No Chhattisgarh Block Now Falls in Category of ‘Critical’ Groundwater, Survey Finds
Groundwater recharge hits record 14.65 BCM as extraction declines for the first time
Raipur: Chhattisgarh has achieved a major milestone in groundwater conservation, with no development block in the state now classified under the ‘critical’ groundwater extraction category.
According to the Groundwater Resources Assessment- 2026, all five blocks that remained critical in 2025 have moved off the category, compared with nine critical blocks in 2020.
The state has also recorded its biggest improvement in a single-cycle assessment since block-wise groundwater assessment began, with groundwater status of 12 developmental blocks improving and the number of safe blocks rising to 127, a spokesman of the state government said on Thursday.
Annual groundwater recharge has reached an all-time high of 14.65 billion cubic meters (BCM), up from 11.57 BCM in 2017, while the total groundwater extraction has declined for the first time in the available assessment record.
The Groundwater Resources Assessment- 2026, jointly prepared by the Central Groundwater Board and the State Groundwater Survey Board, has been approved by the state-level groundwater assessment and management committee.
Compared with 2020, groundwater recharge from ponds and small water bodies has increased by 266.9 percent, while recharge from other water-conservation structures has risen by 202.8 percent.
A total of 2,28,736 water structures have been recorded across the state for the 2026 assessment.
Another significant outcome of the 2026 assessment is a decline in groundwater extraction.
Total extraction has fallen from 6.30 BCM in the previous assessment cycle to 6.21 BCM in 2026, marking the first annual decline in the available assessment record.
