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The World Meteorological Organization released its State of Global Water Resources 2025 report on 17 September 2026: 34% of monitored groundwater stations recorded below or much-below normal levels in 2025, up from 25% in 2024.
North-western India had persistent groundwater deficits across 2022-2025, with over-abstraction named as a key driver, and northern India had below-normal terrestrial water storage in 2025.
About 36% of the global catchment area was drier than normal, making 2025 one of the driest years for river discharge in 35 years.
Glaciers lost 408 +/-132 gigatonnes of ice in 2025, about 1.1 mm of sea-level rise - the fourth year running in which every major glaciated region lost mass.
Global terrestrial water storage has declined persistently since 2014-16; the report now tracks 15 hydrological variables, up from 3 when the series began.
All water held on and below land: groundwater, soil moisture, snow and ice, lakes, reservoirs and rivers. Satellites such as GRACE measure it from tiny changes in Earth's gravity. A multi-year fall means more is being withdrawn than recharged.
Simple Analogy: A savings account where withdrawals keep beating deposits.
UN specialised agency for weather, climate and water; publishes the State of Global Water Resources report. Its Convention came into force on 23 March 1950 (World Meteorological Day)
India's national groundwater agency under the Ministry of Jal Shakti; runs the Dynamic Ground Water Resources Assessment with the states
Community-led groundwater management in water-stressed blocks of seven states (Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh).
Key: Launched 25 December 2019; outlay Rs 6,000 crore, half of it World Bank assistance; incentives are tied to measured improvement in groundwater.
Rainwater harvesting and recharge structures in every district before and during the monsoon.
Key: Launched on World Water Day, 22 March 2021.
The report singles out north-western India - the Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan belt where irrigation draws heavily on tube wells - and the Ganges-Indus headwaters in the Himalaya, where glacier and snow storage feed both river systems.
GS Paper III > Environment - water resources, groundwater, climate change; GS Paper I > Geography - water resources
General Awareness > Reports and organisations
General Awareness > Reports and indices
All water on and below land - groundwater, soil moisture, snow, ice and surface water.
Pumping groundwater faster than it is recharged.
Annual extraction as a percentage of extractable recharge; India's 2025 figure was 60.63%.
Volume of water flowing through a river channel per unit time.