India accounts for 25% of global groundwater use, says Panel

India accounts for around 25 per cent of global groundwater withdrawals, the Public Accounts Committee has flagged, and urged the Jal Shakti Ministry to persuade states to curb excessive extraction.

The observations were made in the panel’s 41st report ‘Ground Water Management and Regulation,’ presented in the Lok Sabha on April 1 by its chairperson, KC Venugopal, and laid in the Rajya Sabha the same day.

The report, an action taken account of the committee’s earlier recommendations, said India is the largest user of groundwater in the world, with extraction estimated at 245 billion cubic metres (BCM), accounting for about 25 per cent of global withdrawals, fulfilling nearly 80 per cent of drinking water needs, and around 64 per cent of irrigation requirements. The committee stressed for translating existing initiatives into concrete results to ensure sustainable use of the resource.

“The fact that four states had exceeded 100 per cent extraction and 267 districts had a stage of extraction ranging from 64 per cent to 385 per cent is a clear indication of the failure to prioritise sustainable water use,” the report said.

“The Committee strongly urges the ministry to persuade the state governments to take immediate and stringent measures to curb excessive extraction of groundwater and ensure long-term viability of groundwater resources,” it added.

The panel noted that between 2004 and 2017, the stage of groundwater extraction in the country increased from 58 per cent to 63 per cent.   Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, and Rajasthan recorded extraction levels of more than 100 per cent, meaning groundwater withdrawal exceeded recharge, while at the district level, 267 districts across 24 states and Union Territories reported extraction ranging from 64 per cent to 385 per cent.

In its response, the ministry said it is coordinating with States for sustainable groundwater management and implementing such programmes as Jal Shakti Abhiyan, Atal Bhujal Yojana, Ground Water Management and Regulation Scheme, and the National Hydrology Project.

The ministry said that a recent assessment (2023) of dynamic groundwater resources by the Central Groundwater Board and state agencies showed that the overall stage of groundwater extraction had declined from 63.33 per cent in 2017 to 59.26 per cent in 2023.

It said that the proportion of “safe” assessment units increased from 62.6 per cent in 2017 to 73.1 per cent in 2023, while over-exploited units declined from 17 per cent to 11 per cent during the same period.

Further, post-monsoon water levels in 2022 showed that about 61 per cent of monitored wells registered a rise compared to the average of the previous ten years (2012-21), indicating early signs of improvement in the groundwater scenario, it said.

The ministry, however, said that while the early signs are “heartening”, the momentum needs to be maintained and additional measures are being taken to ensure scientific management of groundwater resources.

Among key initiatives, the government highlighted the Jal Shakti Abhiyan launched in 2019 in 256 water-stressed districts, the Amrit Sarovar Mission aimed at rejuvenating 75 water bodies in each district, and the National Aquifer Mapping and Management Programme (NAQUIM) to delineate aquifer systems.

It also cited the master plan for artificial recharge to groundwater-2020, which envisages construction of about 1.42 crore rainwater harvesting and recharge structures to harness 185 BCM of water, and circulation of a model bill to states for groundwater regulation, with 21 states and UTs adopting the legislation so far.

The ministry said the annual assessment of groundwater resources has been ongoing since 2022, while the Atal Bhujal Yojana, a participatory groundwater management scheme currently operational in seven states, is proposed to be expanded.