Q. Consider the following statements:
- Statement-I: According to the United Nations' World Water Development Report, 2022, India extracts more than a quarter of the world's groundwater withdrawal each year.
- Statement-II: India needs to extract more than a quarter of the world's groundwater each year to satisfy the drinking water and sanitation needs of almost half of the world's population living in its territory.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements? (UPSC Prelims 2023)
Answer:
Statement-1 is correct but Statement-2 is incorrect
Notes: The correct answer is
[C] Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect. This question evaluates global water extraction statistics and India's demographic share.
- Statement-I (Correct): According to the UN World Water Development Report, India is the largest user of groundwater in the world. It extracts approximately 251 cubic kilometers (km^3) of groundwater annually, which accounts for more than one-fourth (about 26%) of the global groundwater withdrawal.
- Statement-II (Incorrect): While India is the largest extractor of groundwater, the reason provided is factually wrong. India is home to approximately 17-18% of the world's population, not "almost half." Furthermore, the primary driver for groundwater extraction in India is irrigation (accounting for nearly 90% of extraction), rather than just drinking water and sanitation.
The high dependency on groundwater in India has led to significant over-exploitation, particularly in the northwest and south, prompting the government to launch initiatives like the
Atal Bhujal Yojana and the
Jal Shakti Abhiyan to improve water table levels through community-led management.