PANAJI
Goa may officially be classified as a “safe” State in terms of groundwater use, but the Central government has cautioned that this status masks underlying structural vulnerabilities that could threaten the State’s long-term water security if left unaddressed.
According to the Central Ground Water Board’s (CGWB) study, National Compilation of Dynamic Ground Water Resources of India, 2025, Goa’s total annual groundwater recharge”the volume of water added to aquifers annually- has been assessed at 0.38 billion cubic metres (bcm), while the annual extractable groundwater resource stands at 0.31 bcm.
The annual groundwater extraction in the State is estimated at just 0.07 bcm, placing the Stage of Ground Water Extraction at 23.3 per cent, well within sustainable limits.
“Compared to the 2024 assessment, the total annual groundwater recharge and extractable resources have remained unchanged, while annual extraction has shown only a marginal rise. Consequently, the Stage of Ground Water Extraction has increased slightly from 22.91 per cent to 23.3 per cent,” the study said.
All 12 groundwater assessment units, corresponding to Goa’s talukas, have been categorised as “Safe”. “The entire 2,209.59 sq km of recharge-worthy area in the State falls under the ‘Safe’ category. Of the State’s total annual extractable groundwater resources of 305.01 million cubic metres (mcm), 100 per cent lies within safe assessment units,” it said.
However, the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti has cautioned that these favourable figures do not fully reflect the complexities of groundwater management in a small, land-constrained coastal State like Goa.
In a written reply to Rajya Sabha MP Sadanand Shet Tanavade, Minister of State for Jal Shakti V Somanna said that Goa’s hydrogeological setting poses inherent challenges, with much of the State underlain by hard rock aquifers such as granite, granitic gneiss, meta-volcanics, meta-sediments and laterites. “Such formations typically have limited groundwater storage capacity and highly variable yields, making water availability uneven and location-specific,” he said.
Somanna further noted that despite heavy monsoon rainfall, Goa loses a substantial portion of rainwater to rapid surface runoff due to its highly undulating terrain and steep westward slopes. “This results in quick drainage into rivers and the sea, limiting groundwater recharge and reducing base flow during non-monsoon months,” he said.
Under the Jal Jeevan Mission, the State has been advised to strengthen source sustainability through measures such as dedicated borewell recharge structures, rainwater harvesting, rejuvenation of existing water bodies and reuse of greywater.
