Despite extensive promotional campaigns for water conservation, the groundwater crisis in Chhattisgarh has deepened into a major emergency, with more than 55 per cent of the State’s assessed groundwater units now classified as overexploited over the past two years. This alarming trend continues even though most districts received good rainfall during successive monsoon seasons. However, the rainfall has failed to significantly improve groundwater levels. In several blocks and districts, the situation has become so critical that immediate corrective intervention is essential, failing which the water crisis could severely affect local populations. According to the Central Ground Water Board’s Annual Report (2024–25), based on data collected between June 2024 and March 2025, 117 out of 205 assessed groundwater units in the State are overexploited, where extraction far exceeds recharge. Only 55 groundwater units remain in the safe category. Except for districts in the Bastar division, most districts across the remaining four divisions Raipur, Durg, Bilaspur and Surguja are witnessing a steady decline in groundwater levels, with the situation worsening each year. Significantly, the State received over 650 mm rainfall during the 2024 monsoon and more than 630 mm during the 2023 monsoon, yet this has not translated into meaningful groundwater recharge.

 

Instead, groundwater reserves continue to decline rapidly due to increasing consumption pressures. Almost all blocks in districts such as Raipur, Bilaspur, Durg, Mungeli and Balod have now been classified as overexploited, despite receiving substantial rainfall in recent years. These findings clearly indicate that heavy rainfall alone is not translating into groundwater recharge, exposing structural weaknesses in water-use patterns and management systems. Even today, rainwater harvesting infrastructure remains largely absent in many households as well as institutions such as colleges, hospitals and government offices. Scientific assessments suggest that properly implemented rainwater harvesting systems can contribute up to 20 per cent improvement in groundwater recharge, yet adoption remains limited across several districts. In Chhattisgarh, nearly 84 per cent of groundwater is used for agriculture, while 12 per cent is utilised for domestic purposes and 4 per cent for industrial use. Water expert and environmentalist Dr P. K. Sen said the impact of groundwater depletion is already visible across the State, with traditional wells and tube wells drying up in several villages and urban localities, forcing residents to depend increasingly on water tankers. Similarly, water conservationist Dr D N Sharma observed that water wastage continues to remain a serious concern, warning that a large section of the population faces water scarcity for six to seven months each year, underlining the urgency of adopting sustainable water-management practices.