GROUNDWATER RESOURCE ASSESSMENT REPORT 2024

PRELIMS BITS

The Dynamic Groundwater Resource Assessment Report 2024, released by Union Jal Shakti Minister Shri C.R. Patil, highlights India’s groundwater recharge, extraction, and management trends. Prepared by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) in collaboration with States/UTs, it serves as a vital tool for water resource planning.

Key Findings

• Groundwater Recharge and Extraction:
  • Total annual recharge: 446.90 BCM
  • Extractable resource (post-natural discharge): 406.19 BCM
  • Annual extraction: 245.64 BCM
  • Average extraction stage: 60.47%
• Assessment Units Classification (Total: 6,746):
  • Safe: 4,951 units (73.4%)
  • Semi-critical: 711 units (10.5%)
  • Critical: 206 units (3.05%)
  • Over-exploited: 751 units (11.1%)
  • Saline: 127 units (1.8%)

Improvements and Trends

• Increase in Recharge: Enhanced recharge from water conservation structures raised groundwater availability by 15 BCM since 2017.
• Decline in Over-extraction: Over-exploited units decreased from 17.24% in 2017 to 11.13% in 2024.
• Better Groundwater Management: Safe units grew from 62.6% in 2017 to 73.4% in 2024.