Uses only 21.37% of extractable resource
Abdul Wahab Khan
Panaji: Goa has emerged as a leader in groundwater conservation in the country with the highest
recharge and lowest extraction rates, according to the latest data from the National Aquifer Mapping and Management Programme (NAQUIM).
The state has also achieved ‘safe’ status for all the 12 talukas and the entire recharge-worthy area, indicating a balance between groundwater recharge and extraction.
The National Aquifer Mapping and Management Programme (NAQUIM), an initiative of the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), Ministry of Jal Shakti, was launched in 2012 and is the world’s largest programme for aquifer management to support the
effective management of groundwater resources in the country.
As per the 2023 data, Goa has a total annual groundwater recharge of 0.396 billion cubic metres (bcm) and an annual extractable groundwater resource of 0.317 bcm. The annual groundwater extraction is 0.068 bcm, which is only 21.37% of the extractable resource. This means that the state has a surplus of groundwater that can be used for future development.
The data shows that the Goa groundwater situation has deteriorated as compared to the 2022 assessment, when the total annual groundwater recharge was 0.41 bcm and the annual extractable groundwater resource was 0.33 bcm.
The annual groundwater extraction has, however, decreased marginally from 0.078 bcm to 0.068 bcm, owing to a reduction in domestic draft due to surface water supply under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM). The stage of groundwater extraction has marginally decreased from 23.63% to 21.37%.
The NAQUIM data for 2023 shows that Goa is among ten states and Union territories – Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Tripura, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Sikkim – where all the assessment units are categorised under the ‘safe’ category.
The entire 2,209.59 sq km of recharge-worthy areas in the state fall within the ‘safe’ category as do 100% of the state’s total annual extractable groundwater resources (317 mcm).
The data shows the groundwater recharge rates across various Indian states and Union territories, and Goa has one of the highest groundwater recharge rates and one of the lowest groundwater extraction rates in the country.
According to the data, the states and Union territories where the average stage of groundwater extraction is high (greater than 70%) are Punjab (163.76%), Rajasthan (148.77%), Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu (142.91%), Haryana (135.74%), Delhi (99.13%), Chandigarh (75.41%), Tamil Nadu (73.91%), Uttar Pradesh (70.76%) and Puducherry (70.27%). This indicates that these states and Union territories are overexploiting their groundwater resources, leading to depletion and degradation of the aquifers.
India is the largest user of groundwater globally, extracting more than the United States and China put together. The widespread extraction of this precious resource has led to its alarming decline.
India has taken steps to arrest its groundwater decline such as launching the Atal Bhujal Yojana in 2019, a groundwater programme that places communities at the heart of the effort.