed blocks.
• Master Plan for Artificial Recharge (2020): Proposal for 42 crore structures to harness 185 BCM of monsoon rainfall.
• Jal Shakti Abhiyan – Catch the Rain: Nationwide focus on rainwater harvesting and water conservation.
• PMKSY – Groundwater component: Promotes efficient irrigation and conjunctive water use in Safe
Challenges associated with groundwater stress:
• Water security risk: Groundwater supplies 85% of rural and ~50% of urban drinking water, making depletion a direct human security concern.
• Regional inequality: Over-exploitation is concentrated in NW India, western arid regions, and peninsular crystalline belts, creating uneven development outcomes.
• Quality deterioration: 127 assessment units (1.88%) are saline, while arsenic and fluoride hazards coexist in quantity-stressed aquifers.
• Climate vulnerability: Erratic rainfall and declining irrigation return flows caused a marginal fall in recharge from 449.08 BCM (2023) to 446.90 BCM (2024).
• Governance fragmentation: Groundwater is a State subject, resulting in weak regulation, limited pricing signals, and uneven adoption of scientific management norms.
Way forward:
• Aquifer-based management: Scale up NAQUIM & NAQUIM-2.0 for village-level aquifer plans, prioritising Over-exploited and Critical units.
• Demand-side reform: Shift cropping patterns, rationalise power subsidies, and promote micro-irrigation to bring stage of extraction below 60% sustainably.
• Artificial recharge push: Implement Master Plan for Artificial Recharge (2020) to create 1.42 crore structures harnessing 185 BCM monsoon runoff.
• Community stewardship: Expand Atal Bhujal Yojana (ATAL JAL) covering 8,220 water-stressed Gram Panchayats with behavioural and demand-side interventions.
• Data-driven governance: Institutionalise annual groundwater assessment (since 2022) using IN-GRES (GIS-based platform) for real-time policy correction.
Conclusion:
The 2024 Ground Water Assessment shows cautious optimism, with improved recharge and declining over-exploitation. However, regional stress, climate risks, and governance gaps continue to threaten sustainability. Moving forward, aquifer-based planning, community participation, and climate-resilient water governance are essential for India’s long-term water security.
Q. Examine the role of monsoons in shaping India’s hydrological regimes. Analyse how spatial and temporal variability in rainfall affects surface and groundwater systems. What measures can be taken to mitigate the impacts of uneven rainfall on regional water availability? (15 M)