At a Glance
Four facts to hold on to.
UN figure
About 251 km³ a year, over a quarter of the world’s total.
Main user
Irrigation: 89% (UN), 87% (CGWB 2025).
2025 national stage
60.63%.
UPSC 2023
Statement I correct, II incorrect.
What the 26% Means
A yearly flow, not a stored reserve
- The 2023 UPSC question cites the 2022 UN World Water Development Report. Source: UN WWDR 2022.
- It says India withdraws over a quarter of the world’s groundwater each year.
- The base is yearly withdrawal worldwide. It is not India’s share of all groundwater stored on Earth.
- The report gives India about 251 cubic kilometres a year and about 20 million wells and tube wells.
- It draws on older international estimates, including data around 2010.
- So treat 26% as a historical comparison, not a 2025 figure.
- One cubic kilometre equals one billion cubic metres.
Why drinking water is the wrong reason
| Source | Agriculture | Domestic | Industry |
|---|---|---|---|
| UN report 2022 (older) | 89% | — | — |
| CGWB 2025 assessment | 87% | 11% | 2% |
- Both sources show the same lesson: irrigation drives most pumping.
- The two splits come from different methods and years. Do not mix them.
- Source: Central Ground Water Board, 2025 assessment.
Think it through: why is 26% not India’s share of world groundwater reserves?
The figure measures water withdrawn in a year. A reserve is water stored underground. A yearly flow and a stored amount have different units and meanings.
True or False: India’s famous 26% figure mainly reflects water pumped for drinking and sanitation.
The Aquifer Budget
A bucket model
- Recharge: 100 buckets enter the aquifer.
- Keep 10 buckets aside for natural discharge to springs and streams.
- Annual extractable resource: 100 − 10 = 90 buckets.
- Count what wells actually pump.
- Stage of extraction = actual extraction ÷ extractable resource × 100.
- Pump 54 buckets: stage is 60%.
- Pump 90 buckets: stage is 100%.
- Pump 120 buckets: stage is about 133%.
- At 133%, the aquifer did not get 133% recharge. Extra pumping draws down older stored water.
- This is a teaching model. Real aquifers link to nearby areas.
India-wide numbers, 2025
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual recharge | 448.52 billion m³ |
| Annual extractable resource | 407.75 billion m³ |
| Extraction | 247.22 billion m³ |
| National stage | 60.63% |
- The stage is 247.22 ÷ 407.75.
- A national average does not mean every aquifer is safe.
- These are estimates from field data, irrigation records, surveys and assumptions.
- Sources: CGWB 2025 national assessment (PDF); CGWB assessment guide.
Think it through: why can a national stage below 100% hide local shortages?
Water is not stored evenly. A dry block cannot use spare water under a distant wet block. Compare local pumping with local recharge.
True or False: The 2025 national extraction stage is annual extraction divided by annual extractable groundwater.
Where Pressure Builds
State stages in 2025
| State | Stage | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Punjab | 156.36% | Over-extraction |
| Rajasthan | 147.11% | Over-extraction |
| Haryana | 136.75% | Over-extraction |
| Delhi | 92.10% | High, below 100% |
| Bihar | 46.20% | Lower state average |
| West Bengal | 45.19% | Lower state average |
- Source: CGWB 2025 assessment, linked above.
- State averages still hide stressed local blocks.
- Over-extraction lowers well levels and forces deeper drilling.
Crops, power and rain
- A Punjab farmer may choose rice because markets and procurement reward it. Rice needs much water.
- Cheap or free pump power weakens the reason to save water.
- A weak monsoon widens the gap between recharge and pumping.
- One crop or subsidy does not explain every region.
- A World Bank account of a Punjab pilot rewarded farmers who saved both power and water.
Quality, rules and solutions
- Groundwater can carry arsenic, fluoride, nitrate or salt. See the 2025 quality report.
- Heavy pumping can make some land sink, depending on local geology.
- Villages can budget water, repair ponds, harvest rain and improve irrigation.
- Atal Bhujal Yojana was a community-led pilot in seven states from 2020–25. Source: Ministry of Jal Shakti, 2025 statement.
- The Central Ground Water Authority handles permits for specified projects. States also regulate water.
- See Central Ground Water Authority: Powers, Origins, and Limits.
Think it through: will a new borewell add water to an overused aquifer?
No. It only gives one user another way to pump stored water. Shared water budgets and lower demand close the yearly gap.
True or False: Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi all had state-wide extraction stages above 100% in 2025.
True or False: Atal Bhujal Yojana focused only on digging more borewells.
Previous Year Questions
UPSC 2023 asked about the 26% figure.
- UPSC 2023, Q76Statement I: India extracts over a quarter of the world’s groundwater each year, per the UN WWDR 2022. Statement II: it needs this for drinking and sanitation. The answer is (c): I is correct, II is incorrect. View the question.
- Exam trapsDo not confuse a global share with India’s extraction stage. Do not apply the UN 89% split to the newer 2025 assessment.
True or False: In the 2023 UPSC question, Statement I is correct and Statement II is incorrect.
True or False: A national extraction stage below 100% proves every local aquifer is safe.
Quick Q&A
UN figure?
251 km³ a year.
Main use?
Irrigation.
2025 stage?
60.63%.
Most stressed state?
Punjab, 156.36%.
UPSC 2023 Q76?
(c).
🎲 Practice: India’s Groundwater Withdrawal: The Real Reason Behind the 26%
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