UPSC Prelims 2023 Q76: India's Groundwater Use and UN WWDR 2022
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?
- Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I
- Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I
- Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect
- Statement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct
Answer: (c) Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect
Statement-wise explanation
- Statement-I: correct — The UN World Water Development Report 2022, 'Groundwater: Making the invisible visible', names India as the world's largest user of groundwater. India withdraws about 251 km³ a year through roughly 20 million wells and tube wells. That is about 26% of global groundwater withdrawal (2017 data), which is more than a quarter.
- Statement-II: incorrect — India does hold about 18% of the world's population, but drinking water and sanitation are not why it pumps so much groundwater. The WWDR 2022 says about 89% of India's groundwater withdrawal goes to irrigation. CGWB's Dynamic Ground Water Resources Assessment 2022 also puts irrigation at about 87% of annual extraction (208.49 of 239.16 BCM), with only about 13% left for domestic and industrial use combined. Because the stated reason is wrong, Statement-II is false and cannot explain Statement-I.
How to eliminate
Statement-I needs a recalled fact: India is the largest groundwater user in the world, at roughly a quarter of global withdrawal. That rules out the option that calls Statement-I incorrect. Statement-II can be judged from basic geography. Indian agriculture runs on tube wells, and groundwater is the main source of irrigation. Nearly all freshwater use in India is for farming. So any statement saying India pumps groundwater mainly 'to satisfy drinking water and sanitation needs' should look wrong to you. When the population share in a statement is accurate but the stated purpose is not, the statement is incorrect. That rules out both options that call Statement-II correct, which leaves one answer. The fact to remember: India uses about 25–26% of the world's groundwater, and close to 90% of that goes to irrigation.
Know more
Groundwater in India: who uses it, and how much
The UN World Water Development Report (WWDR) is UN-Water's flagship report, published by UNESCO each year with a different theme. The 2022 edition, Groundwater: Making the invisible visible, came out in March 2022. Its key global figures:
- Groundwater is almost 99% of all liquid freshwater on Earth.
- Agriculture takes about 69% of all groundwater pumped worldwide.
- Groundwater supplies about half of the water drawn for household use and about 25% of irrigation water.
- Most of the world's groundwater withdrawal comes from a handful of countries, and India is the largest. The others include the USA, China, Pakistan and Iran.
In India, the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) and the states measure groundwater together in the Dynamic Ground Water Resources Assessment:
| Item | 2022 assessment | 2025 assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Total annual recharge | 437.60 BCM | 448.52 BCM |
| Annual extractable resource | 398.08 BCM | 407.75 BCM |
| Annual extraction | 239.16 BCM | 247.22 BCM |
| Stage of extraction | 60.08% | 60.63% |
In 2022, irrigation took about 87% of extraction (208.49 BCM). Domestic and industrial use together took about 13% (30.69 BCM).
Stage of extraction = annual extraction ÷ annual extractable resource × 100. Assessment units are graded on this figure:
| Category | Stage of extraction |
|---|---|
| Safe | ≤ 70% |
| Semi-critical | 70–90% |
| Critical | 90–100% |
| Over-exploited | > 100% |
The national average looks safe, but it hides hotspots. In Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan many blocks are over-exploited, because free or cheap farm power encourages heavy pumping. Government responses include Atal Bhujal Yojana (community groundwater management), PMKSY's 'Per Drop More Crop' (micro-irrigation), and rainwater harvesting under Jal Shakti Abhiyan.
In the news
The WWDR 2022 was the first edition of the report devoted entirely to groundwater, and 'Groundwater: Making the Invisible Visible' was also the theme of World Water Day 2022. The report's finding that India is the world's largest groundwater user was widely reported in India in 2022. UPSC lifted that report's name and figure straight into Statement-I.
NCERT Concepts to Revise
- Sectoral water use: Statement-II rests on a claim about which sector uses India's groundwater, so you need to know how use splits across farming, industry and households.
- Groundwater depletion: India's huge annual withdrawal is the reason groundwater depletion is a national concern.
- Groundwater overuse: Helps you link the volume of extraction in Statement-I to falling water tables in heavily pumped regions.