NEW DELHI: Total annual groundwater recharge within the nation marginally declined in 2024, in comparison with 2023, and so did water availability because of increased groundwater extraction final yr, with northwest India, together with elements of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and western Uttar Pradesh, being the larger culprits.
The Central Ground Water Board‘s annual evaluation report, launched just lately by the ‘Jal Shakti’ (water assets) ministry, additionally exhibits that the proportion of ‘essential’ and ‘over-exploited’ evaluation models (block/taluk/tehsil/mandal), put collectively, elevated in 2024, in comparison with the earlier yr, reflecting a much bigger concern of insufficient recharge of groundwater in sure states, which extracted extra for a number of use.
The proportion of ‘over-exploited’ and ‘essential’ administrative models are greater than 25% of the whole models within the states and UTs of Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, and Daman & Diu. It means groundwater extraction in these states and UTs considerably exceeded the yearly replenishable groundwater recharge – a scenario that may result in water shortage in the end if business-as-usual situation stays.
Data exhibits that the annual groundwater recharge in 2024 was 446.9 billion cubic meter (BCM), in comparison with 449.08 BCM in 2023. Accordingly, the annual extractable groundwater assets has additionally decreased marginally from 407.21 in 2023 to 406.19 BCM in 2024. In 2022, the whole annual groundwater recharge was 437.6 BCM, whereas extractable groundwater assets was 398.08 BCM.
Though the annual groundwater recharge and availability final yr was a lot increased than 2022, the decline in comparison with 2023 is a priority, even because the yr acquired good monsoon rainfall. The board has attributed it primarily to discount in return stream from irrigation.
The predominant supply of replenishable groundwater assets is recharge from rainfall, which contributes to just about 61% of the whole annual groundwater recharge. Since over 75% of annual rainfall is acquired in the course of the summer time monsoon (June to Sept), the ministry’s annual marketing campaign ‘Catch the Rain – Where it Falls When it Falls’, by creating rainwater harvesting and conservation infrastructure by way of individuals’s participation and states’ cooperation, would possibly present ends in the long term. Though enchancment within the groundwater scenario is noticeable whether it is in contrast with 2017, when the annual groundwater recharge was 431.86 BCM and the annual extractable groundwater assets 392.7 BCM, elements of northwest India invariably play spoilsport by indiscriminately extracting substantial quantity of groundwater resulting in over exploitation. Groundwater extraction for cultivating water-guzzling paddy in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh is without doubt one of the key causes behind over exploitation within the area.
“In some areas of the nation, good steady rainfall and administration practices like groundwater augmentation and conservation measures taken up below central and state govt initiatives have resulted in enchancment within the groundwater scenario,” stated the report.
Certain western elements of the nation, notably these of Rajasthan and Gujarat, additionally fall within the over-exploited zone, as groundwater recharge is restricted as a result of area’s arid local weather, resulting in stress on the useful resource. On the opposite hand, groundwater availability is low because of traits of crystalline aquifers in southern a part of peninsular India, together with elements of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
