Groundwater Map of India: State-by-State Analysis
From Punjab's over-exploited aquifers to Meghalaya's abundant springs โ a complete picture of India's underground water
The CGWB 2022 report assessed 6,965 groundwater units across India. Punjab leads in over-exploitation at 76%, while northeastern states remain safe. Here's what's happening beneath every Indian state.
Groundwater is India's most used and least understood water resource. It accounts for 63% of all irrigation water and 80% of rural drinking water supplies. Yet because it's invisible โ flowing silently through underground rock and sediment โ most people think of it as infinite. The Central Ground Water Board's (CGWB) annual assessment of over 6,965 assessment units across India tells a starkly different story.
National Overview: The 2022 Assessment
India's total annual groundwater recharge is estimated at 246 BCM (billion cubic metres), of which 226 BCM is considered net available for use. India currently extracts 163 BCM โ about 72% of net availability. On paper, that looks sustainable. But this national average hides a severe regional imbalance: the Indo-Gangetic Plain and northwest India are massively over-exploited, while the northeast and parts of peninsular India have abundant groundwater. The crisis is not uniform โ it's intensely localised.
Percentage of Assessment Units Classified Over-Exploited by State (CGWB 2022)
% Over-Exploited
The Northwest Crisis: Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi
The Indo-Gangetic Plain's northwest corner is the most groundwater-stressed region in the world outside the Middle East. Punjab's Green Revolution miracle โ which made India food-sufficient โ was powered by groundwater irrigation. Between 1970 and 2020, Punjab farmers drilled millions of bore wells to irrigate rice paddies during summer (when groundwater recharge is lowest). The result: water tables in central Punjab have fallen 30โ50 cm per year for decades. CGWB classifies 76% of Punjab's assessment blocks as over-exploited.
Haryana mirrors Punjab's story: 67% of blocks over-exploited. Delhi, entirely dependent on neighbours for both surface and groundwater, has 98% of its tiny assessment area classified over-exploited. Satellite data from NASA's GRACE mission showed the northwest India aquifer losing 4 cubic kilometres of water per year through the 2000s โ a rate unprecedented for peacetime hydrology.
State-by-State Groundwater Status (CGWB 2022)
| State | Total Units | Over-Exploited | Critical | Semi-Critical | Safe | Key Contaminant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Punjab | 138 | 105 (76%) | 12 | 8 | 13 | Nitrate, Uranium |
| Haryana | 128 | 86 (67%) | 10 | 14 | 18 | Salinity, Nitrate |
| Delhi | 9 | 9 (98%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | Nitrate, Coliform |
| Rajasthan | 249 | 70 (28%) | 22 | 34 | 123 | Fluoride, Salinity |
| Tamil Nadu | 386 | 93 (24%) | 33 | 46 | 214 | Fluoride |
| Gujarat | 223 | 49 (22%) | 18 | 31 | 125 | Fluoride, Salinity |
| Uttar Pradesh | 820 | 180 (22%) | 42 | 68 | 530 | Arsenic, Fluoride |
| Karnataka | 176 | 28 (16%) | 19 | 30 | 99 | Fluoride, Iron |
| Maharashtra | 353 | 49 (14%) | 27 | 38 | 239 | Fluoride |
| Andhra Pradesh | 670 | 87 (13%) | 40 | 68 | 475 | Fluoride, Uranium |
| Bihar | 109 | 4 (4%) | 3 | 8 | 94 | Arsenic (major risk) |
| West Bengal | 269 | 13 (5%) | 8 | 19 | 229 | Arsenic (severe) |
| Kerala | 152 | 4 (3%) | 6 | 16 | 126 | Iron, Coliform |
| Meghalaya | 18 | 0 (0%) | 0 | 1 | 17 | None significant |
| Arunachal Pradesh | 4 | 0 (0%) | 0 | 0 | 4 | None |
Safe Zones: The Northeast and Kerala
The northeastern states โ Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim โ have abundant rainfall (Cherrapunji gets 11,000 mm/year) and sparse extraction, leaving their groundwater essentially untouched. Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh have zero over-exploited assessment units. Kerala's generally high rainfall (3,000+ mm/year) keeps most of the state safe, though isolated coastal areas face saltwater intrusion and some districts near Palakkad have localized over-exploitation.
The Quality Problem: Contamination Hot Spots
Even in 'safe' states, groundwater can be hazardous due to natural contamination. Arsenic affects shallow (30โ100m) alluvial aquifers in West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Assam โ a geological legacy of the Himalayan erosion that deposited iron-arsenic-rich sediments. About 4.8 crore people drink arsenic-contaminated water in India, with West Bengal and Bihar most severely affected. Fluoride is even more widespread, affecting 20 Indian states including Rajasthan, AP, Telangana, Karnataka, and parts of UP.
How to Check Your District's Groundwater Status
- โVisit cgwb.gov.in โ Publications โ Annual Ground Water Reports (state-wise)
- โUse Water Intel's interactive District GW layer (toggle the Districts button on the India map)
- โCheck the NAQUIM (National Aquifer Mapping Programme) portal for detailed aquifer maps
- โContact your state's Ground Water Board or Minor Irrigation Department for local data
- โCPCB's National Water Quality Monitoring portal shows chemical contamination by district
Sources & References
- CGWB: Annual Ground Water Report India 2022 โ cgwb.gov.in
- NASA GRACE: Groundwater Depletion Study, Northwest India 2009
- MoJS: National Aquifer Mapping Programme (NAQUIM) Reports 2020โ2024
- CPCB: Ground Water Quality Data Portal 2024
- Ministry of Jal Shakti: National Water Policy 2020 Draft
- IIT Gandhinagar: Groundwater Stress Index India 2023
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