Securing groundwater: A critical step towards sustainability
India stands at a critical juncture in its water journey. Groundwater—invisible, quiet and dependable—has long powered our agriculture and daily life. But as we face the growing demands of the 21st century, it's time to rethink how we manage this vital resource and secure its future.
Though it constitutes part of the utilisable water resources of India, groundwater is central to India's water system. It meets nearly 62% of irrigation needs and over 85% of our rural drinking water demand. With much of Jal Jeevan Mission schemes being groundwater fed, the dependence on groundwater is only deepening.
Globally as well as in India, water stress is escalating. According to a UNICEF report, nearly two-thirds of the world's population faces severe water scarcity at least one month a year. The dependence on groundwater has exponentially increased since the advent of the Green Revolution to achieve food security since the mid-60s. As per the latest estimation by GoI in 2024, India extracts about 245.64 billion cubic meters of groundwater annually—more than any other country in the world. About 14% of the country's geography is under or precariously close to groundwater overexploitation, where annual extraction is more than the recharge. This scale underscores both our reliance and the urgent need for sustainable use.
Agriculture is the largest consumer of groundwater in India, using 90% of total annual extraction. The Green Revolution, while ensuring food security of the country has also led to indiscriminate withdrawal of groundwater in several parts of India, across diverse aquifer typologies. The primary reasons for low water productivity of our crops are suboptimal irrigation efficiency, growing water guzzling crops even in stressed areas, and not adopting proper agronomic practices.
Encouragingly, change is taking root. Across states, agriculture and its irrigation are getting reshaped. Farmers are adopting micro irrigation, are encouraged to grow low-water intensive crops and adopting climate-suitable cropping calendars. Policy support is being extended not just to incentivize these shifts but also adopt other mechanisms for water use efficiency by domestic and industrial users.
However, India's agro-climatic diversity means that a single solution to solve all contexts will not work. Punjab and Haryana, shaped by decades of intensive farming, face challenges distinct from those in Karnataka, having completely two different aquifer types. In the eastern states, with smaller mean land holdings and less rural electricity penetration, the situation is different. On the other hand, the vast areas in western India, covering primarily Rajasthan and Gujarat perennially suffers from scanty rainfall. In places like West Bengal, efforts to restore ponds, improve recharge of groundwater, and promote water-efficient farming are beginning to show promise. With 60% of groundwater used in agriculture, the road to sustainability in this and other states starts on the farm.
Sustainable groundwater management begins with local ownership. Village-level water budgets help communities understand their water availability, monitor usage, forecast shortage and plan better. It helps in promoting equity among farmers in spite of disparate land holdings. But such approaches must be a scientific understanding of the local groundwater regime, based on local-scale data. In the Atal Bhujal Yojona Scheme, water security plans are being made for villages with support from the communities, before adopting supply and demand-side interventions with consent from the villagers. Efforts like the Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP) are helping embed water planning into broader rural development. Water for People India has positively impacted over 1.2 million lives through community-led efforts in water, sanitation, and hygiene, supporting more than 150 gram panchayats and peri-urban areas. Groundwater being a common pool resource, its management requires all its stakeholders to come together. It calls for a shared commitment across government, civil society, scientists, farmers, and citizens. Since the resource is invisible, De-mystification of the science of groundwater is needed through public awareness and by building local stewardship. Conjunctive use of surface and groundwater should be promoted, and an all-out effort to be made to improve water productivity of the crops.
India's groundwater story is at a crossroads. Looking for newer sources is no longer a viable solution. The way forward lies in sustainable management of the annually replenishable resource. Adopting supply side interventions like rainwater harvesting, artificial recharge, and the revival of traditional water systems. Equally critical is the need to enhance irrigation use efficiency. And adopting a cropping pattern commensurate with the local climate and terrain. Since groundwater is a decentralised, common-pool resource, stakeholders' involvement is a must for its sustainable management. The future of water security depends on both collective restraint and smarter planning. It's time to treat water not as an endlessly replenishable resource, but as our collective responsibility to protect this intergenerational resource.
This article is authored by Bishwadeep Ghose, country director and Dipankar Saha, president, Water for People India Trust.
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