The Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), in coordination with the State Governments, has carried out the Dynamic Ground Water Resource assessment of the country. As per the latest assessment of 2025, the total Annual Extractable Ground Water Resource for the country is estimated as 407.75 Billion Cubic Meters (BCM), and the total Annual Ground Water Extraction is 247.22 BCM.
The Stage of Groundwater Extraction (SoE), which is defined as a ratio of total Annual Ground Water Extraction to Annual Extractable Ground Water Resource, is arrived at 60.63% for the country as a whole.
Based on the Stage of Groundwater Extraction, the Assessment Units (AUs) of the country, which are generally Blocks/Taluks/Tehsils/Mandals etc., are placed into ‘Safe’, ‘Semi-critical’, ‘Critical’, ‘Over-Exploited’ and ‘Saline’ categories.
Perusal of data indicates that out of 359 assessment units (Taluks) in Maharashtra, 306 units (85.24%) fall in the Safe category, 40 (11.14%) in Semi-critical, 5 (1.39%) in Critical, 7 (1.95%) in Over-exploited and 1 (0.28%) unit is in the Saline category.
The Government has undertaken comprehensive measures to regulate over-extraction of groundwater, reduce dependence on it, and ensure long-term sustainability through aquifer recharge programmes, including in Maharashtra.
Central to these efforts is the Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA), an annual mission-mode campaign promoting water harvesting and artificial recharge, under which over 2 crore works have been completed nationwide, including about 1.89 lakh in Maharashtra.
To further strengthen community participation, the Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari (JSJB) initiative, launched in 2024, aims to make rainwater harvesting a mass movement, resulting in over 45 lakh structures across the country, including around 30,800 in Maharashtra.
The Atal Bhujal Yojana has demonstrated the success of community-led groundwater management, covering 1,133 Gram Panchayats in Maharashtra, where water budgeting, security planning, and infrastructure development have improved groundwater levels in most targeted blocks. The Jal Jeevan Mission (Har Ghar Jal) complements these efforts by ensuring sustainable rural drinking water supply, integrating source sustainability measures such as rainwater harvesting and promoting surface water-based systems in stressed areas. Additionally, Mission Amrit Sarovar has led to the rejuvenation or construction of nearly 69,000 water bodies nationwide, including 3,055 in Maharashtra, enhancing storage and recharge.
On the regulatory side, the Central Ground Water Authority oversees groundwater extraction through a system of No Objection Certificates. Meanwhile, the Per Drop More Crop scheme promotes micro-irrigation to improve water-use efficiency in agriculture. Further, under NAQUIM 2.0, detailed aquifer mapping and management planning are being undertaken to support informed decision-making and targeted interventions in water-stressed regions.
