Gujarat Faces Growing Groundwater Crisis as Recharge Falls Behind Unchecked Consumption
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
A government report has flagged a worsening groundwater situation in Gujarat, with North Gujarat recording some of the state’s deepest water levels and Deodar in Banaskantha reaching 168.29 metres.
The report, based on 2025 data, identifies Mehsana, Banaskantha, Patan, Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad and Kutch among the areas facing serious groundwater stress.
Deodar Records Deepest Groundwater Level
In Deodar Panthak of Banaskantha, groundwater is available at a depth of 168.29 metres, the deepest level cited in the report.
Other areas with deep groundwater levels include Anjar at 56.82 metres, Gandhinagar at 56.23 metres, Disa at 55.46 metres, Jotana at 51.81 metres, Nakhatrana at 52.34 metres, Dehgam at 46.52 metres, Bhabhar at 34.26 metres, Vadgam at 32.78 metres, Unjha at 32.02 metres, Vijapur at 31.92 metres, Palanpur at 30.49 metres and Ahmedabad at 26.12 metres.
The report says groundwater levels have fallen alarmingly in several parts of Gujarat, particularly in North Gujarat, compared with South Gujarat and coastal areas.
South Gujarat Shows Better Levels
The report says the groundwater situation is comparatively better in areas including Navsari, Valsad, Dwarka, Anand, Jamnagar, Porbandar, Bharuch, Gir Somnath and Surat.
In some areas of South Gujarat, groundwater is available at a depth of only 1 to 6 metres, according to the report.
Recharge Fails to Keep Pace with Extraction
The report states that an average of 27.58 billion cusecs of water is recharged into Gujarat’s groundwater reserves through natural and artificial means, while around 1 billion cusecs of water is withdrawn from the ground every year.
It puts the proportion of groundwater recharge being drained at 54.21% and says excessive extraction is contributing to the continuing decline in groundwater levels.
The state government spends crores of rupees each year on groundwater-level improvement and water-quality measures. Schemes including the Atal Bhujal Yojana and Sujalam Suphalam Yojana are also being implemented, but the report says significant improvement at the ground level is yet to be seen.
