Central Idea: Groundwater extraction in northwestern India, including Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and Faridabad, has led to land subsidence and structural damage.

What is Groundwater?

• Groundwater is the water found underground in the cracks and spaces in soil, sand and rock.
• It is stored in and moves slowly through geologic formations of soil, sand and rocks called aquifers.
• Aquifers are typically made up of gravel, sand, sandstone, or fractured rock, like limestone.
• Water can move through these materials because they have large connected spaces that make them permeable.
• Aquifers, hand-dug wells, and artesian wells are different types of sources of groundwater.

Reasons for Depletion

• Increased demand for water for domestic, industrial and agricultural needs and limited surface water resources lead to the over-exploitation of groundwater resources.
• Limited storage facilities owing to the hard rock terrain, along with the added disadvantage of lack of rainfall, especially in central Indian states.
• Green Revolution enabled water-intensive crops to be grown in drought-prone/ water deficit regions, leading to over-extraction of groundwater.
• Frequent pumping of water from the ground without waiting for its replenishment leads to quick depletion.
• Subsidies on electricity and high MSP for water-intensive crops is also leading reasons for depletion.
• Inadequate regulation of groundwater laws encourages the exhaustion of groundwater resources without any penalty.
• Deforestation, unscientific methods of agriculture, chemical effluents from industries, and lack of sanitation also lead to pollution of groundwater, making it unusable.
• Natural causes include uneven rainfall and climate change that are hindering the process of groundwater recharge.

Impact of groundwater depletion

• Lowering of the water table: Groundwater depletion may lower the water table leading to difficulty in extracting groundwater for usage.
• Reduction of water in streams and lakes: A substantial amount of the water flowing in rivers comes from seepage of groundwater into the streambed. Depletion of groundwater levels may reduce water flow in such streams.
• Subsidence of land: Groundwater often provides support to the soil. When this balance is altered by taking out the water, the soil collapses, compacts, and drops leading to subsidence of land.
• Increased cost for water extraction: As the depleting groundwater levels lower the water table, the user has to delve deep to extract water. This will increase the cost of water extraction.

Mechanism of Land Subsidence

• The relationship between excessive groundwater extraction and land subsidence became evident through the analysis of data from Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites.
• Excessive groundwater withdrawal, coupled with limited monsoon rain, has resulted in critically low groundwater levels in the region.
• Land subsidence occurs when underlying aquifers, which are deep water channels storing percolated water, are not adequately recharged.
• The depletion of aquifers causes the layers of soil and rock above them to sink gradually.
• This sinking of soil is similar to “soil settlement” observed in mining operations.

Regulation of Groundwater in India

(1) Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA)

• It has the mandate of regulating groundwater development and management in the country.
• It is constituted under the Environment (Protection) Act of 1986.
• CGWA issues advisories, public notices and grant No Objection Certificates (NOC) for ground water withdrawal.

(2) National Aquifer Mapping and Management Programme (NAQUIM)

• The NAQUIM is an initiative of the Ministry of Jal Shakti for mapping and managing the entire aquifer systems in the country.
• It maintains the Hydrological Map of India.

(3) Atal Bhujal Yojana 

• It is a Central Sector Scheme, for sustainable management of groundwater resources with community participation in water-stressed blocks.

Way Forward

• Routine survey: There should be regular assessment of groundwater levels to ensure that adequate data is available for formulating policies and devising new techniques.
• Assessment of land use pattern: Studies should be carried out to assess land use and the proportion of agricultural land falling under overt-exploited units.
• Changes in farming methods: To improve the water table in those areas where it is being overused, on-farm water management techniques and improved irrigation methods should be adopted.
• Reforms in power supply subsidies: The agricultural power-pricing structure needs to be revamped as the flat rate of electricity adversely affects the use of groundwater.
• Monitoring extraction: There should be a policy in place to monitor the excessive exploitation of groundwater resources to ensure long-term sustainability.

Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your personal mentor for UPSC 2024 | Schedule your FREE session and get the Prelims prep Toolkit!

Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024

Attend Now