Strengthening Groundwater Management for India’s Water Future

Why in News?

India has a multi-layered strategy to manage groundwater through monitoring infrastructure, regulatory frameworks, and community-driven initiatives, schemes like Atal Bhujal Yojana, Jal Shakti Abhiyan, etc in ensuring long-term water security and achieving SDG goals. 

Why groundwater management matters?

• Groundwater – It is a freshwater that seeps into soil and rocks, where it is stored underground before naturally emerging or being drawn for human use.
• It maintains water levels in many rivers and streams, and it strongly influences the habitats of wetlands for plants and animals.
• The underground layer that can store and transmit ground water in sufficient quantities is called as Aquifer.
• Groundwater’s status on Earth – It comprises nearly 99% of Earth’s liquid freshwater and offers substantial social, economic, and environmental benefits, including climate resilience.
• Status in India – The groundwater serves as the primary foundation of agricultural activity and drinking water supply, meeting nearly 62% of irrigation needs, 85% of rural consumption, and 50% of urban demand.
• Reasons for Pressures on Groundwater Systems – Rapid population growth, agrarian intensification, industrial expansion, and urbanisation have collectively intensified pressure on groundwater systems in the country.

What are the key pillars and priorities of Groundwater Management?

3 pillars

• Extraction/Usage – Pumping for domestic, irrigation and industrial purposes
• Problems/Usage – Decline in groundwater levels, contamination/poor ground water quality
• Management measures – Demand side: Reduction in ground water withdrawal & Supply side: Artificial recharge/water conservation.

4 key priorities  

• As per the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), 4 key priorities includes

• Maintaining a dynamic water cycle to support natural recharge
• Balancing ecological and human needs to ensure environmental protection
• Preserving reserve supplies to safeguard against drought
• Aligning use with quality requirements so that groundwater quality matches its purpose.

What are the government initiatives to strengthen groundwater management?

• Model Groundwater (Regulation and Control of Development and Management) Bill – It focus on regulation & sustainable extraction of groundwater.
• Adoption – So far, 21 States/UTs (including Bihar, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh) have adopted it.
• Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain (JSA: CTR) – Launched  in 2021, coinciding with World Water Day, focuses on awareness, rainwater harvesting, afforestation, strengthening the message that every drop counts.
  • Achievement – Includes revitalisation of borewells, geo-tagging of water bodies, 1.64 billion afforestation activities, etc were carried out.
• Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari (JSJB) – It was launched under the JSA: CTR campaign on 6 September 2024.
• Objective – To improve groundwater recharge through measures such as rainwater harvesting, aquifer recharge, borewell recharge, and recharge shafts.
• Achievements – By 22 January 2026, the total number of artificial groundwater recharge and storage works completed cumulatively under JSJB 1.0 and JSJB 2.0 stands at 39,60,333.
• National Aquifer Mapping and Management Programme (NAQUIM) – To support effective groundwater management in the country.
• NAQUIM 2.0 – Implemented by Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), provides high-granularity data density on groundwater levels and quality and delivering issue-based scientific inputs up to the Panchayat level.
  • Targets – Water-stressed, coastal, urban, spring-shed, industrial and mining, command, deep aquifer, auto flow, and poor-quality groundwater areas, with area-specific and user-focused outputs.
• Master Plan for Artificial Recharge to Groundwater-2020 – To promote terrain-specific recharge techniques based on water availability and aquifer storage capacity.
  • Achievement – The master plan targets 1.42 crore recharge structures to add 185 BCM groundwater using terrain-specific methods.
• Atal Bhujal Yojana (Atal Jal) – Launched on 25 December 2019, to focuses on community-led sustainable groundwater management.
  • Implementation – In 7 water-stressed states namely Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.
• Mission Amrit Sarovar – Launched on 24 April 2022, to supports the creation of Amrit Sarovars (ponds) across all districts in the country.
• Groundwater Infrastructure for Monitoring, Restoring, and Knowledge Support – India has a network of 43,228 groundwater level monitoring stations, comprising stations operated by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB).
• Jal Shakti Kendra (JSK) – It functions as a district-level technical guidance centre, advising stakeholders on rainwater harvesting and serving as a knowledge hub for disseminating information and providing technical support on water conservation practices.
• As of 30 December 2025, a total of 712 Jal Shakti Kendras (JSKs) are operational across India.

What are the necessities for groundwater management in India?

• Groundwater Reserves in India – India possesses extensive groundwater reserves whose physical characteristics and availability vary widely across regions.
• Rising pressure on groundwater systems – Intensive and largely unregulated pumping has led to rapid declines in water tables across many parts of the country, signifying growing dependence on subsurface sources.
• Degradation of water quality – Contamination arising from mining, industrial effluents, and agricultural practices, combined with naturally occurring elements such as arsenic and fluoride, posing long-term environmental and public health risks.
• Drivers of uncontrolled abstraction – The sharp increase in groundwater extraction has been driven by the availability of affordable drilling techniques and pumping technologies, enabling even small farmers and low-income households to construct and operate private tube wells.
• Government’s Commitment – The growing groundwater crisis has strengthened the Government’s commitment to effective management, reaffirmed by India’s COP 21 commitment to climate resilience and long-term growth.
• Link to SDG – Effective groundwater management is vital for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, especially SDG 6, SDG 11, and SDG 12.

What lies ahead?

• India’s response – India has embraced a comprehensive and multi-layered approach combining policy reform, scientific assessment, infrastructure creation, and community participation, led by the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
• Key initiatives taken by the government jointly reinforce recharge, monitoring, regulation, and demand side management.
• Institutional Support – Supported by an extensive network of groundwater monitoring stations, advanced data systems, and local knowledge centres for community engagement.
• Transition Ahead – These efforts mark a transition towards scientifically informed, participatory, and outcome-oriented groundwater governance, establishing a durable framework for long term sustainability, climate resilience, and the achievement of national development goals.

Reference

PIB | Strengthening Groundwater Management for India