UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — DYNAMIC GROUNDWATER RESOURCES ASSESSMENT, 2025

Q1. With reference to the conduct of the Dynamic Ground Water Resources Assessment, 2025, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The assessment was carried out jointly by the Central Ground Water Board and the State/UT Nodal Ground Water Departments.
  2. State/UT Level Committees (SLCs) guide the state assessments, while the Central Level Expert Group (CLEG) exercises overall supervision at the national level.
  3. The Central Ground Water Board functions under the Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q2. Above the joint CGWB–State assessment teams, the supervision of the Dynamic Ground Water Resources Assessment is organised through how many distinct tiers of committees?

  • A. One
  • B. Two
  • C. Three
  • D. Four

Q3. Under the GEC-2015 methodology, the term 'Annual Extractable Ground Water Resource' is best defined as:

  • A. Annual ground water recharge minus an allocation kept for natural discharge
  • B. The total annual ground water recharge of the assessment unit
  • C. The annual ground water extraction for irrigation, industrial and domestic uses
  • D. The in-storage (static) ground water available up to 300 m depth

Q4. Comparing the GEC-2015 methodology with its predecessor GEC-1997, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. GEC-2015 introduced aquifer-wise assessment of ground water resources, in place of the earlier area-based approach.
  2. GEC-2015 norms have been applied to assessments carried out from 2017 onwards, replacing the GEC-1997 norms.
  3. GEC-2015 recommends assessing ground water to a depth of 300 m in hard-rock areas and 100 m in soft-rock areas.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q5. On the basis of the Stage of Ground Water Extraction, each assessment unit in the Dynamic Ground Water Resources Assessment is placed in how many categories?

  • A. Three
  • B. Four
  • C. Five
  • D. Six

Q6. Among the headline resource parameters reported for the year 2025, which one has the largest volume in Billion Cubic Metres (BCM)?

  • A. Annual Ground Water Recharge
  • B. Annual Extractable Ground Water Resource
  • C. Annual Ground Water Extraction
  • D. Allocation for natural discharge

Q7. The 'Stage of Ground Water Extraction', reported as 60.63% for 2025, represents:

  • A. The ratio of annual ground water extraction (all uses) to the annual extractable ground water resource
  • B. The ratio of annual ground water extraction to the total annual ground water recharge
  • C. The proportion of assessment units categorised as over-exploited
  • D. The share of annual recharge lost as natural discharge

Q8. Within the Ministry of Jal Shakti, the Central Ground Water Board that compiles the Dynamic Ground Water Resources Assessment, 2025 functions under which Department?

  • A. Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation
  • B. Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation
  • C. Department of Land Resources
  • D. Department of Rural Development

Q9. The periodic ground water resource assessments since 1980 and the present annual exercise have both been coordinated at the national level by which of the following bodies?

  • A. Central Ground Water Board
  • B. Central Water Commission
  • C. National Water Development Agency
  • D. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development

Q10. With reference to the evolution of India's ground water resource assessment, consider the following year–event pairs: Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. 2017 — the first assessment carried out using the GEC-2015 methodology
  2. 2022 — the year from which the assessment became an annual exercise
  3. 1997 — the year of the first-ever country-wide dynamic ground water assessment
  4. 2015 — the year the GEC-2015 methodology report was formally released
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q11. IN-GRES, the platform used for the Dynamic Ground Water Resources Assessment, is best described as:

  • A. A GIS-based web application developed by CGWB with IIT-Hyderabad for standardized ground water resource estimation using GEC-2015 methodology
  • B. A real-time telemetric network of piezometers monitoring ground water levels
  • C. A satellite (GRACE)-based system for monitoring ground water storage changes
  • D. A national online registry of no-objection certificates for ground water extraction

Q12. The 2025 assessment flags over-exploited blocks concentrated in belts such as Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi. Given that the assessment itself is advisory, the actual regulation and management of ground water extraction in such over-exploited areas rests primarily with which of the following?

  • A. State Governments, since water is a State subject (Entry 17, List II)
  • B. The Central Ground Water Board, as the agency that categorises the blocks
  • C. The National Green Tribunal
  • D. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change