Regionwise Groundwater Assessment in India: Insights on Sustainability

IJEP 46(11): 1019-1035 : Vol. 46 Issue 11 (November 2026)

Full Text

Somaiya Begum1 and Debolina Saha2*

1. Kandi Raj College, Department of Economics, Murshidabad – 742 137, West Bengal, India
2. Rabindra Bharati University, Department of Economics, Kolkata – 700 050, West Bengal, India

Abstract

While nature provides us with the resources for growth and development, the ever-rising demand for natural resources is depleting non-renewable resources and destroying vulnerable ecosystems. Moreover, a higher rate of resource extraction doesn’t guarantee a corresponding surge in economic growth. In view of this fact, the present study attempts to assess the region-wise groundwater situation in India, based on terrestrial factors, during 2004-2023. India leads all other countries in freshwater withdrawal. As groundwater over-extraction outpaces its natural replenishment in several parts of India, only well-implemented, sustainable conservation efforts can ensure its long-term security. This study, therefore, analyzes the pattern of groundwater abstraction, focuses on different groundwater sources and assessment indicators and examines trends across different types of groundwater assessment units in India. The study also discusses groundwater policies and recent conservation initiatives and concludes that India needs comprehensive, sustainable, region-wise groundwater management policies that account for its geographical variations and socio-economic realities, making the study particularly noteworthy in India.

Keywords

Groundwater, Sustainability, Sustainable development goals, India

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