Vulnerability and Sustainability of Groundwater Resource in India

Copyright © 2013 S.K. Goyal. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Abstract Water is a resource precious for life. The water cycle has significant role in the maintenance of ecosystems. Surface water and groundwater are important components of the hydrological cycle and are interdependent. The supply of water in suitable quality is steadily decreasing and the demand has increased significantly throughout the world. India has been found to be water stressed and is likely to be water scarce by 2050. The present study attempts to review the vulnerability and sustainability of groundwater resource due to its overexploitation dominated by agricultural sector. It has been revealed that groundwater is being consumed by human activities in these parts at a rate faster than replenished by natural processes. In the process, its quality has also deteriorated