What is 'water stress'?

When demand for water approaches or exceeds sustainably available supply. NITI Aayog's 2018 index report measures water stress as total annual water withdrawals as a percent of total annual available flow. Higher values mean more competition among users. The report said 600 million Indians face high to extreme water stress. It projected demand at twice the supply by 2030. UPSC asked what water stress is, and how it differs by region, in Mains 2019. Read more: Groundwater Resources and Water Stress in India.

What was India's national Stage of Extraction of groundwater in the 2025 assessment?

60.63%. The 2025 assessment puts the national Stage of Extraction at 60.63%. Annual recharge was 448.52 BCM and extraction was 247.22 BCM. The 2024 edition showed 60.47%. The figure of 73.14% is the share of units rated safe, not an extraction stage. Read more: Groundwater Resources and Water Stress in India.

In the 2025 assessment, a unit is classed as over-exploited when its Stage of Extraction is above what level?

100%. A unit is over-exploited when extraction is above 100% of the extractable resource. Critical units lie between 90% and 100%. Semi-critical units lie between 70% and 90%. In 2025 there were 730 over-exploited units, or 10.80% of the 6,762 assessed. Read more: Groundwater Resources and Water Stress in India.

Which states had a Stage of Extraction above 100% in the 2025 assessment?

Punjab, Rajasthan and Haryana. Punjab (156.36%), Rajasthan (147.11%) and Haryana (136.75%) were above 100%. Delhi was at 92.10%, below the line. Tamil Nadu was at 73.50% and Uttar Pradesh at 70.00%. Bihar was far lower, at 46.20%. Read more: Groundwater Resources and Water Stress in India.

Between 2017 and 2025, the share of safe groundwater assessment units rose from 62.6% to what figure?

73.14%. Safe units rose from 62.6% in 2017 to 73.14% in 2025. Over the same years, over-exploited units fell from 17.2% to 10.8%. The figure of 54.4% is a different measure. It is the share of wells with higher post-monsoon 2024 levels than the 2019-23 mean. Read more: Groundwater Resources and Water Stress in India.

Which statement about Atal Bhujal Yojana is supported by PIB?

It was a pilot for community-led management that ran from 1 April 2020 to 15 October 2025. PIB describes Atal Bhujal Yojana as a pilot for community-led groundwater management. It ran from 1 April 2020 to 15 October 2025. It was launched on 25 December 2019 with Rs 6,000 crore. It covered 8,203 gram panchayats in 229 blocks of 7 states, and it has now ended. Read more: Groundwater Resources and Water Stress in India.

Consider the following statements: Statement-I: According to the United Nations' 'World Water Development Report, 2022', India extracts more than a quarter of the world's groundwater withdrawal each year. Statement-II: India needs to extract more than a quarter of the world's groundwater each year to satisfy the drinking water and sanitation needs of almost 18% of world's population living in its territory. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect. The official UPSC key for Series A, Question 76 is (c). So UPSC treated Statement-I as correct and Statement-II as incorrect. Irrigation takes 215 BCM or 87% of the groundwater extracted, a likely reason. Read more: Groundwater Resources and Water Stress in India.

MCQ QuestionsMy progress

With reference to the water on the planet Earth, consider the following statements: 1. The amount of water in the rivers and lakes is more than the amount of groundwater. 2. The amount of water in polar ice caps and glaciers is more than the amount of groundwater. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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