New Delhi: According to government data from 2004 to 2020, five states viz. Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Kerala, account for 49% of total groundwater extraction in the country, while the rest of the country accounts for 50%.
"However, Andhra Pradesh only replaced Madhya Pradesh in 2009," stated an official with the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), the Jal Shakti Ministry's flagship programme. Groundwater is vital importance because it supports ecosystems, maintains river base flows, and avoids land subsidence and ocean intrusion.
"These top five states withdraw about 24.37 billion cubic metres (BCM)," according to data from the Ministry of Jal Shakti, adding that groundwater withdrawals climbed from 18.09 BCM to 27.31 BCM between 2004 and 2020, meaning a 576 million cubic metre increase on an annual basis. In terms of absolute volume, retreating states. Groundwater extraction is exceptionally high in Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, and Rajasthan, where it is more than 100%, implying that yearly groundwater use exceeds annual extractable groundwater resources in these states.
Groundwater extraction is between 70 and 100 percent in Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and the UTs of Chandigarh and Puducherry. The remaining states / UTs have a groundwater development status of less than 70%.
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