Groundwater depletion in India has become an urgent issue, with recent reports revealing a marginal decline in the country’s annual groundwater recharge in 2024. The Central Ground Water Board's latest assessment, released by the Jal Shakti Ministry, points to significant concerns regarding water availability, especially in regions like northwest India, including parts of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and western Uttar Pradesh. These areas have seen higher rates of groundwater extraction, exacerbating the crisis.
One of the main drivers of this over-extraction is the extensive use of groundwater for cultivating paddy, a water-intensive crop. In states like Punjab and Haryana, paddy cultivation has become a dominant agricultural practice, despite its high water requirements. The crop consumes over 10 times more water than pulses or oilseeds, which require only 500 to 600 litres of water to produce one kilogram of grain. The shift from diverse crops to paddy has severely impacted groundwater levels and contributed to soil degradation and health issues.
Punjab, traditionally a non-paddy region, has seen a drastic reduction in crop diversity, with oilseeds and pulses being replaced by paddy. This change, driven by supportive water and electricity policies, has created a vicious cycle of groundwater depletion. The consequences are not limited to agriculture; the over-exploitation of water resources has affected the region's ecological balance and raised concerns about the future of farming in these states.
In response to the mounting crisis, Haryana implemented a crop diversification program in 2020, restricting paddy cultivation in water-scarce blocks and promoting alternative crops like maize. This policy aims to mitigate groundwater overuse, though its success depends on farmer cooperation and long-term sustainability. Without addressing the water-intensive nature of paddy farming, India’s groundwater resources will continue to face an uncertain future.