AHMEDABAD: Gujarat’s groundwater stress is rising, with extraction increasing faster than natural replenishment, according to the Dynamic Ground Water Resources of India, 2025 report of the Ministry of Jal Shakti. The state’s groundwater extraction level rose from 54.21% in 2024 to 55.95% in 2025, while recharge remained largely unchanged.
The Central Ground Water Board’s (CGWB) 2025 assessment shows Gujarat extracted 14.33 billion cubic metres (bcm) of groundwater against an annual extractable resource of 25.61 bcm.
Groundwater extraction rose from 13.86 bcm in 2024 to 14.33 bcm in 2025, a 3.4% year-on-year increase. Meanwhile, annual groundwater recharge remained unchanged at 27.58 bcm.
The rising extraction, despite virtually stagnant recharge, pushed Gujarat’s groundwater extraction stage from 54.21% to 55.95%, signalling mounting pressure on the state’s groundwater resources
Agriculture accounted for 13.25 bcm, or 92.5%, of groundwater extraction in 2025. Domestic use was 0.88 bcm and industrial extraction 0.20 bcm, according to the CGWB. The figures underline the state’s dependence on groundwater for farming and its sensitivity to rainfall and irrigation demand.
Of 252 assessment units, only 181 are Safe. The remaining include 31 Semi-Critical, three Critical and 25 Over-Exploited units. Another 12 units are saline, putting nearly one-fourth of Gujarat’s groundwater systems under pressure or degradation.
North Gujarat is the worst affected. Banaskantha has an extraction stage of 121.47%, with eight of its 14 units Over-Exploited, including Dantiwada, Deesa, Palanpur and Tharad. Patan and Mahesana recorded extraction stages of 118.57% and 108.74%, respectively, with multiple Over-Exploited and Critical units.
Urban stress is also evident. Gandhinagar recorded an extraction stage of 111.28%, exceeding its annual extractable groundwater resource by 11.28%. Ahmedabad’s district-wide stage was 72.74%, while the Ahmedabad Urban assessment unit was Critical at 93.76% in the latest CGWB-2023 assessment-unit data.
More than 70% of annual groundwater recharge comes from monsoon rainfall. Nearly 60% of Gujarat has hard-rock formations.