Overview of Ground Water in India

The Standing Committee on Water Resources examined the subject ‘Review of ground water scenario, need for a comprehensive policy and measures to address problems in the country with particular reference to (i) dark blocks, and (ii) contamination of underground water by certain industries’ and submitted their report in December 2015. The Committee’s recommendations are summarised in the annexure to the note. Committees usually review the action taken by the government on their recommendations, a few months after the report is released. In this context, we present an analysis of the ground water scenario in the country. This note maps the indicators regarding availability of ground water in the country, the policy framework and some key issues with regard to the sector.