Ghaziabad pulled out an alarming 123% of groundwater last year; Noida not far behind

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

water crisis as its groundwater levels continue to plummet. Another NCR town in UP, Noida is also not far behind in this trend. According to the National Compilation on Dynamic Ground Water Resources of India, 2023, commissioned by the Central Ground Water Board, Ghaziabad extracted an alarming 123% of its total groundwater last year. This extraction rate surpasses that of 75 districts in the state, where the average was significantly lower at 70.8%, a TOI report stated.

Ghaziabad, Noida lead the cities in High Extraction Rates

Leading the extraction charge in Uttar Pradesh, Ghaziabad is followed closely by Noida and Firozabad, with annual average extraction rates of 104.8% and 104.7%, respectively. The city, home to a population of 48.6 lakh and over 56,000 industries, extracted a staggering 46,191 hectare-metres (HAM) of groundwater last year. This included 2,246.1 HAM for industrial purposes and 36,881.8 HAM for irrigation, with household use accounting for 7,063.5 HAM.

Worrying Trends in Groundwater Recharge

Despite efforts to replenish groundwater through sources like rainfall, Ghaziabad only managed to replenish 41,675.3 HAM, leaving a deficit. The mismatch between extraction and recharge has resulted in a critical scenario, especially in areas like Muradnagar and parts of Loni and Modinagar, classified as overexploited zones.

Concerns Raised by Experts and Activists

Ankita Ray, a hydrologist, emphasized the importance of maintaining a balance between groundwater extraction and recharge: «Groundwater