Dynamic Groundwater Resources Report for 2025

India’s dynamic groundwater resources for 2025 have been jointly assessed by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) and State Governments.

• Total Annual Groundwater Recharge: 448.52 Billion Cubic Metres (BCM)
• Annual Extractable Groundwater Resources: 407.75 BCM

Groundwater Extraction Levels

The total annual groundwater extraction for all uses—irrigation, domestic and industrial—has been estimated at 247.22 BCM for 2025.

Stage of Groundwater Extraction (SoE)

• The Stage of Groundwater Extraction (SoE), which measures extraction as a percentage of extractable resources, stands at 60.63% at the national level.
• This indicates that India is using over three-fifths of its available groundwater resources annually.

Assessment Unit Categorisation

Out of 6,762 groundwater assessment units (Blocks/Taluks/Mandals) across the country, the categorisation is as follows:

• Over-exploited: 730 units (10.80%)
• Critical: 201 units (2.97%)
• Semi-critical: 758 units (11.21%)
• Safe: 4,946 units (73.14%)
• Saline: 127 units (1.88%)

Areas of Concern

Units categorised as over-exploited are extracting groundwater beyond the annually replenishable recharge, posing serious sustainability risks. Combined with critical and semi-critical units, nearly one-fourth of India’s assessment units face varying degrees of groundwater stress.

Significance

The findings highlight the urgent need for:

• Sustainable groundwater management
• Demand-side interventions in agriculture
• Promotion of water-efficient technologies
• Strengthening groundwater governance at the local level

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