India’s water scarcity challenge

India, the world’s largest groundwater user, is seeing levels declining across the country with farmers in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan facing the prospect of having no groundwater left for irrigation by 2025 


Groundwater decline Medium-high 2-8cm/year Extreme >8cm/year

Depth of groundwater level (metres below ground level, Oct-Dec 2018,10,800 stations reporting)

Punjab 20.68

Haryana 17.62

Rajasthan* 25.78

Gujarat* 12.69

Daman and Diu* 2.97

Dadra and Nagar Haveli* 3.40

Maharashtra 5.05

Madhya Pradesh‡ 5-10

Goa 4.96

Karnataka‡ 5-10

Kerala 5.54

Jammu & Kashmir 5.68

Himachal Pradesh 5.68

Uttarakhand 16.17

Delhi 17.13

Uttar Pradesh 6.73

Assam 3.33

Arunachal Pradesh 4.67

Nagaland† 4.11

Meghalaya 1.85

Tripura 4.22

West Bengal 6.05

Orissa 2.65

Chhattisgarh 4.93

Andhra Pradesh‡ 5-10

Puducherry 12.74

Tamil Nadu 7.46

Andaman & Nicobar Islands 1.21


*Jul-Sep, †Jan-Mar, ‡most recent state groundwater year book


230 billion cubic metres
Groundwater used for irrigation each year

90%
Rice-wheat areas irrigated using groundwater


Sources: India Central Ground Water Board, WRI 
Picture: Associated Press
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