Haryana is persistently short on water resources, with irrigation demands exceeding the available surface and subsurface supplies, according to a report by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) submitted to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on May 3, 2025.
The state has limited surface water, as the perennial rivers of Punjab — Satluj, Beas and Ravi — do not flow through Haryana. Haryana's allocated water from these rivers is accessed via the Bhakra canal in the state's western region. Additionally, the Yamuna River provides some surface water, but it is insufficient and shared with Uttar Pradesh.
Groundwater is the primary source of fresh water. On March 28, 2023, Haryana's government established a permanent state-level committee to estimate and refine groundwater resources. CGWB, North Western Region, Chandigarh and the Irrigation and Water Resources Department, Haryana, jointly assess the state's groundwater resources across all blocks. Groundwater resources have been evaluated in various years, including 2004, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2017, 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024, with annual assessments beginning in 2022.
The Dynamic Ground Water Resource Assessment 2024 determined that the state’s total annual groundwater recharge is 10.32 billion cubic meters (bcm), while the annual extractable groundwater resource is 9.36 bcm. Currently, 12.72 bcm of groundwater is extracted annually, with a groundwater extraction rate of 135.96 per cent. Of the 143 assessment units (blocks / urban), 88 units (61.54 per cent) are classified as 'overexploited', 11 units (7.69 per cent) as critical, eight units (5.59 per cent) as semi-critical and 36 units (25.17 per cent) as safe.
Compared to the 2023 assessment, the total annual groundwater recharge increased from 9.55-10.31 bcm in 2024, with extractable resources rising from 8.69-9.36 bcm and annual groundwater extraction increasing from 11.8-12.72 bcm.
Groundwater extraction has slightly increased from 135.74 per cent to 135.96 per cent. The Ground Water Resources Assessment 2024 confirmed that agriculture is the primary consumer of groundwater in Haryana, with 1.121 million hectares of the 3.5 million hectares of cultivated land using tubewell irrigation.
The state has approximately 850,000 irrigation tubewells. The report also offers several recommendations for effective groundwater utilisation, including encouraging farmers to diversify away from paddy and other water-intensive crops by adopting crop diversification programmes that promote alternative crops such as maize, sunflower, cotton, vegetables, bajra, and summer moong.
On May 1, 2025, NGT addressed the issue of pollution in Gopanpally Lake, instructing that notices be sent to relevant authorities. Notices were directed to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), Telangana State Pollution Control Board, Central Pollution Control Board, and Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board.
These parties are required to submit their responses to the tribunal's southern zonal bench a week before the next hearing on July 1, 2025.
The case was initiated suo motu based on a news article titled Locals claim pollution killing fish in Gopanpally lake; officials to inspect published in The Times of India on April 15, 2025. The article highlighted suspected water pollution in Gopanpally Lake, Hyderabad, leading to mass fish deaths due to alleged sewage and drainage inflow.
According to the report, a nearby sewage treatment plant might be releasing both treated and untreated wastewater into the lake, while drainage from surrounding areas like Nallagandla and Gopanpally is also reportedly polluting the lake. The article further noted that despite several complaints to GHMC, no effective measures have been taken.