Given the precarious condition of its ground and surface water resources such as rivers, streams, lakes, wetlands and reservoirs, India could be a water-scarce country in the next 40 years. With 1,486 cubic metres (about 1.5 million litres) of water available per person per annum, India falls in the water-stressed category; a dip below 1000 cubic metres per person per annum will push it into the water-scarce category.
The manner of water consumption compounds the problem. Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) statistics show that indiscriminate use of ground water turned 4% of the total 7,089 assessed units critical in 2022, while 14% were assessed as over-exploited; the situation was worse in 2017 when 17% of the units were over-exploited. Recharge and conservation efforts have borne fruit, but such units remain high in Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
In India, 87% of groundwater is extracted for irrigation, and experts say excess year-round withdrawal may be the biggest reason for depletion, since recharge happens mainly in the monsoon. Encroachment of water bodies and the discharge of untreated waste water into rivers and streams have further reduced surface water resources.
Which of the following states have been found to have a high number of over-exploited units of ground water?
The passage lists Rajasthan, Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, so the answer is 1, 2 and 4.
Item 1 pairs Rajasthan and Delhi, both named in the passage as having many over-exploited units.
Item 2 pairs Punjab and Haryana, the intensively irrigated states also named in the passage.
Item 4 pairs Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, the two southern states listed in the passage.
Uttar Pradesh in item 3 is not named in the passage among these states, so it is excluded.
Madhya Pradesh in item 5 is also absent from the passage's list.
Heavy groundwater over-extraction in these states is driven mainly by intensive irrigation for agriculture.
Want more like this? Create a free account to practise a full test, track your progress, and get spaced-repetition review.
Practise on Mcqkart →🎓 Book an expert →