Haryana launches AI-enabled water atlas amid alarming groundwater crisis

Hindustan Times

05-05-2025

In an effort to tackle its deepening water crisis, the Haryana Water Resources (Conservation, Regulation and Management) Authority (HWRA) has launched the Haryana Water Resource Atlas 2025—an artificial intelligence-powered, geospatial platform aimed at monitoring, managing, and conserving the state's fast-depleting water reserves, officials said.
Developed in collaboration with the Haryana Space Applications Centre (HARSAC), the platform is publicly accessible at https://hwra.org.in/Atlas2025/ and provides real-time, layered insights into groundwater levels, surface water bodies, canal systems, aquifers, recharge zones, and water-intensive cropping patterns. The initiative comes as internal assessments show that over 76% of Haryana's administrative blocks are classified as either 'critical' or 'over-exploited' in terms of groundwater use—signalling a dire need for informed, data-driven interventions, officials added.
'This isn't just a static map—it's an evolving AI-based monitoring system,' said Dr Sultan Singh, head of GIS at the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) and director at HARSAC. 'It lets anyone from a district officer to a farmer know what's happening underground and above, in near-real time. It helps forecast stress points and plan for solutions like water harvesting, alternate cropping, and infrastructure upgrades.'
clarified that most of the datasets—particularly those related to the water table and soil profiles—will not undergo annual revisions. 'This is not dynamic data that changes every year. In fact, for key indicators like groundwater depth and soil composition, updates will typically be needed only once in a decade,' he said.
Dr. Singh added that this is the state's first attempt at creating a comprehensive, AI-enabled geospatial water atlas and that a robust technical upkeep mechanism is being designed in collaboration with relevant stakeholders. 'We are working on a sustainable model for long-term maintenance of the atlas. There won't be any significant changes for at least five years. Any required technical adjustments or improvements will be made based on stakeholder input and evolving needs,' he assured.
According to officials, the atlas integrates data from satellite observations, GPS surveys, meteorological inputs, agricultural records, and administrative sources, drawing on contributions from HARSAC, the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), the Irrigation and Water Resources Department, the Agriculture Department, and the India Meteorological Department.
The platform is being positioned as a tool for use across stakeholder groups—urban planners, engineers, farmers, researchers, and civil society members. Its user interface allows navigation through thematic maps and dashboards designed to track water stress across districts and blocks, particularly in zones vulnerable to over-extraction or erratic rainfall.
According to officials, the Haryana Water Resource Atlas 2025 has been developed entirely in-house by the Haryana Space Applications Centre (HARSAC), without incurring any additional financial burden on the state exchequer. 'There was no separate budget or external funding allocated for this project. The entire design, conceptualisation, development, and mapping process has been carried out by HARSAC using its own institutional expertise,' said Dr. Sultan Singh.
He added that HARSAC, with over 25 years of experience in geospatial and remote sensing technologies, leveraged its technical resources and existing infrastructure to execute the project. 'This is a multi-million-dollar equivalent effort in terms of value, but since all components—from digital data processing to thematic mapping—were completed internally, it is not possible to calculate a precise financial figure,' Dr. Singh said.
The data has also been validated by domain experts and relevant stakeholders, ensuring both scientific accuracy and operational utility. Officials emphasised that this self-reliant model not only kept costs down but also ensured complete control over data quality and platform architecture, making it a sustainable initiative with minimal long-term financial implications for the government.
Officials say the platform is part of a shift toward long-overdue digital governance in water resource management. But while the launch has been praised in some circles, environmental experts remain cautious. 'It's a much-needed intervention,' said an expert from IIT Roorkee, requesting anonymity. 'But the data needs to translate into accountability and grassroots planning—only then can Haryana address the crisis meaningfully,' the expert added.
The platform's creators have urged public participation to help improve the tool's accuracy and usability. 'Citizen engagement is key to this initiative's success. We want RWAs, urban planners, village leaders, and school educators to use this platform and share how it can better serve their regions,' said Dr Singh.
While the initiative marks a technological leap for Haryana, it also comes at a time when parts of the state are battling erratic rainfall, rapid urban expansion, and declining aquifer recharge rates. Despite the state's track record of water-intensive cropping and weak enforcement of groundwater regulations, officials have not detailed how data from the atlas will feed into enforceable policy or penalties for misuse.