POSITIVE results on arrest of depleting ground water in Punjab

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Last Updated: 28 September 2026

CGWB 2026 assessment (Aug 2026): 1st improvement in groundwater in decades[1]
-- Stage of groundwater development down from 164% (2022) to 152.22% (2026)
-- Annual extraction down from 28.02 BCM to 26.32 BCM
-- Over-exploited blocks down from 117 to 110; Safe blocks up from 17 to 20

Punjab CGWB report 2023: Tops the list, with the extraction of groundwater at 164% i.e. 64% more extraction than recharge[2]

-- The water table is depleting at an annual average of 51 cm
-- 76.47% (117 out of 153) blocks declared over-exploited i.e. Dark Zone[3]
-- 13.07% (20) blocks in Safe category[3:1]
-- Water level expected to reach 1000 feet depth by 2039[4]

Ground Water Resources of Punjab 2024-25 report (June 2026)[5]: Extraction down from 164% (2023) to 156% (2025)
-- Over-exploited blocks reduced from 117 to 111
-- Water levels improved in 81 of 153 blocks
-- Credited mainly to canal irrigation expansion (102 defunct canals restored)

CGWB report 2024[6]: Efforts by AAP Govt showing IMPACT

-- After 24 years, 63 blocks showed RISE in Water Levels
-- 2 Blocks enter SAFE zone from Semi-Critical
-- 2 Blocks enter Semi-Critical zone from Critical

Initiatives to reverse this trend (Detailed Next section)

1.Canal Irrigation to avoid tubewell pumps
2.Canal water for drinking
3.Water Recharge

Year Water Extraction%[7]
2020 164.42%
2022 164.11%
2023 163.76%
2026[1:1] 152.22%
2025[5:1] 156%

Initiatives to reverse falling water table

1. Canal Irrigation to avoid tubewell pumps

2. Canal water for drinking

3. Water Recharge

  • 32 defunct groundwater recharge structures have been made operational[8]
  • 129 recharge sites have already been constructed just in 1 year[9]

Water table Report: Nov 2023[10]

  • Data collected by the CGWB during November 2023 is compared with the decadal mean of water levels for the month of November from 2013 to 2022
Wells Comments
176 Monitored wells in Punjab
115 (65.34%) Wells show fall in water level
61 (34.66%) Wells show rise in water level
  • Himachal Pradesh is even worse than Punjab, where water level has gone down in 72% of the monitored wells

References:

  1. https://yespunjab.com/punjab-records-first-rise-in-groundwater-levels-in-decades-says-minister-barinder-kumar-goyal/ (Punjab Govt Press Release, 31 Aug 2026) ↩︎ ↩︎

  2. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/groundwater-recharge-this-year-maximum-since-2004-punjab-rajasthan-haryana-extract-more-than-recharged/articleshow/105663998.cms ↩︎

  3. https://cgwb.gov.in/cgwbpnm/public/uploads/documents/17067037961497272345file.pdf ↩︎ ↩︎

  4. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/punjab-farmers-urged-to-switch-from-paddy-farming-for-environmental-sustainability/articleshow/111941459.cms ↩︎

  5. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/groundwater-extraction-drops-in-punjab-as-canal-irrigation-expands-report/ ↩︎ ↩︎

  6. https://www.bhaskar.com/local/punjab/news/punjab-ground-water-water-level-update-guru-sahay-and-makhu-block-safe-zone-133882447.html ↩︎

  7. https://cgwb.gov.in/cgwbpnm/public/uploads/documents/17067037961497272345file.pdf ↩︎

  8. https://www.babushahi.com/full-news.php?id=157819 ↩︎

  9. https://www.babushahi.com/full-news.php?id=180029 ↩︎

  10. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/in-parliament-water-table-depleting-fast-in-punjab-65-wells-register-fall-642975 ↩︎

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