VIJAYAWADA: Causing concern among farmers and households, Andhra Pradesh’s groundwater table has plunged steeply. The State’s average groundwater level has fallen by 10.43 feet in a year, with 5.3 feet of the decline recording in just over six weeks, indicating mounting pressure on underground reserves.
The average groundwater level stood at 11.14 metres (36.55 feet) below ground level (BGL) on September 20, 2026, compared with 7.96 metres (26.12 feet) on the corresponding date last year. The average BGL which was 9.52 metres (31.2 feet) in the first week of August, has slipped to 11.14 metres, a fall of 1.62 metres (5.3 feet).
The State has received 270.86 mm rainfall this season against the normal 517.19 mm, registering a 47.63% deficit, limiting the scope for natural groundwater recharge.
The decline comes during the Kharif season, when farmers are dependent heavily on borewells to protect standing crops in the absence of adequate rainfall. With canals, tanks and other water bodies receiving limited inflows, farmers and households have increasingly turned to groundwater, mounting the pressure on aquifers. The lack of surface water is also affecting natural recharge. With fewer inflows into tanks and other water bodies, less water is available to percolate into the ground and replenish underground reserves.
The impact is particularly severe in Rayalaseema, where the average groundwater depth increased from 9.15 metres to 14.48 metres in a year, a decline of 5.33 metres (17.5 feet). In Coastal Andhra, the level fell by 2.32 metres, from 7.48 metres to 9.80 metres.
No groundwater for use in three districts
Several districts recorded steep year-on-year decline. Sri Sathya Sai registered the highest fall of 10.71 metres, with groundwater depth increasing from 10.76 metres to 21.47 metres.
Annamayya recorded 8.38 metre fall and Anantapur 5.88 metres, while Nandyal, Chittoor, Kadapa and Tirupati also reported substantial decline in the groundwater table.
In Coastal Andhra, Eluru recorded 5.33 metre decline, taking the groundwater depth to 23.73 metres. Visakhapatnam recorded a decline of 4.95 metres, while Anakapalli, Guntur and Krishna reported a fall of 3.58 metres, 3.11 metres and 2.05 metres respectively.
Groundwater availability for use is already limited in some districts. Markapuram, Kadapa and Annamayya have zero groundwater availability for use, while Chittoor has 1.2 TMC and Visakhapatnam 1.1 TMC.
Across the State, groundwater available for use as on September 1, 2026, stood at 492.39 TMC, including 415.57 TMC in Coastal Andhra and 76.81 TMC in Rayalaseema.
The sharp depletion coincides with a deficient southwest monsoon. While the groundwater data does not establish rainfall deficit or El Niño as the direct cause, inadequate rainfall, greater extraction for Kharif crops and poor inflows into surface-water bodies have combined to leave aquifers under increased stress.
With the monsoon nearing its end, substantial rainfall and replenishment of tanks and other water bodies will be crucial for natural groundwater recharge, and to ease the pressure on farmers and households dependent on borewells for their needs.