TL;DR: Despite concerns over water scarcity and declining reservoir levels in parts of the country, India’s groundwater resources remain broadly stable at the national level. However, groundwater availability, recharge, and extraction vary significantly across states, highlighting the growing importance of sustainable groundwater management as dependence on this resource increases.

Context

Water scarcity has become a major concern in several parts of India this year, particularly as below-normal pre-monsoon rainfall and delayed monsoon progress put pressure on available water resources. States such as Maharashtra have reported declining reservoir storage levels, raising concerns over drinking water supply, irrigation, and drought preparedness during the peak summer months.

When water levels in dams, lakes, and rivers fall, groundwater often becomes the primary source of relief. Stored underground in aquifers, groundwater supplies a large share of India’s drinking water and irrigation needs, making it one of the country’s most critical water resources. It acts as a natural buffer during periods of water stress, helping households, farmers, and industries cope when surface water availability declines.

Groundwater availability is closely linked to rainfall. Rainfall accounts for nearly 60% of India’s annual groundwater recharge, making it the single largest source of replenishable groundwater resources. Since more than 75% of the country’s annual rainfall is received during the southwest monsoon months from June to September, groundwater recharge is highly dependent on the timing and distribution of monsoon rains.

As a result, weak or uneven monsoons can affect not only reservoir levels but also the replenishment of underground aquifers. With concerns over water availability intensifying, groundwater levels offer an important indicator of the country’s long-term water security.

Who compiles this data?
The data is compiled by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) through its Dynamic Ground Water Resources of India assessment, which estimates groundwater recharge, extraction, and availability across the country’s assessment units.

Where can I download clean & structured data related to this?

Clean, standardised, structured, and ready-to-use datasets on details of the assessment of groundwater resources in India are available as a collection on Dataful. The collection has state and district-level datasets covering source and season-wise annual groundwater recharge, purpose-wise groundwater extraction (utilisation), projected groundwater availability for future uses, and the current stage of groundwater extraction.

Key Insights

• The Annual Groundwater Recharge consistently hovers within a narrow band between 431 bcm and 449 bcm, while the Annual Extractable Groundwater Resource remains similarly stable between 393 bcm and 411 bcm, indicating that the baseline resource availability is not experiencing a downward trend.

• Annual Groundwater Extraction reached its highest point in 2013 at 253 bcm, pushing the Stage of Groundwater Extraction to 62%; however, subsequent figures through the 2025 projections show a stabilisation of extraction at approximately 247 bcm, maintaining the overall utilisation rate at a manageable 60.63%.

• Uttar Pradesh had the highest groundwater available for future use in 2025 at 20.53 BCM, followed by Andhra Pradesh (17.37 BCM), Assam (17.23 BCM), Maharashtra (15.81 BCM), and Bihar (15.76 BCM). These states account for some of the country’s largest remaining groundwater reserves.

• Several states in western and southern India recorded notable improvements over the past two decades. Gujarat’s groundwater available for future use increased from 3.05 BCM in 2004 to 11.97 BCM in 2025, while Telangana and Tamil Nadu also registered substantial gains. Maharashtra, despite periodic droughts and water scarcity concerns, recovered from 12.91 BCM in 2017 to 15.81 BCM in 2025.

• In contrast, several eastern and northeastern states witnessed declining groundwater availability. Odisha’s available groundwater for future use fell by more than half, from 16.78 BCM in 2004 to 7.97 BCM in 2025. Assam and West Bengal also recorded significant declines, although both continue to retain relatively large groundwater reserves.

• Uttar Pradesh remains India’s largest extractor of groundwater, with annual withdrawals reaching nearly 47 BCM in 2025, far exceeding those of any other state.

• Groundwater extraction has increased across several central and eastern states, including Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh. Among them, Madhya Pradesh crossed 20 BCM of annual extraction in 2025, reflecting growing dependence on groundwater resources.

• Punjab stands out as a notable exception to the broader trend. While most major states recorded rising extraction, Punjab’s groundwater withdrawals fell from nearly 36 BCM in 2017 to about 26 BCM in 2025, though it remains one of the country’s largest groundwater users.

• Groundwater recharge has increased in several western and southern states, including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana. Maharashtra’s annual recharge rose from about 31.6 BCM in 2017 to 33.9 BCM in 2025, while Telangana recorded one of the sharpest increases.

• Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have the highest groundwater recharge in the country, at over 73 BCM and 34 BCM, respectively, in 2025. Their large groundwater reserves are supported by strong annual recharge, although high extraction levels mean that sustainable management remains important.

• Some eastern and northern states show stagnating or declining recharge. Punjab’s annual recharge fell from nearly 24 BCM in 2017 to 18.6 BCM in 2025. Other states that recorded a decline are Kerala, West Bengal, and Assam.

Why does it matter?

India’s groundwater resources appear relatively stable at the national level, with annual groundwater recharge consistently exceeding extraction and the overall stage of groundwater extraction remaining around 60%. This suggests that, at the national level, the country continues to replenish more groundwater than it withdraws. However, these positive national averages mask sharp regional disparities.

It is evident that groundwater is not distributed or replenished evenly. Since nearly 60% of groundwater recharge comes from rainfall and more than three-fourths of annual rainfall occurs during the monsoon months, the sustainability of these resources remains closely tied to monsoon performance. As concerns over water scarcity grow, groundwater will continue to serve as a crucial buffer against droughts and declining reservoir levels, making effective management of both recharge and extraction increasingly important.

Key Numbers

• 431–449 BCM – Annual groundwater recharge range since 2017

• 393–411 BCM – Annual extractable groundwater resources since 2017

• ~61% — India’s stage of groundwater extraction in 2025

• 20.53 BCM — Groundwater available for future use in Uttar Pradesh, the highest among all states

• 46.89 BCM — Annual groundwater extraction in Uttar Pradesh, making it India’s largest groundwater user

• 73.39 BCM — Annual groundwater recharge in Uttar Pradesh, the highest among all states