Groundwater Depletion and Aquifer Stress
Groundwater represents India’s largest freshwater reserve, sustaining ~65% irrigation, 85% rural drinking, and 50% urban water supply (CGWB, 2024). Continuous over-extraction, erratic recharge, and aquifer degradation have pushed many regions into critical stress, endangering water and food security.
Groundwater depletion and aquifer stress are outcomes of the imbalance between natural recharge and human withdrawal, deeply linked to climate, geology, and policy practices.
Geographical Basis of Groundwater Distribution
- India’s groundwater occurs in two major hydrogeological systems:
- Porous alluvial aquifers of the Indo-Gangetic plains with high storage and recharge potential.
- Hard rock aquifers of the Peninsular Plateau, characterized by low porosity and high dependence on ....
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Related Content
Geography Of India
- 1 India’s Strategic Location in the Global and Regional Contexts
- 2 Geological Evolution of the Indian Subcontinent
- 3 India’s Geological Uniqueness: Some Salient Aspects
- 4 Peninsular Block, Himalayan Region, and Indo-Gangetic Plains: Comparative Features
- 5 Major Physiographic Divisions of India
- 6 Coastal and Desert Landforms of India
- 7 Origin and Characteristics of Major River Systems
- 8 Integrated River Basin Governance
- 9 Interlinking of Rivers and their Ecological-Economic Trade-offs
- 10 Groundwater Stress Mapping
