DYNAMIC GROUNDWATER RESOURCES ASSESSMENT, 2025

1. At a Glance

Annual nation-wide stocktake of replenishable groundwater carried out by Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti jointly with State/UT groundwater departments [S1].
Reports four headline numbers: Annual Recharge, Extractable Resource, Annual Extraction, and Stage of Extraction (SoE), plus categorisation of every block/taluk/mandal as Safe / Semi-Critical / Critical / Over-Exploited [S1][S2].
2025 edition shows continued improvement: SoE 60.63%, share of "Safe" units up to 73.14% from 62.6% in 2017 — a recurring Prelims/Mains data point on water security [S2].

Report released on 29 January 2026 by the Ministry of Jal Shakti for assessment year 2025 [S1].
Marks the first national assessment showing over-exploited blocks falling below 11% (730 units), continuing the downtrend from 2017 [S2].

Assessment first done in 1980; periodic exercises in 1995, 2004, 2009, 2011, 2013 [S3 inferred from PIB history].
GEC-1997 (Ground Water Estimation Committee) norms used till 2013; replaced by GEC-2015 methodology, applied from the 2017 assessment onwards — introduces aquifer-wise computation of both Dynamic (replenishable) and In-storage (static) resources [S2].
Since 2022 the exercise is conducted annually using the web-based "INDIA-GWRA" portal [S1].

Nodal body: Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), under Department of Water Resources, RD & GR, Ministry of Jal Shakti [S1].
Methodology: GEC-2015 (aquifer-wise; separates command/non-command, recharge/discharge season) [S2].
Assessment Unit (AU) = Block / Taluk / Mandal / Firka.
Total AUs (2025): 6,762 [S2].
2025 headline numbers [S1][S2]:
Annual Ground Water Recharge: 448.52 BCM
Annual Extractable Resource: 407.75 BCM
Annual Extraction: 247.22 BCM
Stage of Extraction (SoE) = 60.63%
Categorisation thresholds (SoE) [S2]:
Safe: ≤ 70%
Semi-Critical: 70–90%
Critical: 90–100%
Over-Exploited: > 100%
2025 AU categorisation [S2]: Safe 4,946 (73.14%), Semi-Critical 758 (11.21%), Critical 201 (2.97%), Over-Exploited 730 (10.80%).

Environmental: India remains the world's largest groundwater user; SoE of 60.63% means ~40% buffer nationally but masks acute regional stress in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi — over-exploited belts in NW India [S2].
Economic / Agricultural: Irrigation accounts for the dominant share of the 247.22 BCM extraction; the resource underwrites foodgrain output of the NW & southern peninsula [S1].
Administrative / Federal: Water is a State subject (Entry 17, List II); CGWB assessment is advisory — categorisation triggers state-level regulation, NOC regimes & MGNREGS-linked recharge works [S1].
Technological: Use of GIS, remote sensing & INDIA-GWRA portal for aquifer-level estimation under GEC-2015 [S2].
Governance: Improvement (Safe units 62.6% → 73.14% between 2017-2025) attributed to Atal Bhujal Yojana, PMKSY, Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain, MGNREGS water-structures [S2].

2025 Report released 29 Jan 2026 — Annual Recharge 448.52 BCM; SoE 60.63%; 730 over-exploited blocks [S1].
2024 Report released earlier — SoE then ~60.4%; this year shows marginal further improvement [S2].
Continued thrust under Atal Bhujal Yojana (2020-25) in 7 states (Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, MP, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, UP) for participatory groundwater management [S2].

Assessment year 2025 published January 2026 by CGWB / Ministry of Jal Shakti [S1].
Annual Recharge: 448.52 BCM; Extractable: 407.75 BCM; Extraction: 247.22 BCM [S1].
Stage of Extraction = 60.63% for India (2025) [S1].
Total Assessment Units: 6,762; Over-exploited: 730 (10.80%) [S2].
Safe category share rose from 62.6% (2017) → 73.14% (2025) [S2].
Over-exploited share fell from 17.2% (2017) → 10.8% (2025) [S2].
Methodology in use: GEC-2015 (replaced GEC-1997) [S2].
Categorisation cut-offs: 70 / 90 / 100 percent of extractable resource [S2].
SoE = Annual Extraction ÷ Annual Extractable Resource (NOT total recharge) [S1].
CGWB falls under Dept. of Water Resources, RD & GR, Ministry of Jal Shakti (not MoEFCC) [S1].
Water is in State List, Entry 17; inter-state rivers in Union List, Entry 56.

GS-I: Distribution of natural resources — water; geographical features.
GS-III: Conservation, environment & disaster management; Agriculture (irrigation); Food security.
Probable stems: 1. "Despite a falling stage of groundwater extraction at the national level, India faces acute aquifer stress in pockets. Discuss with reference to Dynamic Groundwater Resources Assessment, 2025." 2. "Evaluate the GEC-2015 methodology in capturing aquifer-level groundwater dynamics in India." 3. "Examine the contribution of Atal Bhujal Yojana and MGNREGS to the improvement in 'Safe' category assessment units between 2017 and 2025."

SoE denominator is Extractable (407.75 BCM), not Total Recharge (448.52 BCM) — easy MCQ trap.
CGWB sits under Ministry of Jal Shakti, not MoEFCC or MoA.
CGWB ≠ CGWA — Board does assessment & R&D; Authority regulates extraction under EPA 1986.
"Over-exploited" threshold is >100% SoE, not >90%.
Assessment is annual since 2022; prior cycles were biennial/multi-year (don't say "decadal").
Atal Bhujal Yojana covers only 7 states, not all-India.

[S1] DYNAMIC GROUNDWATER RESOURCES ASSESSMENT, 2025 — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2220203 — (tier 1)
[S2] FINDINGS OF DYNAMIC GROUNDWATER RESOURCES ASSESSMENT (Parliament reply, CGWB) — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2206073 — (tier 1)
[S3] Groundwater Depletion, Over-Exploitation and Quality Monitoring — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2204095 — (tier 1)