Groundwater declines in Ganga Basin

Facts for Prelims

Groundwater declines in Ganga Basin

News: According to new estimates, groundwater storage levels have been declining by 2.6 centimetres per year in the Ganga basin.

Key Findings:
 The average groundwater levels have been declining at a rate of 2.6 cm year-1 between 1996-2017.
 The analysis of satellite data from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), yielded an average loss of 1.7 cm per year-1. GRACE satellites, launched in 2002, assess Earth’s water reservoirs over land, ice and ocean.
 The average storage decline in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal was estimated to be roughly 2 cm year−1, 1 cm year−1 and 0.6 cm year−1, respectively.
 The impacts were more pronounced in Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi, with average storage declines of roughly 14 cm year−1, 7.5 cm year−1 and 7.2 cm year−1, respectively.
 West and southwest areas, including agriculturally intensive regions and urban areas like Delhi and Agra, took the biggest hit. Delhi and Haryana have high groundwater abstraction rates, which explains the steep decline.
 The Brahmaputra basin shows more groundwater level reduction than the Ganga and Indus basins.