Although India’s groundwater situation has generally improved since 2017, the latest official assessment showed signs of renewed pressure in several states.
According to a Rajya Sabha reply submitted on Monday, groundwater extraction in Himachal Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir has increased in 2025 compared to 2024, even as the national phase of groundwater extraction remains below 2017 levels.
The comparison was made with 2017 because it serves as a baseline for tracking long-term changes in groundwater use before the Center launched a series of water conservation and groundwater recharge initiatives, including the Jal Shakti Abhiyan, Atal Bhojal Yojana and Catch the Rain campaign. The annual assessment, jointly conducted by the Central Groundwater Board (CGWB) and state governments, measures the stage of groundwater abstraction – the share of available groundwater that is withdrawn in a year. A figure above 100% means that more groundwater is being pumped than is naturally replenished through rainfall and other sources, making its use unsustainable over time.
According to the response, the national stage of groundwater extraction reached 60.63% in 2025, slightly higher than the 60.48% recorded in 2024 but lower than 63.33% in 2017. However, the state comparison showed a mixed picture. Himachal Pradesh recorded the largest increase in groundwater extraction, with its extraction stage rising by 3.02 percentage points compared to 2024. Jammu and Kashmir recorded an increase of 2.46 percentage points, followed by Assam (1.84), Gujarat (1.75), Andhra Pradesh (1.67), and Jharkhand (1.46). The states of Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Chhattisgarh and Bihar also recorded increases compared to the previous year.
Meanwhile, several water-stressed states showed improvement. Groundwater extraction decreased in Rajasthan by 2.75 percentage points, Kerala by 3.84, Delhi by 8.67, Karnataka by 1.95, Maharashtra by 1.20, and Punjab by 0.51, although Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan continue to extract groundwater well beyond annual recharge. In 2025, the groundwater extraction stage in Punjab was 156.36%, in Rajasthan 147.11%, and in Haryana 136.75%, which are among the highest in the country.
The response also revealed that of the country’s 6,762 assessment units – blocks, taluks or mandals used for groundwater assessment – 730 (10.8%) were classified as ‘overexploited’, where groundwater extraction exceeds annual renewable recharge. Another 201 units are classified as “critical,” where groundwater extraction is close to a sustainable limit, and continued overuse could push it into the overexploitation category. 758 units were classified as “near-critical,” indicating high groundwater pressure requiring careful management, while 4,946 units were classified as “safe,” with groundwater extraction remaining within the annual recharge range. An additional 127 units were classified as saline, as groundwater quality is affected by high salinity and is generally unsuitable for many uses.
