The groundwater emergency in Delhi

Around 100 sq km of area in the National Capital Region has a high risk of land subsidence, with the largest of these, of around 12.5 sq km, in Delhi’s Kapashera area, this newspaper reported on Tuesday, quoting a scientific study published in Nature. Land subsidence occurs when a large amount of groundwater is extracted from aquifers.

The alarming rate of groundwater depletion has been a problem in the Capital for years due to population growth and high urbanisation. In 2021, a Central Groundwater Board report stated Delhi’s groundwater levels were declining at the rate of 0.5 to 2 metres each year and that 825 sq km of Delhi’s total area of 1,483 sq km is suitable for artificial recharge of the groundwater table. In addition, Niti Aayog’s Comprehensive Water Management Index 2019 identified Delhi as a low-performing state when it comes to water management. A Comptroller and Auditor General of India audit of groundwater management and regulation (presented in Parliament in December 2021), using 2013-18 data, said that eight states have violated the national level targets of groundwater extraction. Delhi is one.

While Delhi needs to incentivise rooftop rainwater harvesting, restore the city’s water networks, recycle water, and fix distribution lines to reduce wastage, it also needs to stop illegal groundwater mining and haphazard construction that blocks rainwater from discharging into the ground and recharging water bodies and streams. Experts also suggest water harvesting in the parks and open spaces of Delhi. According to a Centre for Science and Environment study, Delhi has the potential to harvest 12,800 million litres of rainwater every year. The government and citizens must treat groundwater as a valuable resource and its rapid depletion as an emergency, which can threaten economic growth and reduce the quality of life for citizens, apart from weakening the ground beneath their feet.