- Why in news
- On 10 August 2026 the Jal Shakti Minister told Rajya Sabha that India's annual groundwater extraction is 247 BCM, with a national Stage of Extraction of 60.63%, per the Dynamic Ground Water Resources Assessment 2025.
- What it is
- The Dynamic Ground Water Resources Assessment is a periodic national estimate of groundwater, made by the Central Ground Water Board with State and UT governments. It estimates annual recharge, extractable resource and extraction for irrigation, domestic and industrial use. The ratio of extraction to extractable resource is the Stage of Ground Water Extraction.
- Who assesses
- The Central Ground Water Board does the assessment jointly with State Governments and UT administrations.
- 2025 headline numbers
- Recharge is 449 BCM, extractable resource 408 BCM and extraction 247 BCM.
- Use of extraction
- Irrigation takes 215 BCM (87%), domestic use 28 BCM (11%) and industry 4 BCM (2%).
- States above national average
- Nine States/UTs exceed the national average, including Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi.
- Per capita availability
- The Central Water Commission's 2024 assessment put per capita water availability in 2021 at 1,573.19 cubic metres.
Don’t confuse with CGWB vs CWC: CGWB handles groundwater assessment and quality; the Central Water Commission handles surface water resources and per capita availability.
Don’t confuse with Jal Shakti Abhiyan vs Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari: JSA is the annual water conservation campaign; JSJB, launched in 2024, builds on it to make rainwater harvesting a people's movement.
Reports and indices: 14 Prelims questions since 2013; they test who publishes a report and what it measures.
Why it matters
- Shows groundwater is mainly an irrigation resource, so farm water use drives sustainability.
- State-wise stage of extraction helps target stressed regions such as Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.
Problems
- Water is a State subject, so management depends on State action.
- Localised contamination (fluoride, nitrate, salinity, arsenic) limits usable groundwater even where quantity is adequate.
Way forward
- Use aquifer mapping (NAQUIM) to plan extraction and recharge by aquifer.
- Improve farm water-use efficiency through micro-irrigation and combine with recharge works.
Put in your answer
Arsenic-safe wells: CGWB's cement-sealing technology has been used to build 525 arsenic-safe exploratory wells.
Jal Jeevan Mission coverage: Tap water connections reach about 82% of rural households (15.90 crore).
- 2025Mains GS3 · Q13Examine factors depleting groundwater in India and government mitigation steps.
- 2024Mains GS1 · Q14How declining groundwater potential of Gangetic valley affects food security.
- 2018Mains GS1 · Q14How water harvesting can be made effective in urban areas for groundwater.
- 2022Prelims Q75Which body is constituted under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986?
- 2023Prelims Q76Statements on India's share of world groundwater withdrawal per UN report.
- 2020Prelims Q98Statements on overexploited districts, CGWA formation, and groundwater irrigation area.
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Standing assessment by CGWB with figures: 449 BCM recharge, 247 BCM extraction, 60.63% stage. Reports are 4% of Prelims news questions.
Worth revising until Prelims 2028: most news questions come within two years of the event.