Availability and extraction of ground water resources in the Western Haryana, India

Abstract

Groundwater is a very vital natural resource that provides relatively clean, cheap drinking water for domestic use, industrial processes, drinking water supply, and agriculture throughout urban and rural areas. Use of groundwater has increased significantly in Western Haryana over the last few decades with widespread tubewell irrigation. The paper highlights a critical issue as the annual groundwater abstraction in the region is more than the availability and an overdraft of about one billion cubic meters (BCM) exists during 2021-2022. Out of 42 blocks of the region, 18 blocks are abstracting groundwater at a rate below availability, and 24 blocks are over-extracting. This research paper will help in understanding the dynamics of the availability and exploitation of groundwater resources and the recharge of groundwater resources in Western Haryana.