Karnataka's groundwater usage depletes, recharge capacity up: Report

Karnataka witnessed a significant drop in groundwater usage and a notable increase in annual recharge capacity, reflecting the impact of sustained water conservation efforts and good rainfall, Minister N S Boseraju said on Wednesday.

The minister released the 2025 Groundwater Assessment Report at Vikas Soudha and said that the gains were a result of good rainfall, focused policy interventions, and large-scale water conservation initiatives implemented over the past two years under the leadership of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar.

Overall groundwater extraction has reduced from 68.44 per cent in 2024 to 66.49 per cent in 2025, according to the report. It indicates more responsible and sustainable usage patterns across the state.

Additionally, annual groundwater recharge capacity has gone up from 18.74 billion cubic metres (BCM) in 2024 to 19.28 BCM in 2025, while annual extractable groundwater resources rose from 16.88 BCM to 17.41 BCM, the minister’s office said in a statement.

“This simultaneous reduction in usage and increase in recharge reflects our government’s commitment to long-term water sustainability,” the Minor Irrigation, Science and Technology Minister said.

This positive improvement comes majorly from the expansion of water conservation structures (WCS) across the state.

Recharge through such structures increased by 29.11 per cent, from 0.81 BCM to 1.04 BCM within a year, the report stated.

The number of water conservation works rose to 3.94 lakh in 2025. The number was at 3.15 lakh in 2024.

The report shows improvement in groundwater status across 11 taluks, with several regions moving to safer categories.

Boseraju highlighted these changes and pointed out that Chamarajanagar taluk has improved from "over-exploited" to "critical".

Similarly, taluks including Athani, Channapatna, Molakalmuru, Ranebennur, Savanur, and Shiggaon have successfully transitioned from "semi-critical" to "safe" status.

Further, domestic groundwater extraction has also declined by 0.58 per cent, dropping from 1,21,731 hectare-metres (ham) in 2024 to 1,21,023 ham in 2025.

Officials attribute this to increased reliance on surface water under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).

Boseraju said that initiatives such as lake rejuvenation, year-round water supply through treated and surface water, sustained public awareness campaigns, and good rainfall have played a key role in reducing over-extraction and enhancing recharge.

“Instead of depending solely on the 120-day monsoon, we are ensuring water availability throughout all 365 days through scientific management. This has strengthened long-term water security for both farmers and urban residents,” he said.

For future technological improvements, the minister said, “To further safeguard our resources, we are rolling out the Digital Water Stack (DWS) initiative. Under this framework, we will soon initiate space technology and AI-based satellite surveillance to obtain real-time data for continuous groundwater monitoring.”

(With PTI inputs)